Reality TV

[MediC.]

Why oh why are there so many crappy reality tv shows coming on in the United States? can some one please explain what makes the general public who watches this crap want to see more crap?

[Denmark120]

some1 like it some1 diss like it, that is the world ...

[Denmark120]

because some person likes it other don't

[SC KnightFox]

i like them, because they show people trying to just deal with all of the sh## life gives them.

[gosugamer]

Both of you are sooo wrong.
Reality shows are no on the air because
A "people like watching people deal with what life throws at them".
B "some people like them others don't" or because
C: they are on the air for a third and really simple reason: "Reality Shows are CHEAP to make".

Here is why it isn't A.
Life doesn't throw anything from reality shows at people!? When was the last time your job consisted of working in a kitchen under and egomanaical chef and had to make random recipes using food provided by sponsores and risk losing your job every week? When was the last time you auditioned to be an apprentice and your potential boss paired you up with a group of fellow applicants to compete againts another group of applicants? When was the last time you ended up on a desert island with a group of people that you had to work with or against throughout a series of cracked out games? NEVER

Here is why it isn't B and why C is so closely related.
If given a choice, people will choose NOT to watch junk like reality shows. Networks exist to sell commercials. Look at product placement. Look up Edward Bernais (Sigmund Freud's nephew). Shows are created to hold our attention through that 8 minutes of ad time. Shows that do well get to stay on the air until their creators don't want to create them any more, they aren't attractive enough viewers or they become too expensive relative to the number of viewers and the ad reveue they can generate... Look at the writers strike that is going on right now. The writers want more money, which will make the cost of some shows go up. Meanwhile...

Enter reality TV. ..
No writers , no actors, no directors, less unions.... "prizes" that usually add up to a FRACTION of what networks normally have to pay writers, actors and directors...

So networks start filling their lineups with these cheaper programs and, since Joe Sixpack wants to watch the boob tube from 8:00-10:00pm every night, he'll watch whatever the hell is on and grabs his attention enough. When three networks are all airing different reality shows, one of them has to win.. Which makes the other networks make even more outlandish and wacky reality shows until.. well .. you see what we have today:

America's Blankiest Blanks on ABC, Who wants to wrestle a coked up alligator on FOX, Backstabbing ****s on NBC and ReHash of a Game Show from 1950 on CBS. Oh and Buffy on UPN.

[Itachi Uchiha]

Tv isn't my thing..yet i watch horror movies,CSI series etc,mostly this....
there is nothing else which i would watch on tv...boring program and same old story all over again...

[yunnda]

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