Chandala
Hagans
Journal 2
Reality TV Bonanza
Reality TV shows are in excess. The airwaves seem to be
filled with television shows that claim to display the regular ordinary lives
of people from vast walks of life. The shows claim to show an exclusive,
unscripted, yet highly entertaining view into what goes on in the lives of
others. Yet if the shows receive low ratings, mundane boring characters, or
less than desired viewing stats then the shows usually are quickly
discontinued. In the Sports Wives and House Wives of…… series, women that most
of the time are not married; neither have ever been, are grouped together and
portrayed as friends. The women in these
shows waist a lot of time sitting around gossiping about each other. Surprisingly, or not, the gossip is brought to
the then absent person with exaggeration of what the party not present spoke
and negative emphasis. Predictably, the listener is outraged that her new BFF
would gossip about her and speak negatively. This person then vows to confront and
retaliate against the betrayer. The friendships in these shows seem to fizzle
as fast if not faster than they start. Add a few shopping trips, meals, exotic
vacations, colorful characters and wardrobes that fit the par and you have your
basic elements to a lot of the current shows. These shows are not limited to
certain channels. Historical and respectable channels like Discovery Channel and
Animal Planet are not exempt. Although the reality programs on these channels appear
to be more realistic and not overly dramatized with the script. The show Ice
Road Truckers tells about the experiences of Class A license Truck Drivers.
These drivers endure with some things like harsh weather conditions, delays in
scheduling and equipment difficulties. The show Pawn Brothers highlights the uniqueness, value, and
sometimes interesting facts or qualities about different items brought into a
Los Vegas pawnshop. Who knew that pawn shops and findings brought in for pawn
could be so interesting. Many people
seemed to be drawn to reality TV shows. There are so many ongoing and new shows
to choose from. Just when we think that
there cannot be another subject or category to display on TV in the “reality”
faucet, comes the next show. Why people are draw to reality TV shows? Like
most, I criticize and complain about Reality TV shows taking over the airways
yet I’m glued to the television at least once a week for my favorite one as
much as the next person. Are we that interested in what is going on in the
lives of others; trying to keep up for conversation or are we truly entertained?
One thing for sure is that there are so many shows to choose from, too many.
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