Does anyone know if a writer's strike sparked the reality TV craze or was it the networks copying MTV?

I do recall what I think was the first reality TV, the Real World on MTV in the early late 80s or early 90s. The thought occurred to me recently that because reality TV is so much cheaper to produce than a dramatic or comedy series with the need for real actors, writers, directors, etc., it made sense to copy MTV's success and the reality formula. And we all know what happened after that -- a myriad iterations and copycats.