"Reality" TV
May. 12th, 2001 10:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azuriteWhen it started, I do not know. Real World, maybe? Survivor, then Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, followed by Survivor II (and coming soon, Survivor III and IV, set in the Amazon and in the African savannah. Oh joy), You Are The Weakest Link, Boot Camp... are there any I've missed?
In the long run, I am highly anti-"reality" TV. To me, it's a bit obvious that people are told what to do. Consider the fact that the people who create these so-called shows stuff over a month of "adventure" into 14 episodes. They over dramatize everything, and of course, edit out what they think won't be appealing to the public. Consider the people IN the show. Do you really think that they act like bitches all the time? They are probably told to, for the sake of ratings, and if not, then again, the creators simply highlight the bad moments of someone's day to make them look horrible in the eyes of the nation. How terrible it must be to go back to your hometown and have people tell you that you are such a bitch, and they never knew you could be so mean? Yes, folks, it does happen. On national TV, no less. These "contestants" know what they are getting into; they probably have a 12,000 page contract with 8 point fine print. Only one person can win the "big bucks" (most of which gets taken away by the IRS, mind you), so all the to-do it just a bunch of hype. Bull. Lard. Whatever. You can't really test someone when they know they're on national TV. They'll be shy, angry, uncomfortable, or unfocused. Even if the cameras are hidden, the fact still remains.
Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't judge a TV show by the word "Reality". Nine times out of ten, it's not. Reality TV is really just The Sims, with someone outside of everything, pulling the strings on you like you're some kind of marionette.
How nice it must be to have someone tell you that "You Are The Weakest Link" and must be eliminated from "all the other smart folks". Nice. If I got eliminated, or someone bashed me on national TV, I'd let them have it, right then and there, and show them just how "realistic" I am.
It's a fading trend, people. Don't fall for the bull.
Present Tense Note: Who would think that, six years later, both Survivor and the Reality TV genre would still be going strong? I stand corrected. I've never been a big fan of the genre, and am still not one, save for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (about the only reality show I think that does any actual GOOD), but I can see it has its benefits. It can give ordinary people courage to do extraordinary things. And I admit, I might not be an American Idol *or* Simon Cowell fan, but I do like Kelly Clarkson. I didn't when she was on "Idol," or when Ulrich in Choir made us sing "A Moment Like This" for graduation, but I grew up a bit. It happens. :P
In the long run, I am highly anti-"reality" TV. To me, it's a bit obvious that people are told what to do. Consider the fact that the people who create these so-called shows stuff over a month of "adventure" into 14 episodes. They over dramatize everything, and of course, edit out what they think won't be appealing to the public. Consider the people IN the show. Do you really think that they act like bitches all the time? They are probably told to, for the sake of ratings, and if not, then again, the creators simply highlight the bad moments of someone's day to make them look horrible in the eyes of the nation. How terrible it must be to go back to your hometown and have people tell you that you are such a bitch, and they never knew you could be so mean? Yes, folks, it does happen. On national TV, no less. These "contestants" know what they are getting into; they probably have a 12,000 page contract with 8 point fine print. Only one person can win the "big bucks" (most of which gets taken away by the IRS, mind you), so all the to-do it just a bunch of hype. Bull. Lard. Whatever. You can't really test someone when they know they're on national TV. They'll be shy, angry, uncomfortable, or unfocused. Even if the cameras are hidden, the fact still remains.
Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't judge a TV show by the word "Reality". Nine times out of ten, it's not. Reality TV is really just The Sims, with someone outside of everything, pulling the strings on you like you're some kind of marionette.
How nice it must be to have someone tell you that "You Are The Weakest Link" and must be eliminated from "all the other smart folks". Nice. If I got eliminated, or someone bashed me on national TV, I'd let them have it, right then and there, and show them just how "realistic" I am.
It's a fading trend, people. Don't fall for the bull.
Present Tense Note: Who would think that, six years later, both Survivor and the Reality TV genre would still be going strong? I stand corrected. I've never been a big fan of the genre, and am still not one, save for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (about the only reality show I think that does any actual GOOD), but I can see it has its benefits. It can give ordinary people courage to do extraordinary things. And I admit, I might not be an American Idol *or* Simon Cowell fan, but I do like Kelly Clarkson. I didn't when she was on "Idol," or when Ulrich in Choir made us sing "A Moment Like This" for graduation, but I grew up a bit. It happens. :P
