The first Reality TV show I can remember growing up was COPS (of "Bad Boys" theme song fame) but it didn't seem much the "social experiment" that these shows have come to be today. It was more along the lines of "street cop is followed by man holding camcorder" and 1. was never filmed in the day and 2. criminal frequently shirtless. Why was that? The first of the social experiment genre to me was MTV's Real World New York around 1990...remember that one?
Note to Readers: Slight RANT to follow
I'll admit that I'm not a fan of reality television at all. I think it's just needless competition and somewhat scripted drama for the amusement of fans. And there's not much redeeming value other than entertainment...(if you can all remember William Hung on "American Idol", you catch my drift). Even the creator of CBS's "Survivor" admits the shows aren't entirely "reality" because the producers create the situations the contestants are put in. But don't let me change your TV viewing habits...
So here's my list of the BEST (maybe OK is better fitting) and WORST shows reality TV has spawned:
WORST:
#1: Temptation Island (absolute worst) - this was a cross between a Sandals resort ad and soft porn...and the host is almost as cool as Marky Mark (Mark L. Walberg)
#2: Flavor of Love - Hey Flav, what time is it? Anything with Flavor Flav should make you consider this guy sang "9-1-1 is a Joke" and wore timepiece necklaces..."It's the Flav-a, Life Save-a"?
#3: The Apprentice - the way that the contestants approach business siutations is entirely unrealistic. And in "reality" you succeed in business only when you work together as a team. Not eliminate each other. Furthermore, who wants to look at the boardroom scenes when Trump's "comb over" is the size of a wave on the North Shore of Hawaii?
#4: Bachelor / Bachelorette - All you have to ask yourself is: how many "couples" have actually made it with this one? Contestants vying for their mate usually contain ample evidence of "baggage" or "skeletons in the closet." This show is like a glorified "ElimiDate" (which receives unhonorable mention)
#5: The Swan - just Google "swan before and after photos" and you'll see why. SCARY!
BEST: (or Of Containing Some Redeeming Value)
#1: Biggest Loser - I call this the "life-spent-television-watching offset show." However any time you have contestants trying to lose weight it's altogether a good thing. There's a lot of emotion with the contestants...because the results are truly a life changer.
#2: Extreme Makeover - Home Edition - again, this is a life changer. It definitely makes a difference. Although my one gripe with this show is that they help only 1 family per episode but if they would scale down the 5+ flat screens, designer faucets, and 6 bedrooms they provide for them, then maybe they could help 2 or more families. (My other one is that main host guy gets so fired up he seems to turn purple.)
Of course, it is likely very few will watch if the average suburban dwelling were built for the family:
"Daddy, look! They saved that family cause Grimace and crew built a house for them just like ours!"
*** More to Follow ***
Note to Readers: Slight RANT to follow
I'll admit that I'm not a fan of reality television at all. I think it's just needless competition and somewhat scripted drama for the amusement of fans. And there's not much redeeming value other than entertainment...(if you can all remember William Hung on "American Idol", you catch my drift). Even the creator of CBS's "Survivor" admits the shows aren't entirely "reality" because the producers create the situations the contestants are put in. But don't let me change your TV viewing habits...
So here's my list of the BEST (maybe OK is better fitting) and WORST shows reality TV has spawned:
WORST:
#1: Temptation Island (absolute worst) - this was a cross between a Sandals resort ad and soft porn...and the host is almost as cool as Marky Mark (Mark L. Walberg)
#2: Flavor of Love - Hey Flav, what time is it? Anything with Flavor Flav should make you consider this guy sang "9-1-1 is a Joke" and wore timepiece necklaces..."It's the Flav-a, Life Save-a"?
#3: The Apprentice - the way that the contestants approach business siutations is entirely unrealistic. And in "reality" you succeed in business only when you work together as a team. Not eliminate each other. Furthermore, who wants to look at the boardroom scenes when Trump's "comb over" is the size of a wave on the North Shore of Hawaii?
#4: Bachelor / Bachelorette - All you have to ask yourself is: how many "couples" have actually made it with this one? Contestants vying for their mate usually contain ample evidence of "baggage" or "skeletons in the closet." This show is like a glorified "ElimiDate" (which receives unhonorable mention)
#5: The Swan - just Google "swan before and after photos" and you'll see why. SCARY!
BEST: (or Of Containing Some Redeeming Value)
#1: Biggest Loser - I call this the "life-spent-television-watching offset show." However any time you have contestants trying to lose weight it's altogether a good thing. There's a lot of emotion with the contestants...because the results are truly a life changer.
#2: Extreme Makeover - Home Edition - again, this is a life changer. It definitely makes a difference. Although my one gripe with this show is that they help only 1 family per episode but if they would scale down the 5+ flat screens, designer faucets, and 6 bedrooms they provide for them, then maybe they could help 2 or more families. (My other one is that main host guy gets so fired up he seems to turn purple.)
Of course, it is likely very few will watch if the average suburban dwelling were built for the family:
"Daddy, look! They saved that family cause Grimace and crew built a house for them just like ours!"
*** More to Follow ***
4 comments:
prediction: JEREMY LUITEN WILL WIN THE "NEXT TO BE MARRIED" CONTEST. BALTAR MY GYPSY FORTUNE TELLER SAW INTO HIS CRYSTAL BALL AND REVEALED HE WILL IN FACT MARRY THE VERY NEXT WOMAN HE LAYS! BIG WINNER!
oh wait. this may not mean he'll beat everyone else out it just means his next lay will be "the one". so we could be looking a couple years down the road. so nevermind. contest is back on!!!
Don't forget the show that was a spinoff of the Bachelor, but instead of the chick trying to find her next man, she was trying to find her dad that she has never met!
It's as sick as reality tv comes, grown men acting like they are some girls dad, just to provide more drama in the question, "Can she figure out which of these 18 men is her real father!"
Look it up Jay-Z, it's gotta be #1 on the list of worst!
ps: love the blog man
How could you forget "The Benefactor" - Marc Cuban's reality show. It was awful, just awful. I actually knew a girl on the show and she was so annoying that I would vomit whenever they showed her.
Other crap you forgot to mention...
Denise Richards--Its Complicated
Living Lohan
Keeping Up With the Kardashians
The Girls Next Door (though, I actually like that one)
Project Runway
America's Next Top Model
Shear Genius
Made
Tori and Dean
Wife Swap
Newlyweds (Lachey and Simpson)
Making the Band
The Simple Life
Farmer Wants a Wife
Dancing With The Stars (C'Mon, Corrolla!)
Quasi Interesting ones:
Hell's Kitchen
So You Think You Can Dance (I can't turn away!!!)
Celebrity Rehab
Oh, and what happened to that Andy Dick show where he was looking for an assistant? Tasks included breaking up with his girlfriend for him? That was awesome.
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