Some of us have grown up watching game shows on TV, such as The Price is Right and Hollywood Squares. Game shows are competitions where players are eliminated and in the end someone wins a prize. This sounds like Reality TV. The only difference is that Reality TV shows go on for several weeks where a game show changes players each time it.
Reality TV, just like movies, music, and books, follows a certain formula. The standard formula that almost all reality shows follow involves a competition, player elimination and the awarding of a prize. The prize is the main focus of the show. On American Idol, contestants are vying for a recording contract and on Survivor; the prize is a million dollars.
As Morgan (2006) writes, “Reality TV isn't new - game shows have been around since the 1940s and it's the same basic premise. Contestants, all vying for the same prize, compete with each other like the most bitter enemies” (para. 3). We, the viewing audience pick our favorites and cheer from our couches. Our favorites usually don’t win the ultimate prize so we keep watching and waiting in hopes that sometime they will.
The formula for Reality TV is what draws us in. According to Morgan (2006), “And in truth, the American viewing audience just loves game shows, so it's no wonder that we keep tuning in. Reality TV only makes competition more ugly, rivals more pronounced” (para. 4). The next time you tune into your favorite Reality TV show remember, it’s just a game – a game show that is.
References
Morgan, K.C. (2006, December 20) Why do we love reality TV? Retrieved June 14, 2009, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/106897/why_do_we_love_reality_tv.html?cat=39
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Its not even "reality". The producer work the cameras, sometimes mixing audio and the scene shown. You have to make it appear different. Some participant are asked to act a certain way, and do. By the time they do their little "magic", we don't see what's really happening. We don't care though. We get caught up in the reality shows, because we get involved with the people on the show. We want the "one we love to hate" to get the boot. We want the ones we relate to, to go further ahead.
ReplyDeleteI liked this post.
I like reality shows but I agree it is just a formula. The sad news is that children are watching these shows and they thinks it's okay to cuss people out, casual date, and compete without teamwork.
ReplyDeleteMost of us want an underdog to win, no matter if it is American Idol or one of the many other reality tv shows. Good theory identity on why we tune in. Bring back Bob Barker!
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right... it's a formula. It's a formula that works, and until it doesn't work any longer, there will be a new reality show as soon as the last one dies out. I personally can't stand the reality genre and wish it would go away, but I must be the minority. I mean seriously, who thinks that getting on TV is the best place to find your spouse (Bachelor, Bachelorette)?
ReplyDeleteI grew up watching the Price is Right and many other game shows. I never really put the connection between the older original game shows and today's reality shows. The reality shows are just a game show, but the competition is more ugly and they have also introduced a bigger element of drama.
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