Reality Television

[Jimmu]

Reality TV is currently a large part of what appears on television. We have seen many different shows such as Big Brother, Solitary, Survivor, The Mole, Fear Factor, The Amazing Race and many more appear in many different countries around the world.
What is your opinion on reality television? Do you often watch any of these programs?

I think that there is quite a wide variety of reality shows and there are some that I enjoy to watch and some that I find boring. It is nice to see something fresh in reality TV rather than another season of a show we have seen many times before. I usually enjoy shows where the contestants are out of their comfort zones, it makes for more interesting television in my opinion.

 

[Mercedes]

I watch them initially, but reality TV is only as good as who is there so I'll watch things like I'm a Celebrity and Big Brother's first night to see who's actually going it, when they reveal every participant, and if no one's very interesting then I might flick over to it but won't keep up with it. I've watched a few of them because I like the people there, and then stop watching once my favourite gets voted out or something. Like when Vinnie Jones went into Big Brother, damn right I'm watching that! Lol.

Even if people I like are there, I'll still only occasionally flick through, I usually watch the wrap-up shows more than the actual shows themselves since they cut out the **** and just talk about the funny bits. When Russell Brand presented Big Brother's Big Mouth, for instance, I was all over that.

 

[Terminus]

I generally don't like it, since half of it's scripted and the other half showcases humanity in the worst light possible.


Let's just say theres a "special place" for whoever made "Keeping up with the Kardashians."

PS: I am ashamed I can spell that without looking it up.

 

[Justac00lguy]

I'm split, I hate some reality shoes but others I secretly like, I guess you could say it's my guilt pleasure.

 

[Big Octo]

Most reality shows I cannot stand. Often, they feel anything but unscripted, and it really shows. However, there are some reality shows that I will actually watch, which are mainly cooking shows. It's a guilty pleasure of mine.

 

[Dimooshky]

I despise them all...

 

[Musicfan]

I dont mind reality computations but I hate reality tv thats about millionaires yelling and screaming at each other

 

[Azure Sage]

I don't think I've ever seen a reality show that I actually liked. Most I've seen are just contests with people screaming at each other and acting ridiculous. It's not entertaining, it's pitiful. I really can't stand it.

 

[Ronin]

Lol, "reality TV" shows...

The nature of such programs are most often inconsistent with the nature of their categorization; television will always have some part edited or omitted to not give the lowdown in full. Even to the smallest degree will something be exaggerated for the sake of overly sensationalizing an incident (which is a pretty stupid gimmick in and of itself). Completely rearranging actual taped events to make people seem like they can't tolerate each other happens quite a lot in a competitive series; I've noticed this in numerous cooking shows like Master Chef.

In short, reality =/= television

 

[Ventus]

I have watched bits and pieces of reality TV and, safe to say, I did not enjoy any of them. It's not that they're scripted. It's not that they're exaggerated. It's just that it isn't my kind of program. See, what I found to be a constant between them all is that they aren't "reality" but actually "celebrity life". Like, they aren't something that I can relate to, you know? :K

 

[Sydney]

Not all reality shows are competition based, which I sometimes believe is a misunderstanding amongst a lot of viewers. There are some competition shows, however, that I do watch, such as Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef and Ink Master. Though most reality television shows -- especially competition shows -- have a lot of drama in them, there's also a lot of talent. People you've never even seen before come together and show off their undiscovered talents, and it's really inspiring to watch them do so.

 

[Panik!]

I don't watch much reality TV mostly because it doesn't represent...I don't know...reality very well. I'm also not thrilled with the fact that reality TV programs usually do better than good shows that tell their own stories.

 

[misskitten]

I wach *actual* reality television, meaning documentaries, programs focusing on real people, etc. I have no patience for "reality television". It's just a bunch of shows that glorifies being jerks to one another and has little to do with actual reality. I also hate this type of programs because their low production costs versus high ratings means networks focus more on this type of braindead entertainment rather than quality television productions.