Reality Bites

To say that reality programs did anything less than explode into television would be an understatement. It was the year 2000, when Survivor was introduced and went on to become a smashing hit. Reality shows had been in existence before, shows like Candid Camera, Road Rules, game shows, etc were already on television, but Survivor redefined reality television as we know today

What happened next was a bevy of reality shows hitting the airwaves year after year. On the Lot, Shaq’s Big Challenge, Age of Love, Hey Paula, Fast Cars & Superstars, Bindi-The Jungle Girl and many more are joining the reality television bandwagon and this is just for this year.

Wikipedia defines Reality television as “a genre of television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people instead of professional actors”. The operative word in this whole definition being “purportedly”, as in the real(ity) world of television, its all about editing, and exaggerated drama.

So with a celebrity obsessed society, why are people interested in watching ordinary people, people just like them but on the other side of television? One reason could be that it allows ordinary people to fantasize that they can gain fame and money overnight, that it is possible for anyone to become a celebrity. On the other hand the popularity of the show among some audiences could be simply because people marvel at others’ misery, (I think definitely true for programmes like “The Fear Factor”). The reality shows sometimes push the social envelope and that might be attractive to some. At an ideal level the shows are popular perhaps because the audience is genuinely interested in knowing what is happening in others’ lives or have an inherent dislike for anything unreal and fake.

Opinions and reasons aside, the primary reason these shows are on air is the cost benefit ratio. They involve minimal costs, ordinary people who need not be paid in millions and large audiences. In a way it’s a win win situation, the networks save bundles of money, and it allows ordinary people to get fame & money.

It is very unlikely that reality television will disappear from television; it has become a genre in itself. And for those of us who are not really into reality television, we will just have to wait for this phase to fade out if not totally disappear.