My thoughts…on stuff

Reality TV - possibly the greatest oxymoron of the century, as there is nothing “real” about it. The situations, the locales, the people, none of it. Even now I scratch my head wondering why people would be so captivated by watching average Joes parade in front of the camera. I guess middle America likes to watch itself. Then again, the things with the stupidest premises often make for surprise successes. Remember when people laughed at bottled water? The earliest reality show I can remember is Candid Camera, but the craze really started with a little show called Survivor. People flocked to their boob tubes to watch a bunch of whiny city slickers “survive” on an island that looks like it should be in a travel brochure. With a name like Survivor, you’d think that they’d set it in a savage unforgiving jungle, complete with cannibalism and the occasional mauling by a feral cat. Now that’s a Survivor I could get into!

The ratings were off the charts, and sure enough, it triggered an onslaught of knockoffs and ushered in the age of reality, and simultaneously, the decline of Western civilization. The idea of reality TV was originally based solely on the Survivor formula: stick a bunch of completely incompatible people in an isolated area and watch the ratings soar. Reality TV has taken a broader approach as of late, more than likely because all the good ideas were taken so quickly and not because of any desire to create fresh content. You’ve got reality shows that feature anything from weak parents and the little monsters that dominate them to single women vying for the affection of a pseudo celeb. And for a while, things were good. But nowadays reality TV has taken a downturn, as evidenced by Survivor: Cook Islands‘ poor performance. Here are three reasons why. Firstly, oversaturation. In the rush for ratings gold, virtually every network has at least one reality show, and as a result, it has declined in quality. Every conceivable thing has been televised, no matter how remotely entertaining. And reality shows don’t change. It’s the same concept, just different people and locations, season after season. Plus others and myself are tired of seeing people eat animal testicles on Fear Factor.

Secondly, celebrities. Reality TV has made stars out of many people, so now celebs are starring in their own reality shows to feed their already oversized egos. Others are using it as a shortcut to stardom. The whole appeal of reality TV was to watch real people, not celebrities and overacting wannabes. And thirdly, better competition. TV dramas are the only thing that could match reality TV’s ratings, and they’re back with a vengeance. With new and exciting dramas on like 24, Lost, Heroes, Gay’s…sorry, Grey’s Anatomy, and that Jeopardy for retards, Deal or No Deal, people really don’t give a damn about seeing drunk, oversexed teenagers fight over which roomate they’ve got make out rights to.

So is this the end of reality TV? No, not by a long shot. It isn’t the fab genre it once was, but the hits are still around. Two of the better ones, The Apprentice and American Idol are back. I view The Apprentice as grooming for my future in the corporate world. As for American Idol, I don’t hate it, I’m just not a fan. But any show that makes me feel better about my awful singing voice is definitely worth watching. There is still crap out there though, and there will continue to be, as long as network execs sense that there are still people unwilling to get off the couch. To you, I say this: reality is what happens OFF TV. So get off your fat ass and get a life!