You know what amazes me... the number of people that have posted here who don't watch them.. as opposed to the ones that do. Who are the morons watching these shows??? I honestly don't understand... is it the lowest common denominator and they all have neilsen boxes in their house?? Sigh, sorry this is one of my pet peeves.
I don't watch them on principal either. Those shows are killing the shows I love. Sitcoms are dying, television dramas are seeing their ratings go down... Reality TV killed television. I echo the exception that shows on the food network and things like that are not "reality tv."
Reality TV definitely appeals to a certain demographic. A demographic I certainly do not wish to associate with (for the most part).
The people that watch these "Stupid reality show"? I know quite a few. My friend watches "I love New York", "Rock of love", "Blah blah blah". He also asked me how to spell Girl one time (he's almost 30). He has 3 search toolbars on his browser. He only knows of 3 websites: yahoo, Craigslist, Some random p*rn site.
I am kind of a movie snob but I freely admit to watching trash television on occasion. Top Chef is my favorite, actually talented people, only some of whom are douches competing in competitions that (mostly) test their actual merit. I am not naive enough think that ratings don't sometimes play a role in the judges decisions, but usually the winners produce the best food. At least Top Chef doesn't follow the "Build a team, then betray your allies for money" format so common to reality shows (though I do sometimes watch Big Brother). I can sorta understand how someone can prefer scripted television...but so much of it is the same its hard to be snobby about it. Every male comedian has a show about his family life...there is a CSI for every major city in the country until they run out of Who songs. I dunno if reality TV is ruining TV or not..but I am not gonna mourn a few fewer slots to show the likes of Debra browbeating Raymond on Everybody Loves Raymond for 15 years.
Wow, get off your high-horse. Watching reality tv does not make someone a moron. It's all entertainment and that's sooo subjective. I'm so particular that when I find something I like, reality or otherwise, I just enjoy it.
Can we stop differentiating the shows as "scripted" or non. You better believe these "reality" shows are being churned out by the same Weinsteins and Cohens who write the comedies.
You think? I haven't watched enough of them to know... like I said they bother me immensely. And Crisco, I'm not on a high horse, that word is just my frustration showing through because the television shows I watch keep getting canceled and a reality show (or talk show - hello Leno) replace them.
I loved Top Chef, but didn't watch the masters season. It started to lose my interest and now I don't have Bravo. I may catch back up online eventually. I don't watch any of the others. Only got into Survivor season one. Never cared much for any of the others.
I have a similar story. The biggest reality fan I know is my aunt. She is 42 years old, lives with her parents and is a meth addict.
Man vs. Food, No Reservations, COPS and Survivor. I'm actually bored with Survivor, but my parents watch it and offer dinner if I stop by on Thursdays, and I cannot resist a good home cooked meal.
Survivor, Amazing Race, The Colony, Hells Kitchen. Ice road truckers makes me want to drive heavy rigs. Deadliest catch does not make me want to fish for crabs.
Top Chef. I like watching cooking shows, and the contestants are pretty accomplished. For example, one of the women was Eric Ripert's sous chef and now heads one of his restaurants. That's already NBA level in the culinary world. (And yes, Padma and Gayle are easy on the eyes.) The Masters series was great. FYI, the winner Rick Bayless is Skip Bayless' brother. Yes, that Skip Bayless. They seem like total opposites. And then I saw an episode of Hell's Kitchen thinking it might be decent, and it was total amateur hour compared to Top Chef. Like lousy high school basketball players vs NBA starters. WTH. I also used to watch Project Runway. And then they moved it to Lifetime and I can't bother finding it. Can I get my man card reinstated now?
I watch reality TV, and I don't care what other people think. Survivor-I wish they made it more difficult for the contestants, don't give them fire the first day. Amazing Race-I like to see where they go. Big Brother-people will do almost anything for $500,000. Reno 911-Interesting, and sometimes disturbing, to see what law enforcement is really like.
Rick Bayless runs one of the best Mexican restaurants (here in Chicago) that I've ever been to...it's called Frontera Grill. Since I'm from Houston, that's saying a lot.
