Reality Television

Reality Television is a genre of TV programming that has achieved, within the last few years, an explosion of success in hits such as the Survivor Series, Fear Factor, The Bachelor, American Idol and so on. Reality television which takes ordinary people, sets them up in extraordinary situations on a world stage with other similarly commonplace individuals, and makes them the focus of a nation’s attention on, for example, an hour every Tuesday night are becoming the norm for new and upcoming television shows.Why this explosion of success and popularity you ask? I believe there are 3 main factors that effect the popularity of these kinds of shows. First there is the appeal for winning mass amounts of money. The Second appeal is of instant fame and the third is the plain old fact Reality television shows have become a guilty pleasure for viewers nation wide. People all over the nation have become dependent on watching these shows and if they are not careful, will begin to base their values and ways of thinking on the way these seemingly normal every-day people behave and act on national television. Reality Television seems like reality but how real can you act with a full on camera crew in front of your face every day documenting your every move? Reality Television as solely a guilty pleasure can do no harm as long as there is balance and objectivity in what we get out of them. Sure money and fame are appealing but they aren't really what life is all about.