I've been debating this topic with a family member. Do you guys see documentaries and reality TV shows to be very different beasts, or do you lump them into similar categories?
I see then as very different. Reality TV screams Survivor or Big Brother to me. Documentaries are actual factual movies. I hope in 50 years, no one does a documentary on any reality TV shows.
I think they're very different projects. Documentaries are more about educating the public, telling your story, or investing a topic. On the other hand, reality TV is just meant to be entertaining. There's no purpose behind it.