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Mary-Ellis Bunim
Television programming, perhaps even the way America viewed celebrities, was forever changed when writer and producer Mary-Ellis Bunim changed the playing field with the creation of the groundbreaking reality series "The Real World" (MTV 1992- ). For a new generation of television viewers, reality television was born. Unscripted became the name of the game, where the line between drama and reality dissolved over the airwaves. When millions of viewers watched dozens of overnight-celebrities enjoying their fifteen minutes of fame on television, it was often Mary-Ellis Bunim who put it all together.