Reality Television

Reality Television

      I don’t watch very much cable television, only when there is a sporting event or political stuff like the presidential debates. When I am watching and flipping channels it is almost impossible not to stumble across some reality television and what I do catch is usually hilarious, and always stupid. The last interesting segment I was lucky enough to watch was of one of the, “Jersey Shore,” girls extremely wasted and crying in an empty bar while dancing on a table at nine in the morning. These days not a moment goes by when reality television of some sort is not being played, be it the Kardashians or a pregnant and unwed teenage mother. Why reality television is so prominent I have no clue. It might be because we relate to some of what we see, maybe it is because we need someone to make fun of, but I really think it all comes down to money. It has to be cheaper to make reality television then to produce a scripted show and if my memory is correct there was a writer strike going on in Hollywood when all this reality started showing up on TV. People will watch television no matter what, it has become a huge part of our everyday culture and the people in Hollywood know this. Get some kids drunk and tape’em doing stupid stuff, sounds like prime-time to me, and if it does not do well just cancel it and replace it with another random cheap reality show based on the same premise and it might take off. What makes me laugh is the fact that people hate a lot of the reality stars they love watching so much. You cannot seriously tell me you admire Kim Kardashian, every news article I see says something horrible about her or her family and most people agree. Alas we watch, eyes glued to the screen for hours on end making her richer and richer and talking about her around the water cooler the next day. Not all reality television is horrible. The cooking competitions are fun to watch and interesting but there needs to be a line between a honest test of culinary skill and outright culinary torture. They give these aspiring chefs three ingredients and thirty minutes and expect them to produce dishes good enough to be critiqued by famous four star chefs, fun to watch don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I do feel a bit guilty for contributing to the madness. Another show I will watch, and feel guilty for doing so, is , “Wipe-Out!,” where normal folks like you and I willingly run through a gauntlet full of traps and swinging pendulums while getting blasted by water cannons and having things thrown at them. I do not know when the whole reality television craze will end, or if it ever will, but one thing does need to stop and that thing is, “American Idol.” Please let it die Hollywood, have some mercy.