There is a fine line between good and bad reality TV. Regardless of which side of the line you stand on, you can’t say it isn’t entertaining.
I was raised on reality TV. My family has been watching “Survivor” since its first season and even this season my mom sent in a reel to audition for the show.
The water starts to get a little more murky when you get into shows like “The Bachelor” and “Big Brother,” but the entertainment value is still there. I’ll admit that I have watched two seasons of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” and they weren’t the best shows I’ve ever seen.
It is obviously cheesy and pretty clearly scripted from start to finish. For example, in “The Bachelor” season 21, Corrine made it all the way to Nick meeting her parents. There was absolutely no way that Nick was thinking about proposing to her, but since she was entertaining, she stayed.
In season 12 of “The Bachelorette,” Chad got sent home and then “came back” but I can almost guarantee you that the producers scripted that as well. I’m almost positive that he is a crazy person and did not deserve to win the show, but they most certainly played it up.
I’m sure some of the contestants’ emotions are real in these so-called REALity shows, but if you try to tell me that the producers don’t get a say on who goes home when, I’m not buying it.
I think the most fair way to describe a reality TV show is regular TV acting like Date Mike from “The Office.” In this episode, Michael is doing a good job on a date until Jim tells him that he’s on a date and starts to make a fool of himself.
On “The Bachelor,” contestants think what they’re doing is cool and that they’re giving off interesting vibes, but at the end of the episode (date) they just look stupid and realize everyone was laughing at them, not with them.
At the end of they day, whether you are taking the show for face value or if you are fully engulfed in the drama, it’s fun television. I would probably say not to make brackets and draft your “Bachelor” team, but if I had enough friends to make a “Bachelor” league, I would probably be the first overall pick.
While my dislike for reality TV is rooted in my need for logic and some type of direction, it shouldn’t stop you from watching. So yes, reality TV is trash. But let it be your trash.
Story By
Colton Gordon for SUU News
Photo By
Unsplash
NeONBRAND for SUU News
