Reality TV

[Andrew]

What's your stance on reality TV shows? Is anyone here actually a fan?

Personally, I can't stand reality TV but I must admit I did watch the first Australian Big Brother back in 2001, not religiously but frequently enough to know what was going on. It didn't hold my interest past that first run so I've done my best to avoid it since. I've never gotten into Survivor or Idol, only ever watching them when I've been at a friend's place and everyone else wanted to watch them.

Apart from simply preferring the efforts of real actors working with talented writers and directors, it seems to me once you've seen one season of a reality series you've seen them all, particularly when it comes to Big Brother. To me, that's just not compelling. I'd rather watch re-runs of classic TV shows than brand new reality TV programming.

Obviously, this is an assessment that is going to sound like it's behind the times because reality TV is nothing new but what surprises me is that it's hanging in there. I thought it would be a fad that would have run its course by now and indeed I've heard that the latest series of Australian Big Brother is doing horribly in the ratings. That of course begs the question, if people are getting sick of them, why is there still an abundance of them?

So anyway, is anyone a fan? If so, which reality shows do you actually like?

[Its_asdf]

I probably quit watching T.V. altogether because of them (NBA doesn't really count). It's the same formula everytime but with different people and slightly different circumstances each time. It's way too predictable and the "drama" that usually occurs seems cheesey and forced most of the time.

[Andrew]

That's just it. Since they have an opportunity to creatively edit what goes to air to portray someone a certain way, you wonder how much "reality" is actually involved.

[el badman]

There's not a single second of "reality" in the vast majority of these shows. Everything's scripted and staged, so they should really find another term to call these shows at some point... Spending an hour in front or MTV or VH1 is like a journey through complete absurdity. I'd rather even watch a Mexican novela...

[frAn]

I'm a quite a fan of Survivor and the Amazing Race(the Asian version, tho). I enjoy watching it not because of the drama, but because of the dumb things people would make.

I've watched about 13 out of 16 seasons of survivor and even though its kind of repeating challenges, there are different kinds of personalities in there that is fun to watch. But sometimes I get a feeling that maybe this kinds of shows are scripted. There are rumors(or confirmations even) around the net, that the producers would hire more actors than real applicants. So yeah, it would really make you wonder how much of reality is really there.

Maybe someday if I would learn that these shows are scripted, maybe I'd still be watching it just to see what kind of dumb things they'd do.

[Joe']

Considering what has already been said, and the fact that execs cancel excellent scripted shows to put this crap on TV, no, I'm not a fan.

I'm forced to watch America's Next Top Model at dinner, though, because my sister and my mom watch it. Before that it was some stupid show about the Pussycat Dolls.

[frAn]

Stupid indeed. I find that show pretty useless because where is the winner now? She's not even part of the group anymore. There were rumors circling around that claims she got booted from the group because of attitude problems, but who knows..

[cyanide]

I see reality shows as a social experiment or a competition. Sometimes it's so stupid (Kid Nation, The Bachelor/Bachelorette and all its clones) but I do enjoy Wife Swap, but lately they toned down the selection of extreme opposite families. It gives an insight on how different families can be and it's nice to see what aspect from the opposite family they brought in to enrich their lives. I enjoy Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen because I learn a lot about the culinary business, rather than watch it purely for entertainment. The Biggest Loser, though I don't really watch it, is useful because it motivates and educates people about the obesity epidemic in the States. Some reality shows have value out of it, but a lot of them are just garbage and a waste of time.

[Oznogrd]

so i'll admit to watching a few on occasion; the first couple survivors, occasionally a little bit of idol (im a sucker for music, even though i know american idol is the antichrist) but yeah i hate it. I'd rather watch youtube videos of asian girls dancing with beanie babies on their heads than most of these shows.

[el badman]

I enjoy Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen because I learn a lot about the culinary business, rather than watch it purely for entertainment.

I'll admit that I watch this one, only because my wife and I are very much involved in the culinary industry. It's pretty damn entertaining, but you can still see that it's edited to death just like the other shows, so "reality" probably doesn't apply.

[Andrew]

I don't watch Ramsay at all but shows like that do differ from the run of the mill, "let's get a bunch of people together, film them and hope something crazy happens" type of reality show, such as Big Brother or the Real World. I'm still not a fan but I'd say it's a more tolerable brand of reality TV; it's arguably a slightly different genre altogether.

[Jing]

NLSC Fit Club per Jaosming?

[benji]

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (the UK version, not the unwatchable, always "happy ending"/"personal conflicts" US version)
Hell's Kitchen (because I keep waiting for him to can everyone and start over in the middle of one of these seasons)

Project Runway/Top Chef/Top Design/Shear Genius (Top Chef finally handed down a second good season, hopefully Project Runway can do the same in its last Bravo season...high hopes for Top Design, the only real "endless possible" challenges show...and Shear is just too funny)

The Apprentice. (The recent Celebrity edition saved the show by taking it back to its hott roots of using actual skill and concepts to accomplish actual business goals. The "celebrity" aspect allowed them to eliminate all the silly gimmicks.)

The Next Iron Chef (or whatever it was called...well done...good smart challenges that applied to the prize of "Iron Chef"...kept short and to the point...even if the wrong guy won)

Whatever that show about a school paper on MTV was mildly interesting, even if a cookie-cutter MTV style production.

Are these "reality"?
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
Dirty Jobs
Mythbusters
Dinner: Impossible/Feasting on Asphalt/Ace of Cakes/etc.
The Wire
Gene Simmons Family Jewels
Flipping Out

I liked some past series:
Airline
The Restaurant
American Casino

if people are getting sick of them, why is there still an abundance of them?

They don't cost anything to make. And they still get far more viewers than most scripted shows.

I hope they stick around forever. I'd hate for The Soup to have to work harder to find material.

[The X]

I did watch more reality shows when I lived with my older sister, as she's a fanatic....whether it's Big Brother, Amazing Race, Survivor, The Mole, Idol, etc....she would try out for them too & even ended up on news as one of the bad singers who tried out for Popstars

as for now, my wife & I watch one or two, here or there, but only because there is nothing else on....the only reality shows that I watch regularly now are Project Runway & Ghost Hunters....but I can definitely live without them....

[Andrew]

They don't cost anything to make. And they still get far more viewers than most scripted shows.

True, for all the production costs they're bound to be cheaper when they're not paying actors enormous salaries. I don't following ratings there in the States but I've heard they're starting to rate pretty badly here in Australia yet they continue to saturate network TV. Big Brother dominates the programming while it's on, yet it's ratings are really low. I'm guessing it's not the same in the States but if they are declining, it would suggest that as many people still watch them their popularity is in decline.

I hope they stick around forever. I'd hate for The Soup to have to work harder to find material.

Well, people do watch them so it is selfish for me to want them to disappear. I just wish they didn't dominate Australian TV to the point of pushing other shows into late night or early morning slots. A lot of the shows that have been mentioned in this thread are a different breed of reality show, shows like Mythbusters that could perhaps be classified as a genre of their own.

I just don't get the mass appeal of shows like Big Brother, which have been running for years and are basically the same thing over and over again. The voyeuristic part of it is what sells I guess, but when I was paying some attention to it I found that you had a pretty good idea of what was going on without watching it every day, even if you just stuck to the weekly recap and/or elimination shows.

[ixcuincle]

Ramsay was actually on the Australian version of 60 minutes , I got a chance to watch it on Youtube. Basically his shows such as F-Word , Kitchen Nightmares , and Hell's Kitchen are the only watchable forms of reality television. The BBC versions of Kitchen Nightmares are better than the Yankee versions though , he doesn't even go back to the restaurant in the US versions (as opposed to BBC versions of the show where he returns at least once , sometimes twice to the restaurant.)

[shadowgrin]

I'd rather even watch a Mexican novela...

The ladies aren't bad to look at either.

Kid Nation

That show is definitely stupid.

Are these "reality"?
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
Dirty Jobs
Mythbusters

No. They're more like "participative documentary".

The Wire No
Gene Simmons Family Jewels Yes

Followed closely season 2 and 3 of Survivor, got bored after that because of the same formula. Even the challenges weren't fun to watch anymore.

[balozunite]

I watch some American Idol
and some Dance Crew and Survivor

mostly competition reality shows

watched apprentice in my hs business class
that was pretty cool