Some viewers have wondered if Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown is real or fake. While there are quite a few elements of the show which are definitely reality in action, there are other parts that have been staged. Does this make the show a fake? We discovered that there has been faking involved, so although the crew travels to unique destinations, the information that is shared on episodes of the series, is at times, trumped up and not exactly as represented. The show involves a fair amount of fakery and here is our proof that the show is not one hundred percent authentic.
Authentic fishing trip was staged
The crew are excited about going out to catch the fish that they will be eating in the evening. The chef is on board and talking about how they will catch, clean and prepare the evening fare, but he isn’t telling the whole story. This was one of Bourdain’s worst episodes in terms of epic failures. As he hit the water to snorkel around, an array of dead fish were being hurled at him. It was obvious that these were the fish that were intended for the evening meal. Even after swatting at them, there was no life so the entire scene showed how badly their planning efforts went awry. So much for catching fresh fish. It would have been better to show the crew going to the market and choosing the most delectable instead of pretending to catch the fish that were purchased, already dead!
Bourdain was upset over the Sicily incident
Further proof that the show is a fake is that Anthony Bourdain was upset that the setup didn’t work out as planned. He threw somewhat of a fit and drank himself into oblivion. He managed to sit through the meal and film the episode, but he didn’t remember much when he woke up. The boat trip wasn’t his preference either. He later shared that he totally missed the point on Sicily and although he loved he food, his take on the culture was way off. We think he was distracted by the awful fishing incident.
The camera was turned off during the fish fiasco
Another fact that points to fakery is that during the dead fish dump, crew tried desperately to revive a few of the fish and get them swimming around. The intention was to turn the camera back on if one of them showed signs of life. This is a good example of staging and compensation when things don’t go as planned. If the show was authentic they wouldn’t have had to turn the cameras off to hide the fact that they were faking a scene.
Final thoughts
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown is an interesting and fun show to watch. You can learn a lot about the cultures and food from watching, but not everything is as real as it seems. Much of what you are seeing has been set up in advance for the sake of entertainment. While there is nothing wrong with producing a great show, it’s still partly fake. Regardless of how many scenes are staged, the series is popular and is a great source of entertainment and some education about the countries and regions that are visited.
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