Reality
television programs show human nature
Jenna McDaniel
Shows like “Survivor,” “The Real World,” “Fear
Factor,” “The Apprentice” all fall into the fascinating genre
of reality TV shows. As reality TV has been popular for some time, a question
begins to loom overhead. At what point should reality TV expect to hear the knock
of the grim reaper on its dressing room door?
Reality TV is a fast growing phenomenon that has swept across television. Reality
TV shows are considerably different from the scripted drama and sitcoms people
had seen before. In the comfort of your own home you can sit and watch other
people’s lives play out in front of you and everything is real.
Another appeal to reality TV is the opportunity for any Joe Shmo to be on the
show. Now because there are so many different reality TV shows, it is nearly
impossible to keep track of them all.
However, even though reality TV seems to be dominating every TV station, it just
might have a small weakness that could bring its reign to an end.
The key to reality TV is competition. Shows such as “American Idol” and “The
Biggest Loser” thrive because we as humans have a natural drive to compete,
but what would happen if we decided the competition was not worth it?
I recently happened to catch a marathon of MTV’s new show, “The Gauntlet
2.” In this show, two teams compete for a prize and the loser team goes
to a gauntlet to compete to stay in the game. What I found interesting is that
one person from every pair of people from the losing team that entered the gauntlet
went home without even competing. They simply backed down and let the other person
stay.
It became such a problem that the host had to talk to the players and remind
them that the show is a competition. If a member of a team is not willing to
participate then they need to go home. Watching the program I began to wonder:
Have people finally realized there is more to life than competing for money on
national television?
One of the appeals of reality TV is watching people fight, make alliances and
backstab each other. Unlike real life, reality TV show players can get away with
such behavior. In fact, it is expected and considered to be part of “the
game.”
However, seeing events play out as they did in “The Gauntlet,” it
seems that maybe people are growing tired of this charade. I mean honestly, who
wouldn’t jump at the chance to get a large sum of money fast and easy?
But is it worth making a fool of yourself? Do you really want to be the next
crazed Omarosa or Rupert skirt-wearer of the show? Let me point out that I am
not saying living on an island eating rice for a month is easy, but you definitely
don’t need a college degree for that.
Pick four years of schooling or eating larva and sitting in a vat of snakes.
Which one would you choose for the money? Our greed may be what keeps reality
TV around, but people may have started to see the anger and selfishness it brings
out of human behavior.
Reality TV does not encourage people to be selfless; it involves people doing
anything and everything they can to get what they want. It breeds conniving liars
and disloyal behavior. We may think the player’s behavior is shocking and
uncalled for, but we watch them and root for them.
So what does that say about us? Aren’t we just as terrible as the players
because we are encouraging it? Whether reality TV lives on or begins to die out,
its popularity will simply depend on what we as a society decide to define as
more important: money or morals.
Jenna McDaniel is a sophomore art major.
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