Interview with Mike Fleiss, Reality TV and Film Producer

American writer and producer Mike Fleiss has significantly influenced the television landscape, most notably by creating The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. These shows, pioneering the romantic reality TV genre, are just a part of his extensive contributions. A University of California, Berkeley alumnus, Fleiss began his career in the 1990s with reality docuseries such as Before They Were Stars and Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? Recognizing the growing appeal of large-scale reality shows, he launched several successful franchises, including High School Reunion.

Fleiss’ production company, Next Entertainment, has been crucial in developing diverse programming for networks including WB, CW, and CBS. In the film sector, he’s distinguished himself with a focus on horror, producing the Hostel trilogy and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise reboot. Additionally, he’s ventured into documentaries, notably one featuring Ozzy Osbourne, which garnered critical acclaim at the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival. Fleiss’ multifaceted career showcases his versatility and impact across television and film.

How did you get started in this business?

Well, I was a sports writer and I could see that that business was starting to fade — this is in the late ’80s — and I saw Howard Stern’s show on WWOR on cable when I was living up in Berkeley [California], and I said, “That’s the medium for me.” I loved it. It was so free-thinking and no-holds-barred. It inspired me to try to leave journalism and go into TV.

How did you work your way up in this business?

I just had an ability to rethink and come up with reality concepts pretty prolifically, so I started getting hired based on that ability. Then I started selling some of my own shows, and then in 2002, The Bachelor went on the air. I think I created around 50 different shows that went on the air.

My first job in TV was at a show called Totally Hidden Video. I was working for a guy named Stephen Chao, who was the head of the Fox Network at the time. He liked the fact that I was prolific and generated a lot of ideas, so he encouraged me to start. And that was when I was just working on his shows. But he encouraged me to try to think of my own shows.

What made you want to work in this industry?

I mean, I love TV. I spent my whole life watching TV as a kid. I would not go to the beach and just stay home and watch The Twilight Zone in the middle of the day.

What is it that you feel makes you good at your job?

I think it was the journalistic training, that you had to write every day on deadline. It had to be fit for print and you had to do it on a daily basis. I felt like when I came into the business I was equipped to write and produce a lot. It just gave me an advantage, I think, because I’d come from a business that requires daily productivity. Journalism has changed in the past 20 years. Back then, your reputation was based on your accuracy as a reporter. That was it, and people didn’t play fast and loose with that at all. 

What are the perks of working in this type of business?

What it used to be is that it was a forum for free thinkers. It’s not anymore.

What’s the most rewarding part of your work?

Just seeing the joy that it brings to the audience. People talk about that, but it does feel good to know that people love the show. It’s [been] entertaining people all over the world for decades and generations.

Where is your industry headed?

Because I was a sports writer, I tried to write with color and flair and a sense of humor, but some sports writers were just nuts and bolts-y. They would just say here’s how the game went and blah, blah, blah. Who was the winning pitcher or this and that, whatever it was. And artificial intelligence is going to be completely capable of doing that kind of writing. 

Now, in a world where people don’t accept excellence — they don’t even recognize excellence in filmmaking or television or journalism — mediocrity is the new excellence, so AI is totally geared up for that. I know for a fact that if you put the 200 scripts that I wrote or 300 or whatever it’s been, plug them all into the computer and said, “Write a new one,” they would do it. It wouldn’t be exactly how I would have done it or maybe not quite as good or maybe a little better, but that stuff’s never going to have genius in it, it’s never going to have brilliance. It’s always going to be this mediocrity but people seem to be OK with that now and that’s another part of the problem.

Follow Mike Fleiss on Twitter @Fleissmeister