It’s Wednesday night and you have finally found some downtime to change into an old pair of sweats, kick back your feet and just relax. Turn on the TV and what ends up captivating your attention for the next three hours? So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol, My Super Sweet Sixteen… Over the past few years reality shows seem to have taken over primetime television. It started out with MTV’s The Real World and has now built itself into an empire of completely ridiculous concepts. It can be as vulgar as watching a contestant eat seven African Spiders in order to win $10,000, people are just unable to peel their eyes away from the television set.
I will admit it, watching Poison’s frontman Brett Michaels challenge a bunch of his bimbo groupies to set up his guitar equipment in the fastest time in order to win over his “rock star” heart on VH1’s hit reality show Rock of Love is quite entertaining. But in the end will Michaels actually find and eventually marry his true love thanks to the geniuses at VH1? The sad reality of the situation is that his supposed “love” will dump him a week after the season premier and go off to Hollywood to pursue her singing career, which was the primary reason she signed up for the show to begin with. Obviously, such shows serve no real purpose, yet they are broadcasted to millions of eager spectators like ourselves that tune in every week to find out which girl is next to get sent home with a broken heart and bruised ego.
That is not to say some hit reality shows - minding all of the glamorous prizes and never-ending drama - do contain depth in some respect. Shows such as America ’s Next Top Model and The Apprentice allow contestants to pursue their dream careers while shows such as The Biggest Loser give people the opportunity to regain their confidence and improve their health. Viewers watch in admiration all the emotion and dedication which such contestants exhibit, obviously a paragon of great television.
Now at this point I hope the majority of you are willing to agree that while many reality shows do appear to support a cause - although in a much fabricated manner - several others seem to air purely for the entertainment factor. Still, the ultimate questions remain; why do so many people obsess over these mind-numbing reality shows? Why do we torture ourselves in following the staged struggles and successes of such famed reality personas? The answer to such bewildering questions is easy: we’re bored and brainwashed. Face it; we all have that hidden desire to one day take a step out of our normal, everyday lives and to indulge in life-changing experiences which the entire world will also happen to witness. If you swear against falling into this “life fantasy” trap, admit that you still enjoy watching such hopefuls try to make a name for themselves in the entertainment industry with their fifteen minutes of fame.
So as absurd as it may be, reality TV appears to have a strong foothold in 21st century pop culture. Young and old alike crowd around the television set, prepared to cheer on their favorite reality superstars, hoping that in the end they win the title of the next best supermodel, stunt double or whatever the case may be. Maybe the chances of you becoming the next person to hit it big in reality television are not so high, but to sit comfortably on your couch while watching the mental breakdowns and joyful tears is enough reward in itself.
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