Tonight's rant originated from multiple unfortunate exposures to advertisements for Fox's reality show "More to Love". I haven't watched the show; the premise is so repugnant and offensive to me that it's all I can do not to change the channel during the 30 second commercial. (If my remote wasn't broken, I just might...) Much of the reality genre of television produces this reaction in me. The dating reality shows, such as More to Love, or the Bachelor or Bachelorette, are first of all preposterous in premise. The stated objective of many of these shows is for the star to choose from amongst a pool of many single men or women, ostensibly looking to find "true love", and then to propose marriage by the end of the series. Apparently finding "true love" involves conniving and backstabbing to win over a man or woman you hardly know. No wonder I haven't found it yet...
More to Love is just more of the same, with an extra layer of exploitation involved. Now not only can you watch a crowd of women being catty to each other and fighting for the attention of a stranger, but now you can watch a crowd of plus-sized women being catty to each other and fighting for the attention of a stranger!
Over the years, Fox has come up with some doozies. How can we forget Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire, Temptation Island, Joe Millionaire... Just when I thought they couldn't get any more ridiculous, there was another ad that made me stare dumbfounded at the television with my mouth gaping half open. I think even more than the ridiculousness, it is the mean-spiritedness that bothers me about the genre. So many of the shows involve the contestants being ruthless and cruel, or the show portraying contestants in a cruel way. Having always tried my best to see kindness as the best path, this mentality just rubs me the wrong way. Even worse, I think a lot of the appeal of these shows to their audience is exactly the mean-spiritedness and ruthlessness involved. People often seem to enjoy seeing others brought low.
Some may call me a hypocrite due to my addiction to So You Think You Can Dance, as this is technically a reality show. And yes, it has some of the elements that bother me in the genre as a whole, which is why I can't watch the audition episodes. After that, I enjoy watching people display a talent that I do not possess. Actually, the judges become quite encouraging to the contestants once the competition has begun, which is a nice departure. (Somehow I find no such appeal in American Idol, maybe partly because I sing, but I sure can't dance.)
Such is the demand for these shows, however, that there is actually now a Fox Reality Channel. So, those who enjoy this kind of thing can now indulge 24-7... brought to you by the masters of outlandish reality television.... As for me, I think I'll pass.
Do you agree? Or are you a reality TV fan? Either way, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
I do agree with you about the 'relationship' shows, however, I think that shows such as Dance should fall into a different category. 'Reality competition' or something similar. By separating shows like Dance, Top Chef, Project Runway, etc, to me it shows that there are reality shows that require little to no talent(read: stupid and mindless, as in The Bachelorette or Big Brother? Hello? Whose reality is that show based in?) and reality shows that actually require a brain and/or some real talent. And, as much as I really don't like it, yes, American Idol would also fall into that second category (although the auditions are the only part of that show that I watch, as I don't care about the rest of it).
ReplyDeleteI wonder how the 'original' reality shows would do now...remember The Real World? Is that still on? There was also another one in the same vein called Road Rules, although instead of being in a house together, the contestants were in an RV. I could be wrong about that. I never actually watched it.
Ditto what Joanna said, though I think there may be three genres - the true competition (Dance, Top Chef, etc), the created competition (Bachelor, Survivor) and "normal" people allowing themselves to be filmed while going about their daily lives (Real World, Real Housewives).
ReplyDeleteI am an avid watcher of TC and PR, but have really appreciated the series Top Chef Masters where chefs who've made their bones compete for $100K for their favorite charity. They treat each other with respect, and help each other out when needed. It makes my heart sing.
I also admit to having got caught up in the drama of Bravo's recent Real Housewives of New Jersey. It's a two edged sword. Sometimes you feel as if you're passing an accident and don't want to look but can't stop yourself; other times, it's a WTF moment when you see people behaving badly. Very badly. I guess that's why Springer has been so popular.
I come from a generation of secretiveness; people did not air their dirty laundry nor expose their skeletons. I can't quite grasp that doing so constitutes one's fifteen minutes of Warhol fame.
Since they're cheap to produce, I imagine they will continue to creep in with slightly different twists. Celebrity Rehab. Huh? But I did watch it.
Worst of all has been Fox's "Moment of Truth," a show wherein a person was strapped to a lie detector and asked a series of questions. The longer he allowed him or herself to be questioned, the more money he made. You can imagine how many relationships were destroyed in the search for money.
ReplyDeleteAnd while many other shows are mostly harmless, all of them seem scripted in one way or another. How many takes do you think are needed when Ty yells "move that truck!" before they get the one that's just right.
But all too often, it seems reality tv exploits humanity's worst tendencies – greed, jealousy, voyeurism. It's the same conflict enjoyed with traditional entertainment, but cheaper and no Screen Actors Guild with which to contend.