Reality TV is a staple in our daily lives, with numerous successful series in the past years, including but not limited to "Keeping Up With The Kardashians," "Dance Moms" and "Project Runway." The concept of reality television is simple- usually ridiculous in its focus, but yet entertaining enough to maintain an audience and a fan base. And although these shows provide endless entertainment, the new ideas for reality TV are becoming more far-fetched and barbaric every season.

In recent years, the array of ideas for reality television has become more focused around one major concept- dating and love. Starting with "The Bachelor" in 2002, there have been a range of reality shows based around this same equation; televised dates and ceremonies of choosing who continues further in the quest for love and marriage. The success of this show led to its sister show "The Bachelorette," based around the same concept with a woman as the suitor. The success of this franchise led to many other reality shows with the same purpose, not only in the United States but around the world, including some as bizarre as "Dating In The Dark."

These dating shows have become particularly peculiar in Australia, where the prime-time television spots are occupied by perhaps the most obscure reality dating television shows that I have ever heard of. One of the prime time slots is filled by the show "Married At First Site." The show features four couples matched together by “experts,” who meet each other for the first time on their wedding day. Yes, that’s right—they meet strangers at the altar of a marriage ceremony, spend a night together in a hotel, and then go on a honeymoon. Upon their return, they live together for a month before choosing if they would like to continue their relationship. The show has had two seasons and has just been confirmed for a third, which isn’t the most surprising part. In fact, the most incredible part is not only the continuation of the show, but the interest of the population. The show ranked fourth on the television ratings, and pulled more than one million viewers each showing, up to seven per season.

And despite how strange this show may sound—it has indeed become more bizarre since "Married At First Site" originally aired in 2015. In fact, the newest reality television show in Australia is titled "Kiss Bang Love." And yes, it is as crazy as it sounds. "Kiss Bang Love" is a program described by the Sydney Morning Herald as “a strange blend of 'The Bachelorette' and 'Jersey Shore.'” It entails one blindfolded contestant who kisses fifteen potential partners, including strangers, ex-partners, and acquaintances. That’s right. Kissing, no other communication, no other form of embrace. Awkward. From here, the contestant picks the top five suitors, who will get the honor of a second kiss, this time without the blindfold. From here, the potential lovers are narrowed down to only two, who are selected to spend a luxury night in a hotel with the contestant. After the nights in the hotel, and two one night stands, the participant picks one of the final two partners to take on a romantic getaway. Strangely, the producers claim that the show is based around scientific merit, in which the average person will kiss 15 people and have two one night stands before falling in love. The simple and somewhat disturbing show has been a hit- and promised a second season.

So I am left to ask—has reality television truly gone too far?

Are we still able to consider it entertaining television when it is bordering on nothing more than a loosely based scientific or social theory? And more importantly, why are these shows actually gaining an interest? While it is easy to observe that these programs are absurd, there is a lot more to consider: perhaps what is even more odd than the existence of the shows themselves, is the fact that not only are there willing participants, but also a dedicated audience. It is not as if these shows are not being continued due to a lack of success—but indeed the opposite, with over a million people tuning in per episode, they end up with another season.

We can blame reality television and its creators for wild and pathetic television show ideas, but they are continually made because they are successful. And that’s exactly the problem- not only are we watching regular trash TV, but we now tune into shows where the only content is being intimate with strangers, where love is a game, and where marriage is undermined. Are we really more interested in watching other people's lives than living our own? Why do we continue to watch this shows, why is there an audience for this, and most importantly- what is this saying about modern society?