The 2012 Reality Power List

6:00 AM PDT 5/15/2012 by Stacey Wilson

From singing competitions to the Kardashians, unscripted TV today is driven by these 50 behind-the-scenes talents (ranked, of course) who keep adding juice to the red-hot genre.

To call 2012's jockeying for placement on THR's Reality Power List the most competitive ever would be like saying the Kardashians have dabbled a bit in self-promotion. What does it really mean to wield power in reality TV? Is it about having 10 shows on the air or in production, as does Real World creator Jonathan Murray? Or is it, like Jersey Shore creator SallyAnn Salsano has done, about making even the most mundane activities of Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino into breaking-news headlines?