Prompt: Today there are more and more reality shows on television. Do these shows make good television? Why or why not? Explain your answer using specific reasons and explanations.
Have you ever believed your life to be a complete mess, full of drama and stress? Has it ever occurred to you that your life would make for good entertainment if it was happening to someone else? That’s the general idea behind the reality television shows; show the distorted, yet entertaining, lives of regular people or celebrities that try to exude an aura of normalcy. The current trend in television is actually an abundance of reality shows on all networks. But do these shows make good television? I firmly believe reality shows make for excellent television because they give us a chance to learn different about cultures, they are generally non-scripted, and are truly entertaining.
Reality television shows give people an opportunity to experience different cultures from the comfort of their own homes. Shows such as the “Biggest Loser” give us an inside view of the hardships that overweight people face and how they suffer when trying to get healthy. Reality shows like those inspire viewers to better their lives. Meanwhile, shows such as “Real Housewives” and the various celebrity reality shows are windows to the different lives of the wealthy and famous. Many of us, whether we admit to it or not, are at the very least curious as to how the infamous live their wild lives and reality shows are our opportunities to see how they do. From our living rooms, we can see how people of different cultures, pop culture or not, behave and interact.
Many of the shows that we see on television are scripted and at times can have predictable outcomes; reality shows are a fresh alternative. The general idea of filming a reality show is a camera crew follows people around in their daily lives. Thus, whatever the actors do or say is completely from their own minds. We get to see real people living their real lives. What’s most tempting is that the viewers come to ask themselves if their own lives are good enough for TV; this is actually how many of today’s reality TV stars began their successful careers. One can say that these reality shows agree with America’s capitalist mentality of entrepreneurship and making your own fortune. Admittedly, some of these shows are mildly scripted. The cast of MTV’s “Laguna Beach” admitted that in their last two seasons the producers and directors instructed them on what to say and how to act. However, the show was created and began around the cast’s original and authentic love triangles. Perhaps it was scripted near the end, but the show gained popularity and credibility when it began as a non scripted reality show and the cast had already made names for themselves.
Why do reality television shows continue to dominate American television? The simple answer is that they are simply entertaining. Americans enjoy sitting in front of the television and watching other people either accomplish great things or make total fools of themselves. They are shows and shows are made for our entertainment. The popular show “Jersey Shore” (now in its second season) has been classified as annoying and disgraceful as well as widely compelling. The show centers around the uncontrollable party lives of eight Italian Americans. Residents of New Jersey and the Italian American community say this show disgraces their people and is a misrepresentation of their state and culture; many Americans simply say this is a horrible and stupid show. Yet, millions of others believe the opposite and have consequently made this one of MTV’s most popular shows and have launched these nobodies to celebrity status. After watching episodes of the show, I have personally concluded that it is pointless yet highly addicting to watch. It can only be described as a guilty pleasure. As human beings, we enjoy criticizing each other and these reality shows give us that opportunity to safely do so. It can be agreed, then, that we do not watch reality shows for anything more than entertainment reasons.
There are hundreds of options of shows to watch on television, yet reality shows continue to be among the favorites. The most obvious reason is that they are amusing and an escape from our own overly stressful lives. They also allow us to see how other people live and decide for ourselves if they really are any different from us because most of these shows are unscripted. Viewers can see people for who they are and in their own environment. Perhaps they help us make a change in our lives. In my case, after watching “Jersey Shore”, I’ve made a new decision in my life; GTL is the way to live!
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