by K Lochery

Created on: December 17, 2008

The definition of Reality TV:

A genre of television programming in which professional actors and actresses are not used, and it features actions or situations that have not been scripted.

I hate reality television! I can't understand why a group of people from all different walks of life would come together in one place, for example, Big Brother, and live their lives in front of the general public!

Generally, these people are portrayed very negatively. Take these chat shows that are now all over the television. Chat shows featuring topics such as infidelity or family issues. Why would you go on national TV to air your problems in public. Most people prefer to deal with these situations behind closed doors!

There are the types of reality TV programs that now feature celebrities. These celebrities have had a bad press recently and tend to go on these shows to promote a new song, TV program or movie of just to boost their ratings. They also get paid for it!

Reality TV has a tendency to turn normal, everyday people into stars over night. This level of fame in such a short amount of time cannot be good for somebody, having to deal with living their lives in the limelight all the time! And then, these people complain about the amount of press coverage they are getting!

These low-budget TV shows generally make "Z-list" celebrities, or celebrities that have done absolutely nothing to deserve their new found fame.

I personally think reality TV is a terrible waste of money and air-time. Admittedly, not all of these shows are as bad as I'm making out. I quite like the home-makeover shows, but I would love it if somebody turned round and decided they didn't like the way the stylists had designed their house. I'm assuming that part would be edited!

What are your opinions on Reality TV? Is it just humorous TV, like a comedy, or can it be a life-wrecker. I tend to find myself watching shows like this, desperately hoping that something will go wrong, or somebody will lash out at somebody else. It's quite sick really, but you have to ask yourself, how many other people agree with me?

I find it amazing, exactly how many people tune in to watch these reality TV shows. Overnight, the whole genre of reality TV was made into a global phenomenon. Why? Is it the fact that it all completely unpredictable? You never really know what is going to happen, and therefore you feel compelled to watch? Especially, if all you hear all day is your friends or work colleagues sitting down and talking about the latest fight they saw on this TV program, or who was getting together with someone else on another one. Do you feel the need to watch to be part of that crowd?

Personally, the only reason I watch these TV shows, is to laugh at the participants and generally, watch them ruin their own lives. We all saw the celebrity Big Brother with the massive racism case, would that have happened like that in everyday life? I very much doubt it.

Let's hope this phenomenon is short-lived, and we get some decent TV shows back soon, but at the rate these shows are going, and their increased popularity, I doubt it!

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