the fraud of reality TV

Is reality TV ever going to go away? I don't care who wins the money or who forms alliances, this has to end. If you want reality, turn on CNN. TV writers must be going bankrupt.

it won't go away while the general public still want easily-digestable television instead of *actual* reality, sadly.

I hope and believe that,like any fad,it will eventually wear out it's welcome. After all,it's not exactly "reality" tv anymore. Every person on those shows is constantly aware of camera men,lighting,etc, Not to mention the foreknowledge of seeing the people on past shows before them. They know that theses shows will pick their worst moments and edit them the way they want it to be presented. So,between the "real" people trying to watch their every step and the people behind the scenes pushing them in the direction they want them to go(The Real World even admits to making sure that there is always plenty of booze around to entice sex and drama)these shows could hardly be deemed reality any more than animals in the zoo. The only one I like is the Joe Shmoe Show. That show is fucking hilarious and really nails how absurd all of the others are.

You just have to wait these things out. I mean, look at what happened to the boy band phenomenon. Those no-talent hacks are all washed up now for the most part. These shows will eventually lose their appeal entirely when the market becomes saturated with them and the novelty wears off. Which is pretty much what is happening now.

yeah i was never a fan of it.....most of it turns me off actually. I only went out of my way to watch The Simple Life ....lol. Ive never watched the Amazing Race, or EVERYTHING ELSE that is all over MTV and the telly!

(although i did sneak in a bit of the trashy shows, like blind date )

It gets annoying after a while. Best keep it a novelty imho.

m885 said:

If you want reality, turn on CNN.

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yeah, CNN tells it like it is. lol

Unfortunately, I don't think it's going anywhere. Think about it. ..

No actors to pay and no writers to pay.

I tell you, Baudrillard would have a blast with a phenomenon as oxymoronic as "reality television."

I really think it comes down to a voyeuristic impulse. I mean, how many people gossip, even though it serves no useful purpose? Everybody wants to know what's going on with everybody else, so that they can draw their own conclusions (tainted by hearsay, of course). But with reality TV, you get the satisfaction of gossip, and the implied superiority of the viewer over the subject. That's what real voyeurism is: deriving pleasure from observing someone who has no power over your gaze. In real life, if you watch two strangers making out intently, they'll probably tell you get lost. On television, you can watch and they can do nothing about it. It's like the Ring of Gyges in real life.

When a person watches a show like "Cheaters", they get to experience "drama without drama", and a chance to judge complete strangers with no strings attached. How hard can it be to feel good about yourself when you have plenty of "real" people to look down upon on television?

A lot of people dismiss the appeal of reality television as that of people whose "real lives" simply aren't interesting enough. On the contrary, I'd say that it's not a result of one's personal life being uninteresting, but the result of there being a certain power in reality television that's lacking in real life.

IMO

Supposed "reality tv" is tv's biggest insult to it's audience yet. Followed closely by "current affairs" programs and the pretend news programs (on australian commercial free to air tv).

I really don't understand the appeal of simulated voyeurism that goes nowhere.


To each their own i guess....

For once m885 I couldn't agree anymore with you. Reality tv is the worst thing I'll ever see on television.

I think there's a handfull of reality tv shows worth watching.

One of my favourites is called American Chopper, it's about a father and son who run their own bike garage, building up custom choppers. This show taught me some lesson's in good work ethic, focusing toward goals and father-son relationships, plus you get to see some really cool bikes get built.

Also I like to indulge in Cops, I find this type of interaction with authorities and civilians very interesting, although others might not.

Almost forgot to mention I like The Apprentice. Although I think this has much more potential, some of those shows were just crap, I really didn't care to watch how well some people could run a stall in a flee market.

Any other reality tv show's worth watching?

im kind of wondering why you guys all assume that there are no writers on reality tv. there may not be a script in a traditional sense but those in charge of casting and editing are the reality tv equivilent to writers. it's through their oh so clever character opposition and scene splicing techniques that such riveting "stories" as "you're a racist with a drinking problem" and " i was an abused child so i have anger issues ( and fake boobs)" are made possible.

here's to the unsung heros of reality tv

*gunshot to the collective face*

reality tv sucks. eh. somebody said joe schmo, that is also the only one i liked.

http://www.illwillpress.com/rant3.html

:D

Re: Re: the fraud of reality TV

While I fucking hate reality TV and would gladly spend some time here bitching about it, there is a 2 step, simple solution:

Step 1) Turn TV off

Step 2) Open Book

There ya go, entertainment that's entertaining and makes you smarter (people who read more can spell better - it's true).

silvia saint said:

yeah, CNN tells it like it is. lol

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Haha beat me to it

"I can not believe the media mecca, they're only trying to peddle reality"
- Bad Religion

"the man behind the weather map, the editor in chief
they control two worlds - power and disease
and you cannot supress your curiosity, but see:
it's only entertainment
superficial urgency
posterboard mentality"

- Bad Religion as well

i agree with belisarius, I watch reality shows from time to time and my personal life is certainly not boring.

it's just that, nothing else is on ( i have 4 stations, and no internet currently) and occasionally, i like to take a break from OTHER activities.

plus - there are few other shows worth watching on network television.

reality tv is the reason why my tv is jealous of my dvd player!

more reality tv!
what a great concept!

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1499573/20050405/index.jhtml?headlines=true
brittany and kevin! i cannot wait.

barf!

Re: Re: Re: the fraud of reality TV



Hats off to Mr. Graffin.

^^You're just hatting off those quotes cuz you're jealous you didn't get selected to be an extra on Britney's new reality show.

Seriously though, given the free time, who WOULDN'T be on a reality show?

Hell, I ain't gonna lie...I would, if I had the time and telegenic looks. I think it'd be a riot.