Reality Television: What’s real about it?
Before I get in to this column, I just want to state that this is not a rant against ‘Reality TV’ and if it comes across that way then, I’m sorry.
I enjoy ‘Reality Television’. Not all of it, but quite a lot of it. It’s why I try not to watch much of it, because I become engrossed by it. ‘Reality TV’ gets a lot of stick for not being ‘sophisticated television’, but that’s not its M.O. ‘Reality TV’ is there to entertain and the majority of it does so, with bells on.
Whether it’s Big Brother, X Factor, I’m A Celebrity Get me out of Here, Geordie Shore, Jersey Shore, Survivor, Hogan Knows Best, The Kardashians, My Super Sweet Sixteen, they’re all entertaining. Intellectually stimulating? No, Enjoyable? Maybe, But entertaining? Yes.
However, my gripe with ‘Reality Television’ is not one about its intellectual stimulation. I don’t believe everything has to be. I watch pro wrestling on a regular basis. If I want to watch something that makes me think, I’ll watch a documentary, just not Inside Job. I’m all up for intellectual stimulation, but Inside Job goes way over my head.
If I want to watch something entertaining, I’m not going to stick on a documentary about sand on, am I? Horses for courses, and despite how lame it is, Reality Television is still a Horse.
My problem with ‘Reality Television’ is in the title itself. The word ‘Reality’ implies the thing that is captured resembles something real and quite close to normal life. This is not the case.
If I’m just not seeing it then I apologise, but I would love someone to tell me what’s real about 12 people living in a house without being able to leave, having their every movement filmed, while completing bizarre tasks in order to get a bigger food budget? I’m sorry, but where I live, that’s not the norm.
‘Reality Television’ does not capture anything remotely close to reality. Do the producers of these shows think that we believe that their contestants are acting like they would in the streets of Peckham? Because if they are thinking that, then they need to go to bed early without any supper.
What’s worse is if the producers of these shows actually believe that we the viewer don’t realise that these shows are heavily crafted. If they believe that as a collective audience we think that everything that happens in these shows is coincidence, then what does that say about them? More importantly, what does that say about us as an audience, if they think that low of us?
I’m not saying that I want more television shows about my trip to Tesco. I don’t, because apart from the man smelling of Jameson’s and urine on the bus, it’s rather uneventful. I just want a name change.
‘Reality Television’ has nothing to do with reality. To be honest, I’ve seen more episodes of Lost that have more truth to them than any episode of the Geordie Shore. ‘Reality Television’ is entertaining, call it that. At least then you’re being truthful.
Rant over. If you think I’m way out of line, feel free to email me at:
Follow me on twitter @glamgrunge
Until next time, enjoy the show
Daniel Morris.
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