Reality television has been an ever growing genre of TV over the past decade. Blame it on The Real World or Big Brother whatever you want, but the reality (pun intended) is that it is here to stay. It's much more cost effective than paying for a scripted show, and can provide entertainment that people have come to crave. Wheather it is just normal reality or contest-specific, people cannot get enough.
I just finished watching another episode of Jersey Shore, and while I find it extremely entertaining, the show has been cause for alot of controversy. First, there was the sponsors pulling out. Then there was the Snooki-Punch that was blacked out . Many Italian American groups are asking MTV to pull the show. It won't get pulled. In fact it would be hard to believe it wouldn't get renewed for another season. This stuff is here to stay.
Is this really the kind of television we should stoop ourselves to though? It really breaks down to a psychological, almost 1984 Big Brother-like mentality, where we love to observe what other people are doing. Whether it's about people's love lives or just living their lives, people love to watch.
What the hell was the point of Jon and Kate Plus 8? There was no plot, it was literally just following the family through raising these children. So what? I never watched enough of the show to know more than that, but look at what celebrities Jon and Kate have become. While their drama has cooled down, they're still everywhere. It's unbelievable and sometimes pathetic. I'm picking on the TLC shows, because in general, they don't even provide any entertainment. It's literally, reality, just following. And that's what sparked the Ballon Boy drama. The Henne family wanted their own reality show and hoped by faking their son's disappearance was a ticket to the television. I'm sure that family would have been so boring it would of been painful.
At least the VH1 "celeb-reality" "love" shows are edited a thousand times with intent to provide entertainment and hooks to get people's attention. They cast actors and put them in a pro-drinking environment. Its a formula for disaster, which equals high ratings. The shows are cut copied and pasted into an entertaining format. They can cut down a week into a hour. Alot of details get cut out. Stuff gets edited into making things seem different than they are. Whatever The Hills actually is, they edit the hell out of that show, and it looks totally different than how it happened. The "stares" and "awkward looks" are all out of context. We're supposed to believe otherwise.
I'm starting to ramble, so I want to summarize. Reality television -- People love them. I love them. If you read this and are friends with me, you probably love them too. While not every show is for every person, it's wide enough to appeal to almost everyone. The television is such trash, but this is what we've dug ourselves into. And now we can't turn away. Networks caught on and there's 7 spinoffs to every show. We're stuck. We lose good shows like Arrested Development in favor of The Real Housewives of North Dakota. That's not really a show, it's to prove a point. It's a shame, but networks are greedy, and all the viewer asks is to be entertained.
Now if you'll excuse me, the latest season of The Real World just started, I'll see you later.
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