In a world where nearly every move a celebrity makes (or a politician) is documented, both in print and in picture, it isn’t surprising that we are a nation obsessed with getting the real scoop.
At almost any given time during the day (or night), one can flip through the channels and find at least one reality show, whether it be Survivor on prime time or America’s Next Top Model re-runs on Oxygen, VH1, or UPN (and of course people watch, because the other option is the dozens of infomercials pervading nearly every channel).
When asking around campus, I found that nearly everyone watches reality television of some sort. Favorites ranged from the traditional Survivor and Amazing Race to TLC favorites such as Wife Swap and Super Nanny, all the way to VH1’s Flavor of Love and MTV’s The Real World.
What makes reality television so irresistible? The reality?
When asked about what makes Wife Swap so great, Jessica Staggs responded: “Because the people are so crazy! They pick out the most extreme people. Where else would you find an extremist Christian woman with four teeth living with a hippie commune?”
That explains why the show is so entertaining, but does it discount its classification as “reality”? The fact is that Wife Swap probably IS the only place you would find such a strange combination.
There are many new “dating devices” to be found today: E-Harmony, Match.com, and speed dating to name a few. It seems, though, that Americans can’t get enough of televised dating. The Bachelor and Flavor of Love are both highly popular, if not controversial shows about people trying to find “love.”
Do people watch these shows because they really do want to see people falling in love? Or is it the controversial fact that there are dozens of women are vying for the affections of one man? Is it then a game in which there can only be one winner?
“It’s just hilarious. I don’t have a legitimate reason to watch Flavor of Love. It just makes me feel good about myself,” Kate Sexton comments about her strange fascination with the show.
So is reality television really reality?
Kaitlin Gotch comments that she thinks “they’re incredibly staged…to the point that they’re not credible.”
Her sister, Kristin, agrees: “I would call it reality TV…with air quotes.”
The moral of the story: people may not buy into reality TV as reality, but they certainly watch it anyway.
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