Rooted in Reality
What is up with all of these damn reality TV shows? It all started with "The Real World" on MTV about 10 years ago, and really took off when Survivor came out a couple of years later. Now we've got some really crap-ass reality shows like Fear Factor. You couldn't pay me 50 grand to eat day-old Chinese food, so the concept of eating bull testicles is out of the question. That show went from gross to criminally disgusting. The worst one yet was when Joe Rogan made the contestants drink a blended amalgamation of everything that prior contestants have eaten in past episodes (ie. horse's rectum, bull's balls, madagascar hissing cockroaches, giant earthworms, etc.). There is absolutely no component of that challenge where someone conquers any type of fear. When I was a kid, I was afraid of the dark and of heights, but I don't remember being afraid of having to eat an equine's bowels! Although, there was this one episode where the contestants were "chellenged" to eat the egg of a fertilized (and partially-developed) chicken. In the Philippines, this is called "Balut" and it is a delicacy. In fact, on Sunday mornings, I remember hearing the Balut man pushing his cart of eggs and yelling "Balut!" as I struggled to wake up in my bed. Sure beats the Good Humor man. Back to Fear Factor - the contestants were completely grossed out by the prospect of eating the egg, and they all ate their egg hesitantly. In fact, they were letting all of the juices run out of the egg, which is my favorite part. It tastes delicious, and I found myself yelling at the TV, "Don't waste the juice, motherfucker!" Granted, there is something macabre about chomping through the bones of a dead chick, but godammit, it's yummy!
Now cable channels like Animal Planet, Spike TV, and USA (and even crap channels like UPN and WB) are coming out with their own slant on reality TV: Ultimate Fighter, America's next top model, Joe Schmoe, etc. But the premise is always the same....10 contestants battle for one prize, there's always a couple of assholes in the group, you make all of them live in a house, and then one contestant is eliminated every week. Hollywood producers will take a concept and beat it into the ground before they can think up of anything original and creative.
Take that show, the Apprentice. It's just Survivor, but with a group of twenty to thirty-something assholes who think they're God's gift to this planet. Then you have God himself (well at least he thinks he is), Donald Trump, firing people left and right when he can't even comb his own hair straight. If I wanted to watch people go to work, I'd go work in an office myself. Everything about this show evokes negativity. People getting fired, reprimanded, criticized, and lambasted. Sure, there are some semblances of positivity, like teamwork, cooperation, and creativity, but those moments are far and few between, and they certainly don't keep the Nielsen ratings up.
Even though I am one to criticize the deluge of these reality TV shows, I am also an avid fan. I love watching the challenges, dealmaking and breaking, and relationships on Big Brother. Who would have thought watching a bunch of out-of-work actors live in a house, eat PB&J sandwiches, and play footsies in bed could be so entertaining? I am also enthralled with ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Super Nanny. Now those are a couple of shows with some redeeming value. The families' stories on the former show always make my wife and I cry, while the parenting techniques we learn about on the latter really give us some tangible tools to become better parents.
I find it ironic that America is now addicted to these reality TV shows, when most of America is sitting on their fat asses, eating take-out fast food, and yelling at their kids to stop hitting each other. No wonder we are addicted. Our fantasy has become our reality. And our reality continues to be a picture of gluttony, addiction, and inactivity. Welcome to America's new drug: Reality TV.
Now cable channels like Animal Planet, Spike TV, and USA (and even crap channels like UPN and WB) are coming out with their own slant on reality TV: Ultimate Fighter, America's next top model, Joe Schmoe, etc. But the premise is always the same....10 contestants battle for one prize, there's always a couple of assholes in the group, you make all of them live in a house, and then one contestant is eliminated every week. Hollywood producers will take a concept and beat it into the ground before they can think up of anything original and creative.
Take that show, the Apprentice. It's just Survivor, but with a group of twenty to thirty-something assholes who think they're God's gift to this planet. Then you have God himself (well at least he thinks he is), Donald Trump, firing people left and right when he can't even comb his own hair straight. If I wanted to watch people go to work, I'd go work in an office myself. Everything about this show evokes negativity. People getting fired, reprimanded, criticized, and lambasted. Sure, there are some semblances of positivity, like teamwork, cooperation, and creativity, but those moments are far and few between, and they certainly don't keep the Nielsen ratings up.
Even though I am one to criticize the deluge of these reality TV shows, I am also an avid fan. I love watching the challenges, dealmaking and breaking, and relationships on Big Brother. Who would have thought watching a bunch of out-of-work actors live in a house, eat PB&J sandwiches, and play footsies in bed could be so entertaining? I am also enthralled with ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Super Nanny. Now those are a couple of shows with some redeeming value. The families' stories on the former show always make my wife and I cry, while the parenting techniques we learn about on the latter really give us some tangible tools to become better parents.
I find it ironic that America is now addicted to these reality TV shows, when most of America is sitting on their fat asses, eating take-out fast food, and yelling at their kids to stop hitting each other. No wonder we are addicted. Our fantasy has become our reality. And our reality continues to be a picture of gluttony, addiction, and inactivity. Welcome to America's new drug: Reality TV.
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