FOX
I don’t think I have to point out that there are more and more reality programs popping up on television these days. I also don’t think I have to point out that most of these are soul destroying cesspools of human waste. Now, of course there are exceptions. I do usually find myself getting caught up in the American Idol machine every January … well, usually in February. You see, I hate the audition stages. I hate them for the same reason that I hate most of reality television — they make my stomach hurt.
Now I don’t mean they are so bad that they make we want to vomit. That would be almost true, but generally an exaggeration. Instead, these shows (along with the American Idol auditions) make me so uncomfortable for the contestants that I literally get a nervous, sick-to-my-stomach feeling.
It’s a funny thing. When I’m watching a drama series, I love conflict. You can drag my favorite, most beloved characters through the muckiest of muck, and I will be there along the way, smiling and giddy. However, this all changes when the person on the TV is actually a real person. I tend to get really empathetic and just want everyone to do well and be happy. Look, I know that there are a lot of self-deluded fools that go on American Idol just to get berated by Simon (and if you really ask me, I think a lot of them are set up … or at the very least, the people are setting up American Idol just to get on TV), but I still feel all ooky inside when Simon goes into super nasty mode. This just appeals to the basest nature of us all, and I don’t like it.
I know a lot of people would argue that the fools that go on reality TV are hardly real people, and I hear that, but I just can’t help it.
It even took me months of avoiding Dinner Impossible on the Food Network before I could actually watch it. I would see preview of Chef Robert Irvine running around like crazy, yelling at people and maybe failing his mission. Even the commercials would give me stress. I think my passionate love of all things Food Network finally got the best of me, and I soon realized that he never actually fails a mission, and most of the time the series is fun and not really that stressful. On the other hand, the cut throat The Next Food Network Star is a whole other story. I like watching the challenges (unless someone really tanks), but as soon as the judging begins I start feeling bad. They just crush the dreams of these poor aspiring chefs. I hate it.
Am I alone here? Does anyone else just want peace and happiness? Or am I just a big wuss?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Sep 30, 2008 @ 11:54 EST5EDT
The only one that I can stand, other than Deadliest Catch, is Hell’s Kitchen because I love how Gordon Ramsey insults the idiot contestants
Regardless of how the rest of the Clackers feel, you’re probably still a big wuss :)
I think like many of my fellow Clackers, I am drawn to stories and characters. Reality television often does a poor job of telling interesting stories and developing characters for whom viewers will root, cheer, hate, feel connected with, or what-have-you. When reality television succeeds in doing that, you get a “fan favorite”. When reality television fails in doing that, you get an unengaging hour or television that too often follows the same, tired format that is a decade old now.
I was a big “Dancing with the Stars” fan, and now I don’t watch it anymore. I don’t watch it because there’s very little substance to it. There are few stories and little character development. So after watching and enjoying the competition 5 times, I lost interest; been there, done that.
I am ever-hopeful that the reality television craze will die off any day now. Network executives are notoriously fickle, and even though these shows are cheap to produce, it is my fervent hope the ratings will continue to fall and something else will take their place. Hopefully. Some day. Please?
I don’t necessarily feel that way about Reality shows, but that’s the exact same reason I couldn’t watch Talk shows back in the 90s. I got too embarrassed for people on the shows and had to channel.
I agree with you Bob. It’s just to difficult watching people make asses of themselves.
Most of Reality TV is utter crap anyway. I watch TV to ESCAPE reality.