It gives the show the material.

Didn't "Cheaters" get busted "cheating" by shooting some staged shows, Jerry Springer style?

There was an article in the Dallas Observer weekly newspaper a couple of years ago that had interviews with people who had been on the show and claimed they were recruited and did it as an acting gig type of thing.

http://www.dallasobserver.com/Issues...news/news.html

The article, if anyone is interested.

I used to watch the show to see if I'd see someone I knew. Never did, though.

You mean it's like wrestling? Many will argue that wrestling is real.