Reality television, in spite of its name, isn’t very real.
Shows like The Bachelor and Survivor are scripted, overly dramatic and feature characters that are crazier than a soup sandwich.
Keri Hudson Reykdal, who stars in Dr. Keri: Prairie Vet, a series on Animal Planet Canada, says her show is real and definitely not reality television.
“This series is actually a documentary … so nothing is staged or rehearsed as you might get with reality TV,” said Hudson-Reykdal, a vet in Ashern, Man., about 180 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
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“They basically followed me around, so it would be hard to skew anything…. They definitely captured the reality of the lifestyle.”
Dr. Keri: Prairie Vet made its debut in December and ran for 10 episodes over the winter.
Merit Motion Pictures, the Winnipeg company that created the show, said the program follows Hudson-Reykdal as she “travels the rural roads of northern Manitoba in her high-tech mobile clinic.”
The mobile clinic is a customized trailer, equipped with kennels, lab equipment and even a surgical table, so the vet and her team can help clients on “the road.”
In an email, Hudson-Reykdal confirmed there would be a second season of Dr. Keri.
“We are currently filming for season 2. I am excited about including the 4H program and the Lundar Fair in the next season. I think that will be great for viewers, an insight into the cattle industry, from its roots.”
The cattle industry is close to her heart because husband Calvin manages a cow-calf herd near Ashern. Calvin also appears on the show, along with the vet technicians and support staff who work at the clinic.
Hudson-Reykdal was pleased with the first 10 episodes.
“The end result far exceeding my expectations,” she said. “What surprised me the most was the hours it takes them to edit everything, how they choose what goes in to make a story and all the little details — like some poor person has to transcribe every single thing we say.
Being on television can change someone’s life because people view the star as a celebrity and treat them differently.
That hasn’t been a problem for Hudson-Reykdal.
“When it first aired, my tech Laura said we were too famous to go shopping in Ashern. We had a good laugh about that,” she said. “(But) it’s a small town, everyone is down to earth, so nothing has changed.”
Her description isn’t entirely accurate because some things have changed.
Hudson-Reykdal does get recognized at the grocery store and she now signs autographs.
“Occasionally I sign a poster for a fan, a kid who wants to be a vet one day. It’s nice to inspire the next generation and give them an idea of what being a rural veterinarian is all about.”
Plus, dozens of people have sent emails, texts and Facebook messages to comment on the show.
