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Being a fan of reality television is simply admitting to being a fan of people and the situations that make them truly human, which is to say entertaining and unique. Reality television, while not exempt from creating circumstances that will provoke dramatic responses in order to boost ratings, is simply the realization of the populous that real life can actually be "stranger and more interesting that fiction".

Over the past two decades, reality based television programming has grown from a fledgling idea to the most highly rated form of entertainment out there. From "The Bachelor" to "Road Rules", it seems that every possible form of human interaction is fuel for the fire. Society has come to a juncture where the silver screen is simply not enough; society wants to see the everyday "John" or "Jane" doing exactly what it is that makes him or her interesting and entertaining. Reality television is the most modern form of voyeurism, and it's obvious that almost everyone likes to steal a glimpse of someone else's life.

For me personally, it all started with "Survivor". From the first season, I was immediately smitten with the idea of putting a group of completely different people together in an isolated environment and sitting back to watch the sparks fly. It was reality on overdrive, a cross-section of the mystery of interpersonal relationships put on display once a week...and I never missed an episode. In the beginning, the show took its knocks, as did the reality television market as a whole, but in the end, it's obvious that America is on board.

I can remember being in college during the second season of Survivor and hiding the fact that I was a fan. The true "intellectual" wouldn't lower herself to the level of enjoying reality television. Still, I knew that at least half of the people who claimed they didn't enjoy watching "Survivor", or the other up and coming equivalents, were exactly like me...avid fans who were just pretending not to be. When I look back on it, I can't even really pin down exactly why everyone was so against the idea of enjoying reality TV.

Honestly, if taken in historical context, "reality programming" has been popular for a very long time. Game shows are essentially the beginning of reality television, and they have enjoyed, on a whole, some of the best ratings in television history. When you pluck the everyday person from their everyday life and put them in an extraordinary situation, people like to watch. Additionally, when there are people who have lives that are extraordinary in and of themselves, people like to watch.

In the end, I'm proud to admit that I am a fan of reality television. I'm proud to say that I am a fan of human nature. In truth, I can't get enough of it!

Learn more about this author, Sarah Williams.
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