Who's sick of Reality shows? (1 Viewer)

[DeathStar1]

I just heard a commercial for the newest one on Fox, the one with Lewinsky hosting.. 'One woman will date head bagged bachelors. She won't know what they look like until it's to late. And of course, at the end, there's...Duh duh duh DUH... A TWIST you won't beleive!'

I may be the only one, but I never got into the whole survivor craze. It might be fun if they didn't go eating bug larva or other stuff that makes you churn your stomach. Fear Factor I never watched for the same reason. If they dropped the disgusting stuff from that and just went into gut wrenching stunts, I might actually watch it.

I'm also sick of these romance shows that are cheap as dirt to produce. Those people NEVER stay together, so what's the point of investing a whole hour of your time into watching it?

The ONLY reality show I've ever gotten into is Amazing Race, if only because it's more of a Gameshow than anything else. That, and I'm someonme who would like to travel to some of these far away places like England, Scotland, Australia, Japan, etc, so it grabs my intrest more than the others...

But does anyone see this reality show trend ending anytime soon? I'm almost hoping that someone makes a parody of these shows and puts it on the air. THAT I'd watch .

 

[Jason Seaver]

I'm almost hoping that someone makes a parody of these shows and puts it on the air.

What about Series 7 and Joe Millionaire?

They probably won't go away any time soon. They're too cheap to produce and many are fun wish-fulfillment for an audience that often feels like they've seen all that a scripted show has to offer.

Not that it's necessarily a bad thing. I look at the likes of Survivor and The Amazing Race basically being a combination of sports and serialized drama, while the talent competition ones are basically straightforward entertainment that doesn't hurt anybody (although the advertising focus on American Idol's snarkiest host is somewhat unseemly). The romance ones... Yeah, they're cynical, but I think less so than they were, since by now I doubt anyone really expects the participants to get married at the end. The fantasy that two people who otherwise wouldn't ever have met might come together is a pleasant one, though.

 

[John Watson]

Farce is reality for most of these people (who watch the worst of these shows), its a real cosmic joke that they are allowed to vote, have kids, etc.

Bread and circuses, the Romans used to call it

Maybe the world won't end with a bang, but with a titter :frowning:

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I like watching the romance ones just to see the people not stay together in the end.

And what is probably my overall favorite is The Mole because it's more about your individual abilities than about how others perceive you that affects your success.

 

[Tim Abbott]

As mentioned in another thread, it makes me sick to think about all of the reality shows that will be on next season, while quality shows that draw millions of viewers(think ED!!) may possibly be cancelled next year.

I don't want to turn this into another ED thread, but I'm sure many of you have programs that you like a great deal that won't be back next year. I am convinced that a monkey with a GED could invent better programming that what the networks give us on an average night.

 

[Malcolm R]

I was sick of them before they started. I've never understood why anyone wants to sit and watch a bunch of no-name bozos act like the true-life idiots they are. I can think of dozens of better ways to entertain myself than wasting my life watching that crap.

I get more than enough reality in day-to-day living, thank you very much.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Anyone want to consider petitioning for an injunction against Fox, forbidding them to EVER create another reality show dealing in any way with romance or relationships?

When people get sick of the bug eating and backstabbing reality shows will die a very quick death. Unfortunately The Amazing Race will likely be toast long before then.

 

[MickeS]

How many "reality shows suck"-threads are we gonna have? Can't Patrick create one big "The Official Reality TV bashing thread" for all you people who think they're so horrible?

I'm not sick of them at all, I think they're fun entertainment and it gives me some sick pleasure in seeing these no-names steal airtime from overpaid millionaires in crappy over-the-hill sitcoms and stale dramas.

/Mike

 

[Morgan Jolley]

As a little aside, I watched an episode or two of The Amazing Race, and found it to be a little boring. I prefer more action, whether it's backstabbing, bug eating, or something else.

 

[Joel C]

I'm sorry, but MORE ACTION? What episode of TAR did you see? This show packs more action into one episode than an entire season of Survivor (I like both shows).

 

[DeathStar1]

>>>I'm not sick of them at all, I think they're fun entertainment and it gives me some sick pleasure in seeing these no-names steal airtime from overpaid millionaires in crappy over-the-hill sitcoms and stale dramas.>>>

Heh, this be one good thing, I'll admit. The cast of Friends make me sick at complaining about not getting paid enough per episode, yet they are at, or close to the million dollar mark now. If they didn't get payed, they wouldn't be friends.

Seeing a Dirt Cheap to produce show like Survivor tie them in ratings is a good thrill ride .

 

[Craig Robertson]

Who's sick of Reality shows?

Me.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

I have always hated and will always hate reality TV. Perhaps the worst entertainment craze in history.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

One big difference in Amazing Race

It doesn't matter how much you backstab or how much of an asshole you are, the only one who can eliminate you is you, and not some fickle audience or selfish contestant.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

But the thing about the Amazing Race is that I just don't care about the contestants. Granted, the only reality shows I watch are Survivor, The Mole, and pretty much everything Fox does (I find them to be funny).

 

[Brian Lawrence]

It doesn't really bother me as much as all of the shitty cop shows that are are on. Sorry but I'd rather watch a half baked reality show like Big Brother, than sit in front of the tired and predictable CSI crap that so many seem to be enamored with. Also want to barf everytime I see an ad for a new Doctor show or lawyer show.

95% of "reality" TV is junk, but so is 95% of everything else on the airwaves.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I'd rather watch a half baked reality show like Big Brother, than sit in front of the tired and predictable CSI crap that so many seem to be enamored with

I actually have to agree. I saw maybe 2 minutes from the end of an episode of CSI by accident, and it had the cheesiest, stupidest dialogue I've probably ever seen. The sad thing is, there are shows about the same thing on Discovery Channel and TLC and CourtTV that are real cases and much more interesting, yet CSI gets ratings like it does.

 

[Ric Easton]

Who's sick of Reality shows?

Me.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

First off, let's stop calling them "reality shows" and begin calling them what they really are and that is MANIPULATED reality shows, or UNreality shows. Their is nothing real about them really, the whole thing is staged and put together and orchestrated to a predetermined conclusion, and I don't mean that the endings are rigged, I mean that they intend for the show to go in a certain direction...and it goes their.

And second, yeah, i'm getting really weary of these shows, the ONLY unreality show I ever watched was the first Big Brother, after that, I bailed out on this phenominon and never looked back. To me these shows are just downright amoral, they set people against one another just to watch with pleasure as they plan and scheme to backstab each other for money. That's wrong to me. The worst was recently however with Married by America, this show is appalling to anyone who takes the oath of marriage seriously, they turned it into a contest and cheapened it's meaning.

It's amazing, but I was watching The Running Man with Shcwartzenegger the other night and thinking to myself "my god, we are not that far off from the show depicted in this movie becoming a reality!"

Let me close by saying that I feel that these shows are not really healthy to watch, to an adult that knows better I suppose it's no harm done, but to impressionable young people these shows teach greed, disrespect for sacred institutions, disrespect for other people, and backstabbing to get ahead at all costs no matter who gets hurt in the process.

Or maybe i'm full of shit.

 

[Joel Mack]

Or maybe i'm full of shit.

You may be onto something there, John.

I don't watch 'em all, but I enjoy the ones I do...