I'll go on record here
as saying that I'm not much of a fan of 'reality television'. In some
cases, I have to ask if the term, 'reality show' is really warranted.
For instance, do you really think that none of the
'interviews' where one designer (Project Runway), chef (Hell's
Kitchen) or castaway (Survivor) talks smack about another
person aren't 'prodded' in some way? For instance, all the fights
that break out randomly on Jerry Springer or Maury Povich
probably look fake because they-or at least some of them-are
fake. Either that, or exaggerated for the benefit of the audience.
There's no real reason I can think of that a reality show producer
couldn't do the same thing if they wanted. Also, all TV shows (except
maybe live morning or late-night shows) do some sort of
editing to make things more streamlined and interesting. It's not
hard at all for producers to take snippets of film and put them
together to give off the image they're going for.
That being said, there
are some reality-based shows I've found that are at least
based on decent premises.
-Wife Swap. This
show, first on ABC but now in re-runs on the Lifetime network,
attempts to answer the age-old question of whether the grass really
is greener on the other side of the fence. They will take two
families-usually from completely different socio-economic backgrounds
or lifestyles-and 'swap wives' for two weeks. The wives/mothers stay
with the other family for two weeks and basically live the other
woman's life. For one week, she goes by 'their rules', then the
tables turn. There have been some really interesting pairings-a
self-obsessed Beverly Hills housewife and a rustic farm family; a
vegan and a down-home Cajun family; a former drill sergeant with a
family of free-spirited fantasy role-players. Sometimes the two
families turn out to be friends, but there have been a couple of
times where an actual fight has broken out across the table
when the couples meet. Whatever happens, it is a lot of fun to see
how people who are different from us live.
-The Biggest Loser.
This NBC show is much more positive than its name would suggest. A
group of obese people come to a ranch where they are put to work on
losing their excess weight. Like other reality shows, the group is
pared down over a period of weeks as they lose weight and learn a
healthier regimen. The title 'Biggest Loser' refers to the person who
has lost the most weight over the 'contest' period. It doesn't much
matter who makes it to the end, though, because everyone benefits.
While it can be difficult to stay on the regimen while in 'the real
world', the show gives the contestants a head start to a healthier
life. You can't get much more positive than that.
-Talent showcases.
There are so many of them out there now, each one with a different
focus. For instance, viewers of Dancing With The Stars get to
see professional dancers teach celebrities how to dance and compete
for a prize. The Voice has various people in the music
industry judge a progression of singers, with the twist that they
can't see the singer and must judge only on their voices. And, of
course, there's American Idol where we see previously-unknown
singers compete for a record contract. While some winners (Kelly
Clarkson, Carrie Underwood) have had more success than others, at
least they get a start. They get a start, and we get to see some
amazing performances. Win-Win.
As you can see, there
are quite a few reality shows out there that aren't the 'trash' some
people consider that genre to be. Don't get me wrong-there are still
plenty of shows featuring annoying quasi-celebrities and aging
musicians trying to 'find love'. It's just interesting to see that
this wildly popular genre of television has a few decent shows that
you don't mind watching with your kids.
