Reality TV
Reality TV
I’m sure Reality TV must be one of the most widely covered subjects on the blogging scene. It has an incredibly polarising effect on most people. You either, love them and watch them avidly to see what happens next. Or you hate them and watch them avidly, keeping your hatred levels topped up whilst watching to see what happens next. If you fall into the second category it is compulsory to proclaim your distaste for them with an evangelical zeal, whilst being able to recite at least 5 things that happened on last nights episode, which confirms your decision not to watch it.
Reality TV seems to be becoming quite a broad spectrum these days. They range from the original fly-on-the-wall documentaries, where normal people do their normal jobs and live their normal lives and we find them fascinating. Normal people living other people’s lives and doing other jobs that they are totally unsuitable for. We watch these to see people under pressure in minute situations, taking it all a bit too seriously. There is usually a load of tears at some point.
The most inflammatory of this type of programme has got to be Wife Swap/ Trading Spouses (I have touched on an extreme case in my previous posts) Who ever came up with this idea was clearly looking for a programme, which guaranteed tension every single time. Think about it. Take out the clucky hen from the nest. Replace her with a clucky hen who, disagrees with everything she stands for. (Invariably burgers and crisps) Let her run amok and introduce such bizarre concepts as fresh air and exercise. Terrorising the family into submission. Meanwhile the original clucky hen is starving to death on fresh vegetables and home cooked food.
I think the producers should introduce a stopwatch on the screen and time how quickly the mothers race to get things back to normal after they are returned to their own nests. “First thing I did when I got back was close the windows and light a fag. Now where are my kids? “
The real danger the mothers face is the prospect of the family preferring the other lifestyle. Imagine it, the middle class mum gets back to her comfortable semi and the kids are now demanding Findus crispy pancakes and tins of marrowfat peas with every meal. Disaster!
The other categories involve people competing in some way for a life-changing prize i.e. X Factor, The Apprentice.
Also there are the freak shows like Big Brother, Space Cadets
Then there are the celebrity versions. In these shows the definition of celebrity is stretched ever thinner with every show. Eventually there will have to drastic measures put in place. Andy Warhol said that everyone would have 15 minutes of fame. At some point this will become compulsory, like jury service. I half expect to receive a letter informing me that I am required to attend Anglia TV studios and spend two weeks taking part in game shows and Trisha style studio audiences. It’s the only way I can see of satisfying demand!!!
I’m sure Reality TV must be one of the most widely covered subjects on the blogging scene. It has an incredibly polarising effect on most people. You either, love them and watch them avidly to see what happens next. Or you hate them and watch them avidly, keeping your hatred levels topped up whilst watching to see what happens next. If you fall into the second category it is compulsory to proclaim your distaste for them with an evangelical zeal, whilst being able to recite at least 5 things that happened on last nights episode, which confirms your decision not to watch it.
Reality TV seems to be becoming quite a broad spectrum these days. They range from the original fly-on-the-wall documentaries, where normal people do their normal jobs and live their normal lives and we find them fascinating. Normal people living other people’s lives and doing other jobs that they are totally unsuitable for. We watch these to see people under pressure in minute situations, taking it all a bit too seriously. There is usually a load of tears at some point.
The most inflammatory of this type of programme has got to be Wife Swap/ Trading Spouses (I have touched on an extreme case in my previous posts) Who ever came up with this idea was clearly looking for a programme, which guaranteed tension every single time. Think about it. Take out the clucky hen from the nest. Replace her with a clucky hen who, disagrees with everything she stands for. (Invariably burgers and crisps) Let her run amok and introduce such bizarre concepts as fresh air and exercise. Terrorising the family into submission. Meanwhile the original clucky hen is starving to death on fresh vegetables and home cooked food.
I think the producers should introduce a stopwatch on the screen and time how quickly the mothers race to get things back to normal after they are returned to their own nests. “First thing I did when I got back was close the windows and light a fag. Now where are my kids? “
The real danger the mothers face is the prospect of the family preferring the other lifestyle. Imagine it, the middle class mum gets back to her comfortable semi and the kids are now demanding Findus crispy pancakes and tins of marrowfat peas with every meal. Disaster!
The other categories involve people competing in some way for a life-changing prize i.e. X Factor, The Apprentice.
Also there are the freak shows like Big Brother, Space Cadets
Then there are the celebrity versions. In these shows the definition of celebrity is stretched ever thinner with every show. Eventually there will have to drastic measures put in place. Andy Warhol said that everyone would have 15 minutes of fame. At some point this will become compulsory, like jury service. I half expect to receive a letter informing me that I am required to attend Anglia TV studios and spend two weeks taking part in game shows and Trisha style studio audiences. It’s the only way I can see of satisfying demand!!!
posted by Steven at 12:48 PM
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