Reality television is being shoved down the throats of each and every one of America's television viewers, ever single God-forsaken day. And yet, we keep on watching with smiling, unflinching veracity. Is this because we're stupid? Well, yes, probably. But there is another, far easier-to-swallow explanation for our life-altering addiction to reality television: In general, we all love people. Now this may seem obvious to some and completely ridiculous to others (those who actively hate people, like my tenth grade math teacher), but it is fundamentally true. Being human, we identify most with other, real humans. And, on reality shows like Survivor, it is undeniable that the contestants are real, live humans. Now that reality television has infiltrated what used to be the universally fictitious land of TV, viewers are now stuck. We can't go back and we (likely) never will.
The reason we all crave human interaction (as opposed to scripted interaction) these days is because, where scripted characters have become predictable, humans are especially unpredictable. On scripted drama, the good guy wins 99.9% of the time. On reality shows, the bad guy wins, the good guy wins, the hot girl wins, the gay guy wins, and sometimes even the really boring person wins; just look at Survivor. You never know.
With this in mind, I had an idea: What if (and I admit this is a fairly outlandish hypothetical) CBS created a celebrity season of Survivor, but with all famous actors playing versions of their most famous screen character. Now, I would not be expecting flawless method acting. The strategic decisions they make within the game would not have to be made by ?their character?. However, they would have to interact as their ?character? with the others as well as to the camera.
This Survivor would create a sociological experiment far more enlightening than this year's racially segregated version; it would question our motives in watching reality television, put in doubt any notion that contestants on reality shows are ?real?, and possibly shatter my (admittedly weak)thesis back in the first paragraph. If the Survivors who we know are ?acting? end up being just as engaging or (gasp) even more so than normal people, what would that say about previous incarnations of Survivor (or any other reality show)? Although (as evidenced in the first paragraph) I'd like to believe that us humans are perceptive in our enjoyment of reality TV, it's possible we are being manipulated much more than first thought.
I do believe that we all love to watch human interaction and conflict, but what happens when we know it's not (completely) real? I suppose we know this now; everyone agrees that shows are creatively edited. However, we still like to think that the people are essentially real and, therefore, their interactions, opinions, and decisions are wholly their own. What happens when this is, outwardly, not the case? Through the prism of made-up characters portrayed by well-known celebrities, how would any conflict that arises be consumed by the viewing public? If we were to enjoy this quasi-ficticious conflict as much as the typical Survivor conflict, does that mean that the realism of reality TV is not only overrated, but unnecessary?
If Celebrity Survivor came to be as I envision it (which it never, ever will), it would do a lot to help us understand why we love reality television. Is it simply drama packaged in a new, exciting way? Or does the fact that people are real truly add to the viewers enjoyment and sense of connectedness?
I still can't decide whether reality TV is good or bad for us, but until then I'll just keep watching Survivor and rooting for the bad guy.
-Oscar Dahl/BuddyTV
Reality television is a general term given to television programs that allege to be more "real life" than its fictional counterparts. Reality television places ordinary people in difficult situations and uses their reactions to the situation to provide non-scripted entertainment to viewers world-wide. Because of this, reality television has long been a topic of debate. Those who are for reality television state that reality television provides a refreshing change from scripted comedies and drama. Those who oppose say that reality television deals with trivial issues and promotes voyeurism to its audiences. Reality proves that even the hero does not always win.
Reality television made it debut in 1948 with a show called "Candid Camera". The show placed its participants in situations with hidden cameras. Their reactions to the situations were viewed by millions across the world. The participants were even ordinary people or famous celebrities. The show appeared on television again in the 1980s and its popularity skyrocketed. With hidden cameras, the show was able to capture true reactions of the participants as compared to reality shows of today that actually film its participants with a camera following close behind filming every move they make. "Candid Camera" helped provide a solid foundation for reality television shows.
In 2000, audiences were presented with a new type of reality show called "Survivor" on CBS. The show's contestants came from all walks of life and were placed in wilderness environments and had to survive with little tools. The show promoted teamwork and those who were weaker were voted off. The show lead away for other reality shows such as MTV's "The Real World" in 1992 and "The Amazing Race" in 2001 which was a race across countries and towns unknown to most people. "American Idol" followed in 2002 on Fox and is a very popular singing "talent show". "The Apprentice" a business-themed show hosted by multibillionaire Donald Trump was aired on NBC in 2004. Ratings have skyrocketed for all television networks since then. Other reality shows have made their debut and it looks like reality television is here to stay.
Critics of reality argue that reality television exploits ordinary people who are not able to prepare before being placed in front of the spotlight. Critics say that these people are mocked and exposed to mental and physical harm and because of this audiences become participants in voyeurism. They state that reality television are artificially engineered and are dishonest in saying that their presentation of "real life situations" is false. The main issue with critics is that scripted shows are more socially relevant and less manipulative than reality shows.
Those for reality television present it as a refreshing change of pace from scripted television. They state that it provides energetic and exciting entertainment to its viewers. Everyday people are boosted to immediate stardom which most people only dream of. Critics who favor reality television say there is nothing cruel about it and that reality television promotes life more honestly than its scripted counterpart. Reality shows are stimulating and fun for all viewers according to pro-reality television advocates.
What are your comments about reality television? What is your favorite reality show and why?
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