Reality TV check: Are your family members prime contestants for reality TV?

Half a million people stand in line each year, hoping to score a spot as a contestant on a reality TV show. And some take family members along for the ride. What would shows like Wife Swap, Crash Test Mommy or Spoiled Rotten be, after all, if it weren't for the rest of the clan?

On the other hand, is it fair (or even a good idea) to put your entire family under the microscope? How are the kids who are spotlighted on today's generation of reality TV shows going to feel when they are old enough to understand that their temper tantrums and fussy eating issues were showcased for entertainment purposes?

A few years ago, I was invited to appear as a guest on one of the first Canadian shows to dive into the world of reality TV. The show's claim to fame was that it sent special "guest experts" into the homes of "real families" to provide on-the-spot advice (think Nanny 911 or Supernanny, but with a new nanny each week).

I was slotted into a segment with a family that was in the midst of toilet training. Or at least that was the premise. As it turned out, the entire thing was being staged for the camera by the producers, who simply shot endless footage of a little girl getting on and off the potty, saying "Yeah!" with great satisfaction, while I ran through the basic dos and don'ts of potty training with her mom.

I later found out that the family hadn't even broached the subject of potty training with their daughter — nor had they any intention of doing so at any time in the near future. They were simply filling in for the original potty training family, who had gone AWOL at the last minute. This is one of the perils of being friends with a TV producer. You never know when you're going to be recruited to appear in a random segment on a random topic for a random TV show, which is what had happened to this family. Their crime? Being good sports. The result? Surreal reality TV.) I often wonder if that little girl ever figured out what potties are really for, or if she just kept doing cool potty tricks (a great way to get applause from any bathroom crowd) when it came time to start toilet training for real.

So, have you ever been tempted to offer up your family members as contestants on your favourite reality TV show? The perks can be tempting, after all: a chance to schmooze with people you normally only see on TV and to pick their brains for advice on dealing with your preschooler's nasty habit of swearing in front of the grandparents — and then attributing that bad word back to daddy — or your teenager's even more worrisome habits (habits that may not necessarily be suitable for primetime TV). Sometimes you even walk away with some cool TV show bling: mugs, pens, gift certificates, books, T-shirts and other goodies to share with the rest of the family.