America, a society of curious voyeurs and drama kings and queens, has found its perfect addiction. Reality television offers viewers a unique combination of lurid deceptions, clumsy sexual encounters, drunken ramblings, and uninhibited outbursts of aggression that keeps them glued to their television screens night after night and week after week.
Rather than living vicariously through the gossiped personal lives of friends and relatives, people can now simply switch on the TV to be first-hand witnesses to the obliteration of relationships, the mutiny that arises when strangers are shipwrecked on exotic islands, and the torment that an “ugly duckling” will endure in order to achieve some standard of beauty as determined by a show’s producers.
It’s a guilty pleasure than nobody with cable television will have to worry about denying themselves for several years to come. And while so many critics bash reality shows, calling them the lowest possible form of entertainment, reality lovers know that if those critics were just tied to a chair for a few mandated hours of “Survivor” they would be hooked for life too.
It is often said that reality television isn’t really “real,” and that the producers are constantly coercing the cast members to get involved in precarious situations. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn! So what if the cast is being manipulated to become overly emotional? That’s what makes for good television.
Believe me, if all that was being broadcast on reality shows was a couple of sweat pants-laden losers watching late night television, there wouldn’t be an audience for the genre – that’s just too real! While the situations that the cast members in reality shows endure may be completely contrived, the cast member’s reactions to these contrived and manipulated situations are genuine and real – and that’s what draws the audience’s attention.
Real people aren’t wondering what it’s like to sit around and do nothing. Everyone has an appetite for adventure. It’s fun and exciting to think about what you would do if you were faced with the prospect of making a million dollars for being a conniving and cunning liar.
Really, there’s something for everyone in the pool of reality television shows. For the romantics, there are shows like “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.” We love to laugh at the pathetic clingy girls that sob their way out of the rose ceremony after being rejected by some guy they’ve only spent about thirty minutes with cumulatively.
Viewers know that the relationships that are built on these shows will probably only last a few months, but that only makes it more intriguing. It’s amazing to see how quickly people can fall in and out of love. In the United States, with a divorce rate of more that fifty-percent, it’s no wonder that viewers can compassionately relate to the fleeting romances portrayed on these shows. It’s comforting to see that even though there’s a good chance that a relationship won’t last, men and women are still willing to put their hearts on the line for a shot at passion, connection, and love.
Recently, a whole new brand of reality shows have made an insurgence: self-help reality. This is a great sub-section of reality television. If you have ever browsed through the massive self-help section at your local book store, you are well-aware of that fact that people are purely obsessed with self-improvement and self-awareness.
And as Americans, we’d much rather watch than read! One of the most popular reality self-help shows to date has been NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” a reality weight-loss program. This hit show followed a group of overweight “everyday people” as they lived in a house and were guided by nutritionists and personal trainers as they journeyed towards achieving their weight loss goals.
With obesity being one of the leading causes of death in this country, not to mention our society’s obsession with the fitness industry, it’s no wonder that this show was an overnight success. NBC has even introduced reality into their daytime line-up. Their self-help reality counseling program “Starting Over” documents the struggles that six women go through as they sort through their emotional baggage with a life coach.
This, in my opinion, is one of the “realest” of reality shows because you can truly see that these women are immersing themselves in the therapeutic aspect of their experience – viewers have the rare chance to watch someone as they gain self-awareness and self-esteem, and that’s really quite inspirational.
Where will it all end? Nowhere! Parents can relate to the struggles of moms and dads on “Super Nanny,” “Trading Spouses,” “Meet Your New Mommy” and “Nanny 911.” Geeks and nerd have such outlets as “Average Joe” and “Beauty and the Geek.” And who do we all have to thank for the insurgence of reality shows?
MTV! Who would’ve thought that “seven strangers, picked to live in a house…” could have left such a permanent mark on American pop culture? Their hugely popular show, “The Real World,” now approaching its 14th season, was the catalyst for it all!
