Flipping through the channels as of lately I have noticed that it seems to be filled with political campaign coverage, competitive shows and tons of reality television. In all honesty, it seems that reality television is taking over networks and being watched increasingly by teenagers and adults who need an escape from their own world and need to slip into someone else's. I totally understand the support for the phenomenon. I myself am a faithful "Housewives", "Chrisley Knows Best", "Top Model" and "Big Brother" watcher. I still have an issue with reality television that can easily be explained, but not large enough to make me stop my DVR from recording the episode of "The Bachelor" that I have set for tonight.
In a world of Kardashians and celebrities, it is appreciated by many viewers that they are able to be one on one with some of the most famous personalities they will ever NOT meet, unless they get a chance to meet the celebrity on the street. Reality TV allows celebrities the opportunity to connect with their fans or help build credibility as to why they chose the occupation they are in. I find this to be interesting because when MTV premiered the first reality show "The Real World" and then later on the first show to be broadcast internationally named "The Jersey Shore"; there was no celebrity-ism attached to any of the random people that were cast. However, after syndication the cast mates all became very influential in their communities and even received spin off reality shows. But this still doesn't give me an answer of WHY DO WE CARE ABOUT STRANGERS ON AN UNSCRIPTED REALITY SHOW?
When I sit down and land on a reality show it doesn't always have to be of people fighting, having baby mama drama and being characters of their actual selves. Instead. Reality TV can be cooking show competitions like Food Network's "Chopped," or even the cute relationship of home builders Chip and Joanna Gaines from HGTV's "Fixer Upper." The reason we stop flipping and tune in is the same reason why some people are avid readers. The idea of being able to drift into an alternate reality far away from where you live for a little while allows you to become numb to your own living reality. That is why you cry when you see the Teen Moms being forced to grow up, you sympathize when the abandoned girl talks about her absent father, you get excited when they bring back someone on a game show who was the ultimate Bad Girl, and you get anxious right before the big reveal of the newly renovated home by the twins on "Property Brothers."
Reality television is something that people use as an outlet to put their brain on relax mode and because it is consistently considered new material, there is no such thing as watching an episode story over again or feeling like you're watching a scripted show do the same thing as another. The money in reality television is recognized by producers and directors in the film and television industry. They also understand that in today's world, everyone is being exposed to something, someone or some new product on daily basis. That means that there are also even regular people that represent you while you're watching these shows. When casting is made and there are multiple people being showcased on a reality show, producers hope that by choosing a diverse group of people with at least four commonalities, the show will have an interesting focus, while also having multiple story lines that allow people to change their views or relate to what is happening in each characters story line. So who do you relate to in your favorite reality television show?
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