It is a type of aside, consisting of cutaways to a close-up shot of one (or occasionally more) cast members talking directly to camera.
[citation needed] Judge Judy later dropped the court reporter from these interactions, and had litigants speak directly to camera.
Beginning in its second season in 1993, cast members had a room in their dwellings where they could record their thoughts on the goings-on of the house, in addition to the standard interviews with producers asking leading questions.
[citation needed] Confessionals have been criticized as a "gimmick" of the reality TV genre that has lost its freshness and purpose, and their introduction to more traditional game shows has been derided.
[1] The confessional device has been deployed in scripted series parodying the reality genre, most notably The Office and Modern Family.