So Why Not Reality TV?
I2Q March 2016 editorial
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With all the new films, computer animation technology, blogs, vlogs, improvisations, TV series and theater why have I not included reality TV? Why not reality TV? You could ask. I mean it has some elements that seem to make it a great genre or medium of storytelling. It has people, a story or maybe I should use the word ”action” instead. Now by ”action” I mean drama, staged drama but drama nonetheless. A lot of times it´s selling something or promoting some social engineering plan. Sometimes it takes place in exotic or luxurious locations with average, mediocre or beautiful people. Yes, it includes all those things. So why the snub? Why not reality TV as a valid form of expression, entertainment or storytelling?

Generally, I find that most reality TV falls into two categories. First you have the reality programs about the rich and famous and their decadent lives. These shows basically instigate our urges to spend while promoting the rich person or people as a brand, like a never ending commercial. We watch them spend money episode after episode and are bascially supposed to envy their spending habits. So success is a function of how much you can spend and any criticism will be met with the retort ”Well, look how financially successful I am.” That´s supposed to excuse all deficiencies including moral ones they have. These shows are basically commercials for an over-consumptive lifestyle and the celebrity´s name brand.

The second type of reality show is one that features everyday people who compete for some kind of prize. They desperately try to portray an image that the competition is a meritocracy when in fact it never is. They carefully cast people who fit certain roles like in a bad play. So you have the person who is supposed to misbehave that drives the whole program. They usually are at the center of attention and get all the blame and criticism by the audience and cast members. These types of shows are the cheapest to produce were most of the actors are dumped after their role is played. Many actors don´t fair so well when they leave reality TV either. It really is a stain on their reputations that follow them in real life.

I know the case of a nice woman who participated on a reality TV program and was, unbeknownst to her, cast as the villain because she was very pretty and didn´t really understand how the editing and advertisement was done. They took everything she said out of context and made her look terrible. When she returned to her everyday life her reputation was ruined. She had to move and change careers. That was very, very unfair.

Now every rule has its exceptions and the vast wasteland of reality TV has its exceptions too. As a matter of fact, there are quite a few good reality TV programs. One good reality TV series is ”Survivorman” by Les Straud. It´s a fantastic program in its own category, outside of the bad reality TV formulas. I would describe it as informative, honest and fun to watch, if you like the topic.

So in all fairness, I recommend you explore the world of reality TV and find the gems that you like most. Use the information above as guidelines to avoid wasting your time. I´m sure there are many good programs I don´t know so be my guest and share the knowledge once you´ve mined a gem, so to speak.

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