May 1st, 2004

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Mixed Bag
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Reality TV?

Is anyone else annoyed with the influx of reality TV shows nowadays?

Last night on ABC’s 20/20, Barbara Walters spearheaded a competition for a young teenager’s baby between five couples. Ads stated: “Five couples desperate to adopt. All competing for her baby. Four will lose. One will get the baby of their dreams.” Think The Bachelor meets American Idol. Nothing like broadcasting these extremely tough personal decisions for the benefit of a voyeuristic public.

But if this program isn’t your style, there’s always Fox’s The Swan. The website states: “These women never believed they could compete in a beauty pageant — But now, Fox will do the impossible. Get ready for the most radical transformations shown on television. 17 average girls, a team of plastic surgeons… and 3 months without a mirror will add up to a shock of a lifetime.”

What does it say about our society, when shows like these (or Extreme Makeover) flood our airwaves? Most of the women on these shows aren’t in desperate need of plastic surgery — a new haircut, a trip to the gym, or a just better outlook can also do wonders for an individual.

I just cringe whenever I see people tearily confessing on camera that having these expensive surgeries are absolutely necessary in order for them to feel better about themselves.

The worst part about these shows has to be their popularity. Last week at a friend’s house for supper, they turned to the Swan and started avidly watching it. When I asked them what the appeal was — everyone agreed that it was an awful concept … but that didn’t stop them watching.

Before Rome fell, I wonder what sort of reality shows were popular?

Comments: 8 Responses so far

Stephanee
May 1st, 2004
5:52 pm

Quote…”before Rome fell, I wonder what sort of reality shows were popular?”

I do believe “Survivor” was #1 wasn’t it. That is, how long can the Christian survive the lion? As a matter of fact, I think I saw somewhere that fox is working on a remake of that scenario. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit. I just can’t understand the attraction people have to these ridiculous displays of inanity.

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Derek
May 1st, 2004
8:00 pm

People have always been voyeuristic and macabre. Gladiators. Bear-baitings. Public executions. Cockfights. Show trials. McCarthyism. Donahue.

I find The Swan disturbing, but not as much as some of those things. And other shows, like Survivor and The Apprentice, are just game shows that take a long time.

Was there some Golden Age where we didn’t watch sometimes-immoral things? I haven’t heard of it.

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Rog
May 2nd, 2004
2:25 am

I think I was annoyed with the influx of reality shows with the initial airings of Survivor and Big Brother.

But then I’m also annoyed with the steady fascination our culture has with organized team sports too. Boggles my mind that they pay people to play them.

I’m also annoyed that they pay people to laugh on demand for sitcoms.

Wait, I think I just hate television on a general basis. ;)

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Jens Baumeister
May 2nd, 2004
8:49 am

When I asked them what the appeal was — everyone agreed that it was an awful concept … but that didn’t stop them watching.

I know the feeling: Last New Year’s Eve I was in Prague with a couple of friends, and before going out we spent the afternoon in the hotel. We were 7 people, we could have found a nice way to spend the time, however most of us decided to watch some stupid MTV reality show - cpmplaining all the way how stupid it was, but somehow never thinking of making that enormous decision to simply turn it off.

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Dave Pollard
May 2nd, 2004
9:17 pm

I’m with you. I’m especially dismayed at the number of young people that watch them. I keep hoping that it will be a phase, like evening soap operas and the proliferation of talk shows, and that sooner or later people will tire of them and start demanding something more substantial. But it does make it a lot easier to turn off the box and spend more time in conversation, or at least blogging.

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Darren James Harkness
May 3rd, 2004
10:11 am

One of my favourite “reality” shows is called History Bites. It takes a period in history, centered around a particular event, and digests it through liberal use of current popular culture.

More info at http://www.historybites.com/

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Arcterex
May 3rd, 2004
11:27 am

It’s a bit like a train wreck, sometimes you can’t stop watching it. I admit I watch a couple of “reality” tv shows, with various justifications for it (suvivor - I won $100 in the office pool for the last seasons, american idol - I like seeing people made fun of, swan (only when I happen to see it mind you) - because it’s the aformentioned train wreck, and it amazes me to see what people will do to themselves.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I think we’re under 5 years from seeing someone die on live TV on some sort of a reality show (think ‘climbing for dollars’ from The Running Man). Of course, in 5 years I can only imagine what the current TV trend will be. Hopefully I won’t have a TV or cable by then, and I’ll get all my news via slashdot :)

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Eric Ward
July 25th, 2004
12:01 pm

The Swan and Extreme Makeover go more for
the glam side of cosmetic surgery. There
are some good alternatives, like Discovery Health’s Before and After at
http://health.discovery.com/centers/plasticsurgery/plasticsurgery.html

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