Latinos Becoming More Prominent in Reality TV

By Stephanie Pollick, ALMA Blog

Reality television is everywhere, turning regular people into household names and beckoning the already-famous to bare themselves “unscripted” to the world. Diverse casts, or the lack thereof, have been a hot topic in the news these days, specifically regarding the recent discrimination lawsuit filed against The Bachelor for their failure to cast people of color as the lead. But while Latinos and other minorities are clearly underrepresented in mainstream media, we celebrate the fact that more and more Latinos hold prominent positions on these shows—a trend that we hope will continue! Let’s take a moment to acknowledge the successes of the many Latinos acting as hosts, judges, and contestants on reality TV.

Each week we get to see some of our favorite stars. ALMA favorites Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera pass on some of their wisdom each week on American Idol and The Voice, coaching new young talent like American Idol’s Jessica Sanchez. And Latinos are not just making waves on singing competition shows. Mario Lopez has hosted MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew for all seven seasons. William Levy has swept us off our feet week after week on this season’s Dancing with the Stars, most recently in last week’s tantalizing rumba, which got a little too hot for some of the judges but made the crowd crazy with excitement.

Our very own five-time ALMA Awards host, Eva Longoria, will delve into reality TV later this year with her new show Ready for Love, which she is helping to produce. The NBC show will follow three men in their pursuit of true love. Not to be outdone in the cupid role, her 2009 and 2011 ALMA co-host, George Lopez, premieres his new show on FOX on July 7. Take Me Out will ask 30 women to choose from several bachelors “who must make the ultimate first impression.”

How will their forays into reality TV fare? One thing’s for sure—we’re rooting for both of them!

This post first appeared in the ALMA Blog.

The NCLR ALMA Awards honors outstanding Latino artistic achievement in television, film, and music and the enhancement of the Latino image in the entertainment industry. The show has established a following around the country and has made inroads for Latinos in Hollywood both in front of and behind the camera.