Real(?)ity TV

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Published on Wednesday, 12 October 2011 08:15

Written by Tanya Wagner

The tribe has spoken, so please pack your knives and go, as you have been eliminated from the race.  Auf Wiedersehen.
Chances are you know at least one of these, right? Love it or hate it, reality television is here, and hopefully to stay. May there be more years of watching people put themselves out there for love, adventure, weight loss or the career of their dreams. It has nothing to do with money or fame, of course.

Now, as big a fan as I am, I am willing to admit that there is a major cheese factor involved. Firstly, we are being conned by the name alone.  There is nothing real about being stranded Crusoe-style on an island replete with camera crew and host with dimples up to his ears. Keeping up with the Kardashians couldn’t be more contrived.  
The tag lines are mocked in everything from movies and TV shows, to stand up comedy and cartoons. “You’ll still have your wedding, it just won’t be perfect.” Come on, are you kidding me?  That’s just begging to be mocked.  
There are occasions where it’s too embarrassing to even mention. It’s okay to admit you watch the usual Emmy-nominated stuff like Survivor, Project Runway or the Amazing Race, but talk about The Bachelor, Bridalplasty or The Biggest Loser and it’s... Actually, I don’t think you do talk about it!
Instead, you just sit there quietly and eat a huge helping of your favourite snack while watching the ladies in their tights and tank tops nervously approach the scale to determine their fate.
And this could be the very reason we love it. Or love to hate it. I think that the allure of reality TV is simple: we want to see what happens next, and whether we were right about
the outcome.  
Will the Top Chef season two contestant, Otto, get disqualified for not paying for the ingredient at the store?  Will Coach be able to make it through the entire season 18 of Survivor and not tell one single lie?  Will Trista be second time lucky on The Bachelorette season one?  
That sense of anticipation never really ceases and has us coming back for more.  
Watching reality TV gets a lot of flak, and is accused of dumbing down our generation.  You know the drill: “So you know when Kim Kardashian’s wedding is, but what do you know about the Secrecy Bill?”
I don’t believe that we are really the first generation to obsess over trivialities rather than serious issues. Did the youth in the 1950s pay more attention to the implications of Fidel Castro coming to power in Cuba than to Elvis?  Methinks not.
There will always to be trivial, mindless, yet fun distractions on life.  However, I am a firm believer that you can have it both ways.  You can know that Kim K wore three wedding dresses, all which were beautiful/ugly/classy/tacky (take your pick), and know the purpose and importance of Cop17.