Reality TV a rant

How many time have you found yourself in front of the screen saying "I'm going to go to hell for watching this."

Now when I say hell I don't mean getting hell from your friends for watching such a bad show, or some sort of movie snob hell where you will forever me ridiculed for you poor choice in tv, no I am talking about fire and brimstone H-E-double hockysticks hell.

Some reality shows aren't that bad, point in fact some of them are good both in purpose and content. Shows Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance, and Make Me a Supermodel are well produced and generally manage to keep an interesting story line without using too much overblown scandal. Better yet these are reality shows that are about helping people break into a business, but humiliating people for our own sick enjoyment. Those shows take people who already have talent, provide guidance which has the potential to make them better, and gives all the participants a lot of exposure and creates a lot of job opportunities after the show.

There are the shows that you feel a little guilty for watching. Models get asked to do a lot of weird things for entirely professional reasons. However most have not been forced to work under the strain of Tyra Banks rapidly deteriorating sanity. Some models have been given terrible makeovers.

If you don't believe me check some of the worst out over here
http://www.lemondrop.com/2008/09/18/the-worst-antm-makeovers-ever/

Some models have had to take place in photo shoots that would be nearly impossible to do and not look stupid. I always feel terrible for Megg Morales of Cycle 7, who was assigned the role of Bearded Lady when they did a circus themed shoot. I mean seriously I don't think there are many models out there who could have put on this makeup and pulled off a really great picture.
American Idol has really fallen down to this level in recent years. Honestly most of us just watch the casting specials to see a bunch of terrible people fail, or to see Simon's mean comments (or Paula acting all drugged out). Contestants aren't given much choice in music and sometimes have to compete in styles that are completely wrong for their voice. However despite the tacky over the top nature of the shows they have given raise to some actual talent. Not much mind you but there have been a few successful contestants from each show, and the embarrassments they go through really aren't too terrible.

After that level there are dating shows. Really this is where you should start feeling a bit guilty for watching. The shows intention is essentially good, there are few causes more noble then the quest for true love. But let's face it very few of the matches made in reality shows ever last. Why you ask? Well it's simple the dating show creates a completely fake environment, where people sometimes confuse their desire to win the game and come out as the top competitor with an actual desire to fall in love with someone. Most of us would never think of having potential mates eat disgusting things, run relay races, or do other degrading contests just to prove their love for us. In the name of good television a lot of shows purposely pair up people that aren't compatible, just watch an episode of "Blind Date" and you will see what I mean. Some shows purposely put on a bunch of outrageous characters, no one watched "Flavor of Love" because they expected a real romance to occur.

And last there is the most dastardly of reality shows. The shows that make you loose your faith in humanity, the shows that make you feel like a bad person. "Fear Factor", "Estate of Panic", and a few other dastardly creations have forever made me disappointed in my own species. Shows that exist for the sole purpose of letting us watch people suffer and degrade themselves for money and a small shot at their fifteen minutes of fame. I must admit I haven't seen it yet. But a good friend of mine just gave me a blow by blow account of what happened in an episode of "Estate of Panic". First off I don't know who came up with the idea for this. The idea of having people go into a room and grab all the cash they can't isn't really an original one, however the idea of having them do this in rotted meat is.

I know that we are in very bad financial times, but I will live in a box before I stuff handfuls of dollar bills covered in rotted meat down my pants especially on tv in the name of winning a show that has low probability of success. Literally I am ranking this show right up there with the Bush administration in terms of how embarrassing it is to the USA.

I know that every once in a while we all get that urge to look at things we should never look at. That strange impulse that makes it almost impossible to look away from a car accident, that morbid curiosity that fills your brain when you have difficulty processing if something is too horrible to be true. I urge you all to resist those urges and stop watching bad reality shows that only serve to torture and embarrass their contestants. I too have occasionally taken by the urge to watch "Shot of Love" to laugh at all the contestants. But I urge you all to stop watching these shows, if no one watches them they will stop making them. and even better the producers will no longer have to search for even more ways to shock and humiliate people in order to get good ratings.

So remember, unless it's a reality show which actually supports the development of talent, good reputation, or betterment human spirit DON'T FRICKING WATCH IT!