Reality programming--a broad title for unscripted shows that involve non-actors--is really an updated version of a classic television genre that had its first successes decades before "The Real World" or "Survivor" made their premieres. NBC launched "Try and Do It," a show in which audience members attempted to complete tasks such as whistling with a mouthful of crackers, in 1949. In the 1950s "Queen for a Day" crowned the most down-trodden of its four contestants, draping her in a sable-trimmed robe and granting a previously declared wish. The wild success reality television has achieved...