Life 101

A reality show for the real world

Once upon a time, there was a show that took this country by storm. The idea was so simple, so easy, and yet so genuine that it grew from something small into something as big as a McDonald’s franchise. The show was called The Real World. Since then, every major network in America tried to capture that same idea and make pockets full of money. Many have tried but only few are successful. These shows creep up on you like a sneak case of the crabs but refuse to leave you alone like the Backstreet Boys. My question is this: When will they all stop?

Let’s take a minute to examine how many cases of these shows are running around fighting for the people’s attention. Shows like Survivor I and II had strangers square-off against each other by making them eat worms and other notorious things. Then there was Pop Stars, which had girls compete for lead spots of a musical group hoping to become the next Spice Girls. What the girls didn’t know was that no one in his or her right mind would buy their CD. Then there was my favorite show, Temptation Island, which placed beautiful men and women on an island, practically forcing them to cheat. How scandalous, but yet so cunning. The Mole, Making the Band and Chains of Love, are the names of some other shows.

What is so special about being on camera? What about privacy and secrecy? Do they count anymore? Do these reality show behaviors reminds you of the dilemma from The Truman Show?

How much can Americans actually take before they realize that what they are viewing is in fact not the real world? How many times in a year do you get put on a desert island with strangers eating everything from worms to sticks and leaves? How many times during the year do you move into a house filled with strangers and have to hang out with them as if they were your own flesh and blood?

This is not the real world. People don’t act like themselves on camera in the first place. Think about it. If you knew millions of people were watching your every move, would you still be yourself? I bet a bunch of people said “no” to this question. This is because you can’t let everyone see the real you. It would open you up to criticism and judgment. Even celebrities keep their own lives concealed for fear of this.

The reality shows are an experiment. The director is a scientist testing out conditions by mixing many different personalities together. What is really bad now is that these reality shows are starting to become too predictable. The cast seems to be monotonous.

It goes a little something like this: You always have about two to three white people. You have to place someone who will experience race and culture shock—a person who has not had a lot of dealing with blacks or Asians, etc. You always have those prized minorities, like a black jock, or the pretty Latina, or the smart Asian. Then out of the girls, you must have the bitch because she will get the viewers to talk about the show. Everyone loves to hate the bitch. For higher ratings, you pull in the gay guy. It’s a hot topic in America and will cause controversy. You cannot forget to cast the personality who has struggled to be successful and had nothing handed to him or her because he or she came from a poor family and had to work for everything in life. To finish things, you pull in one normal person who thinks with his or her head, and makes everyone else look like fools.

I am willing to bet all of our roommates or friends are a lot like us. We all know someone with different personalities; however, we know our comfort zones. These shows are not reality, they are as staged just as much as a Jerry Springer episode and they deserve no credit. However, they will continue to roll in the big bucks. Viewers will continue to talk about the characters as if they were best friends with that person. In conclusion, just think about it next time you watch one of these shows, and see if it is more Hollywood than reality.