Reality television may seem a particularly contradicting term when it comes to certain shows — some are certainly more scripted than spontaneous — but, there's a component of "reality" in singing competition shows that even the most cunning producer couldn't fabricate through a script.
For starters, shows like
American Idol and
The Voice feature people with genuine talent, who can actually do something besides push people's buttons and post about their lives on Instagram. These mainstay competitions can destroy careers and reputations just as easily as any seedy show, but have also launched hundreds of careers for artists who might have never gotten the chance to show the world what they are capable of doing. Here are the singers from North Texas who found their way to stardom via the airwaves.