When Reality TV Shows first came out, it took the TV by storm. One reason because people were so tired of watching big stars perform, they wanted to see real people. When reality shows such as Survivor first came out, it really changed the whole TV industry. Survivor is show made up of 16 people divided into two tribes 8 vs. 8. Survivor received great reviews because people seemed to love the danger, competition, friendship. Main reason why people love reality shows is because actors on the show are just like us, there is no script, no set up scenes, whatever the actor feels like saying he says it.
But reality TV has boomed quite a bit these past few years, and there is a history of reality shows that have been around for some time. “Cops”, which tapes policeman in the line of duty, MTV’s “The Real World”, which features a group of strangers living together and talent shows like “Star Search” have been airing for over a decade.
Some reality TV shows really try to put a point out there. For example lets take COPS, I think is a show that tries to inform the people of what happens when you disobey the law.
Long from now I still see survivor as one of the best shows out there because they keep adding new stuff to it, you can say they keep spicing it up. But other shows like Cops which seem that they have been out there forever now, I think people are one day just stop watching it because they keep showing the same thing every time.
It's always the same thing.... the cops show up to a dispute between wife/husband or neighbors, or chase somebody for half-hour, they need to add something new to get their fans back,
After all nobody knows how long the reality TV will be around for or what impact it will eventually have in America, only time will tell. But for now reality TV is making celebrities out of ordinary people and captivating America in the process.
Love it or hate it, the new,re-worked genre called REALITY TELEVISION has taken over our screens. Whilst it may not be your favorite thing in the world, it's your job as Media students to figure out what this trend is all about.
Here are some links that you could take a look at....
A Christian Today magazine article discussing the genre
An interesting article, analysing the factors contributing to the success of the genre...click here
One writer's experience of trying out for a new reality show...click here
Another interesting article discussing the pros and cons...
Have you ever been walking down the street, to encounter a loud argument drawing a crowd, a fist fight, maybe two girls slapping each other around? What is it about our human nature to first ask someone what’s going on, what’s the background on these two, and then follow up by taking a tub of popcorn and watching them go at it? How disappointed are we that no one ever seems to know, and if you ask one of the two, it’s none of your damn business? Have you ever seen a person crying, and even though they wanted to be left alone, you were burdened with a powerful curiosity on what was wrong? If you asked anyone, once again, it was none of your damn business. You were in fact being a nosey jerk simply for starring! Enter reality television. Finally, it IS your business. If you ask someone why those two are jabbing one another like boxing nun dolls, you not only get your answer, but you’ll be allowed entire personality profiles on these two! You’re no longer just a nosey jerk; you’re only one in some millions of nosey jerks which makes up your general demographic! Reality TV: The nature of man to find entertainment in the tribulations and dilemmas of fellow individuals exploited through mass media means by taking a group of everyday people and jamming them together united under a single theme, such as surviving, finding a mate, being chosen as a mate, or sometimes simply living everyday lives, but together in the same house. While being entertaining at the prime of its episode, Reality Television entertains us through the most primal and unintellectual means, only a level or two above two men beating each other with sticks.
There is something deep within the human mind, something that plants a seed, which grows into an obsession, an obsession with conflict. Particularly, violent or potentially violent conflict. Is it the reason we conquer? The reason we cast war? The reason we watch Pro Wrestling? Whatever it is, it has been used since the birth of entertainment to amuse our pitiful minds, Gladiatorial bouts, Cock fights, Destruction Derbies, Violent movies, Sports matches, and of course, Reality Television. In a world where near any man’s brilliant mind can create tales of horror, drama, comedy, Romance, Why, I ask you, do we surrender ourselves to such nonsense? Simply because it entertains? Are there not better ways? Perhaps I judge it too harshly; after all, it doesn’t seem to do any harm, does it? Our IQ isn’t technically lowered, we don’t lose good diction, and after all, can’t it be considered a study in human sociology? Let’s take a look at a few modern Reality shows.
Survivor: A group of people are cast onto an island, until all but two are voted off, making it a battle of charisma to make friends accordingly, yet also requiring a strong and nimble body to survive daily challenges. There are relationships, friends, betrayals, and fights.
Joe Millionaire: A group of women are convinced that a man is very rich, and generally battle it out for his affection. There are relationships, friends, betrayals, and fights.
American Idol: A group of people are essentially battling to become the best performer over the others, the winner receiving their own music contract. There are relationships, friends, betrayals, and fights.
Tough Enough: A group of people are competing and training to become the best pro wrestler of the bunch. There is a male and a female winner. Each receives a contract with the WWE. There are relationships, friends, betrayals, and fights. Are you beginning to notice a sense of similarity? Could it be blamed on the human nature of groups, or are entertainment executives trying to ride a bandwagon? There is evidence for both.
Human Nature Evidence: Whenever in cliques, I’ve observed that there are indeed, series of relationships, friends, betrayals and fights.
Bandwagon Evidence: All the shows seem to be comprised of themes of either love or physical endurance.
HNE: Life seems to be comprised of love and physical endurance.
BWE: The shows are becoming stale and repetitive in nature: Always a pretty boy, always a jerk, always a slut, always a romantic, always a comedian.
HNW: This often seems to be the way we perceive our own cliques as well.
Do you like reality tv? You’re not alone. Skeptics hate it for its immoral behavior. They also don’t like how they reinforce stereotypes. Fans love it because they like the idea of becoming instantly famous.
Many people see reality tv as something that reflects on society. With all the immoral behavior, this can’t be good. Reality tv encourages lying, cheating and stealing. People argue that this is the last thing that society needs. In Christianity Today, Stephen Winzenburg says that these “shows can bring out the worst in human behavior.” People may be influenced to do the same in real life?
Others don’t like how the genre stereotypes different types of people like women, gays and blacks. Because the viewer becomes so familiar with all the characters, he/she will believe that all gays act the way that guy was in that show. Thompson believed that Survivor would have been a lot worst due to the environment. ”The island environment could have meant a lot of bouncing bikinis and speedos…”Thompson in Christianity Today. Now when one thinks of women and islands, they thinks of “bouncing bikinis.”
Fans are in it for the instant fame and money. People like watching real people get money. People can really put themselves in a character’s shoes. “Today’s shows offer huge sums of money to people who do not necessarily possess the career skills that would make them a productive enough member of society to amass such wealth through honest work.”zonalatina.com . People like watching people try to win money. It has been like this for all time.
This genre is a new version of the game show. But, unfortunately, it is hazardous to society in that it claims to be real. It claims to be real and encourages bad morals. That makes this genre not worthy of family viewing.
Reality T.V., is a successful T.V. genre that has been thought to positively and negatively influence the lives of many people. Unlike in the other T.V. shows such as dramas and sitcoms, any ordinary person could take part in a reality T.V. show. Many reality T.V. shows are basically game shows in which the participant's would recieve a prize at the end. One example of such a reality show would be Survivor, in which sixteen people are stranded on an unfamiliar island for a month and the one person who survive's up to the end recieves a million dollar prize. There are many benefits and drawbacks to the genre.
Reality T.V. is very popular today due to it's ability to make the audience relate to the events that occur. It is very unique from all the other shows on T.V. because it is unscripted and represents our everyday life and activities. One reason why many people take interest in the shows, is beause of the fact that one does not necessarily have to be a celebrity to take part in it. As a matter of fact, you can become a celebrity and obtain a position on MTV just by winning in that one show. Although this may seem like a very good way of helping people achieve their dreams and become someone, there are still some drawbacks to it. For instance, one may argue that the fact that some of these participant's have now found themselves a job, leaves other's who actually worked hard to get it out of jobs. Not only that, but because of the fact that Reality T.V. shows are cheaper to make, many more are being produced over time, and are therefore, overlapping with other T.V. shows such as sitcoms and dramas. This leads the producers of such shows empty handed, with not much to create, due to the fact that their time of casting their shows on T.V. has been reduced or cut.
Many people also believe that these reality shows are shaping our lives. For instance, by viewing some of the behavior's of the people on T.V., some people may later on reiterate their actions. This may not necessarily be bad, however, it leads to many questions. It leads to questions such as "Does reality T.V. reflect where we are in society/in our lives?" or "Is reality T.V. responsible for shaping our lives?" It may seem like our lives are supposed to be what is responsible shaping the shows, however, it is actually going the other way around.
For a couple of years now there ahs been a new genera of televison that has become very popular, this would be "Reality Tv", But what is it that drags people to watch it . Is this type of televison good or bad? Some of the diffrent reality shows are " Who wants to be a millioner", "The Real World", " Paradies Hotel". The one show though that has been casting now for about four years, and is still succesful is "Survivor". Is this show really "reality".....
Looking at "Survivor" a show that consist of sixteen people who get sent of to an island where they get isolated. Then they are put into two tribes of eight, where the two tribes have to compete against eachother. Whoever loses the the competion has to vote of a person un till there is only one standing, and this person wins a one millioon dolor prize. The more that you cheat and lie in this show the closer you are to the prize. What kind of lesson is this teaching us? A lot of people arguee that this show is a bad influence on people and especially young viewers because, you see people treating eachother bad. Stephen Wienzenburg from the article of Christianity today says " Such shows can bring out the worst in human behavior." The other side to this argument says that this kind of television is good. They sya that is is educationa because of the surrondings and it is much cheaper to make then reagular television shows.
Reality TV is unreal and cheesy. The reason I say it is unreal is because the editing molds it accordingly to what the viewers want to see. True, the dialogue is not scripted, but key conversations are taken out by the editors to make characters appear more crude and harsh then they really are. The reason editors do this is because people watching these shows like drama, and if the show was in its entirety it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. Can you imagine watching a show that featured no conflicts? It would be very uninteresting.
Usually people like my dad think that it is garbage and talk trash about it all the time; but then when you come into his room you find him watching it. That is because it is true; no matter how fake it is, it is still interesting. That is why it is impossible to say that Reality TV is bad, because it DOES provide millions of people every night with something to do. That many people wouldn't watch it if it was all that bad.
Although its interesting, it still does promote bad values. They key to winning the show "survivor" is often to cheat out your friends and steal their goods. In the real world this isn't usually something that people should do to get ahead; another reason why it is not real. Along with bad values, stereotypes are thrown around. Sometimes the stereotypes hold true and sometimes they do not but all same they are used in a way that can be hurtful to certain people. When selecting contestants for a show it is likely that a gay man be chosen, and then a homophobic man as well. This creates even MORE conflict.
It is impossible to label reality TV as either good or bad because it has both pro's and con's. However, most people (besides myself) can agree that it is interesting which is what counts. That is also what producers care about; and since they have had such success there will probably be many more of these shows to come.
The disadvantages of watching reality TV far out way the advantages in this new generation. Although we get a look into to how human relationships are developed and maintained, how sure can we be that reality TV is as real as it claims to be. On this season of the CBS show "Survivor" it just so happens that a big giant man and the woman who can speak Spanish, in a country that speaks predominantly Spanish, are on the same team and further more on the same show. Reality television is very undependable. There is no guarantee that the fights arguments and straight up and down human conditions are not arranged. It just so happened that the small town, race fearing, orphan, close minded white girl on MTV's "The Real World" also was dead broke with a very expensive diseease.
The very idea of watching human struggle is very intriguing to the average Joe working irregular hours and really has no time on his hands to be devoted to a show will alter his entire sheudule to find out who the "Bachorlette" gave her heart out to. The anxiety that people face if they have missed just one espisode of a reality TV that they are addicted to can be compared to that of the early 90s house wife missing an episode of her favorite soap opera. People are saying what the hell with the very much staged sitcom and are opening their arms to reality TV.
In this day in age where parents are so busy working, children are having more and more freedoms, the TV has become more than a staple but a need for the modern child. Children are put in front of TVs where there is no longer a super hero but a man in a cut up armani suit calling him self a leader("Survivor"). Reality TV leaves no room for imagination, when children want to think about things that have yet to experience, all they have to turn the TV and see how to date someone("Blind Date'), they can see how it is to date alot of people.
Is this our mark on the world? Is this is the way our generation wants to be remembered.
Reality TV lack luster or shiny as a brand new penny? That’s the question reality TV is the newest thing to watch on TV from survivor to Joe millionaire but this wonder breed of TV is not with out its critics. Some sources like Christianity today tries to tell you its immoral and evil. While others call it mildly educational and very entertaining but either way they all seem to ask how real is the reality they create and like always how far will they go to keep the ratings they have fought so hard for?
Is Reality TV either moral or a guilty pleasure some cant live with out? Christianity today says, “We're going to see a lot more bizarre stuff. We'll look back a year from now and see Survivor and Big Brother as the classy and tame early period." They also go to say that shows like survivor bring out the worst in human behavior. Christianity Today also goes to say that it can be inappropriate for younger viewers. Then again, taking a step back and looking at it as a whole you should ask why is it so bad? The worst in human nature is in the end still human nature. Some fanatics of Reality TV may consider the news to be worse and in some ways the news is worst but in the end they both still just show human nature. Instead of questioning the shows that have been dubbed Reality TV people should be questioning them selves and what is wrong with themselves instead of the TV they watch
On the flip side an article called Reality Television: Does Anything Go? Says, “Reality television offers a medium that is educational and entertaining. Its fast pace appeals to modern audiences, while the experiences that are filmed on reality television offer access to jobs and lives that only a few had once. It places a focus of attention on real people instead of on star personalities. It encourages young children to aspire to real jobs and real lives, without identifying with network creations. Viewers participate more completely in the medium of television: not only are they viewers; they are interpreters as well. On the other hand, "reality television" can offer a vibrant and educational medium for children, who are permitted to learn as they were meant to: by observing real life.” Then again how real is reality and are the children viewing this really observing life at its realist or at its most cruel and competitive? Christianity Today said that Reality TV has parts that are not suitable for younger viewers. So is the education that reality TV shows something you want you kids to walk away with. Something else to consider is that because Reality TV shows are so very cheep compared to other shows and don’t require writers that people lose jobs and quality shows might not ever make it to Television. Some writer some where is having trouble finding or even keeping his job.
Reality T.V. Is it good or bad? There are a lot of good things in reality TV. It has action, drama, and excitement. They don't act in reality TV, that’s how they get the audience to watch there shows because no one knows what is going to happen and the audience wants to know. The show survivor is a good example for good reality TV. They pick 16 people live on an island trying to survive on there own with things that they find in the wild. There are no scripts and they are doing it to win money. That is how they get people to be in these shows because they all want the money.
There are some bad points on reality TV. They do bad things that your not suppose to do. In the show survivor, they do sins and religious people might not want to see the show cause of it. They might have nudity but they just cover the body parts that kids aren't allowed to see. Reality TV. Shows are for adults and maybe some kids older than 15 to 16 year olds, but when they say that, that what makes the younger kids watches it.
If they show more bad things on reality TV. the grown ups that don't agree with the show might make a petition to try to take away the show. I don't think that the grown ups would win because its famous writers and producers fighting against people that nobody knows about. CBS won't cancel Survivor because that is bringing a lot of money to them and if that show gets canceled, they can loose a lot of money.
There are different opinions for the show survivor and I think people that watch the show would have more votes than the ones who doesn't watch it because it could be the most watch reality TV. show or it could be the most watch show.
In the last couple of years reality t.v. has taken over the television market. Each of the major television stations have had a number of different reality shows.Today reality t.v. is still very popular with survivor geting top ratings on thursday evenings. Survivor is on its 7th season this year, one of the reasons why this show has become so popular is because the setting of the show is in a beutiful tropical climate. Then CBS sends these normal low lifes out there to try and ruff it out there for a million dollars.
Reality television has proven for sure that people will do anything for a dollar. Fear Factor another reality show on NBC shows people eating bugs and brains, jumping off of cliffs. These people compete with each to who can stay the longest with out throwing up to win 50,000 dollars.
The fox televisin network is in to making shows on reality love. They put an equal amout of men and women on an island and then watch to see what happens. If you don't get together with anyone on the island then they throw you of. In away if you want to win this show you have to go with as many men or women as possibe to keep your place.
I believe the reason reality t.v. has become so popular
Throughout the world people have tuned into what is known as reality television. Survivor, now on season seven, has 16 people on a deserted island competing with each other over $1 million. All these shows are about is how far would you go for money? I admit that when Suvivor first cam out I was hooked. I watched every episode of the first season. Then after that I watched less and less. I missed two entire seasons and for one or two only watched the final episode, the one where we find out the winner. I guess because of the fights that came out and all the bug eatting I got sick it, my mo as well. So, for me, Survivor got old fast. I liked the premise and all it was fun, but then I got into other reality shows. Throughout all the many reality shows critics and audiences have found pros and cons which might have a large effect on their viewers.
The one thing that really boggles our minds is 'Are these shows really reality?' Survivor might not be scripted but it is over dramatic. Not only is all just for our entertainment but behind the scenes the production team helps them out here and there.
Reality television is a new type of TV show. It has taken over the market and everyday, during primetime, there is usually a reality TV show on. This whole thing is a fad that caught on for many different reasons. Eventually, it will wear off and many of the reality shows will die off because of why the audience is interested in them. However, for now, the audience is still very interested and the networks are cranking these shows out one after the other.
The reason people like these shows is real people's emotions. This is why The Real World or The Bachelor have been such big hits. It rides on people's emotions. People love seeing other people being emotionally taken advantage of (Joe Millionaire) and really hurt. This idea is a little sick and twisted but it definitely captures people's attention. This is something new that is different from the other shows on television. While on other shows, like Friends or Sex and The City, you can still see relationships and all the emotions you want, you know it's not real. When someone breaks up or gets together on a regular series you, the viewer know they are trying to throw in a twist. However, on reality TV, you know it's not scripted and the viewer can have a genuinely startled reaction to what's going on.
The production companies are influencing this fad to their full potential. These shows are cheap to make, there are no TV stars to pay and they get, at times, a bigger audience than all the pricey dramas or comedies on TV. They know that people are going to want new stuff on TV. Howver, as long as reality TV is still popular every good idea for a reality TV will get a good time slot and lots of advertising.
There is nothing wrong with this fad. Some people could make the argument that seeing these things on TV is harmful to society. However, these things have already been on TV. They have only given it a new context. All of the daytime dramas on TV resemble the Bachelor or Joe Millionaire. They have just dadded something new. The "Reality Factor" is what I call it. As long as there is an audience to support the "reality factor", more power to them
Reality T.V. has gotten so huge over the past year. There are soo many reality shows on every night even on the local chanels like NBC and WB11. Many people watch reality shows every week such as Survivor. There is something about reality T.V. that makes people want to tone in every week. There is something about these reality T.V. shows that people find entertaining to watch. Many of the reality shows are sucsessful and some are not but there are pros and cons to reality T.V.
Survivor has pros to being a reality t.v. show, it has done every well in the ratings. This is Survivors 7th season so there is something about the show that has got people hooked. Many people like to watch reality t.v. shows because there based on real people not celberties who are acting, and the people on the shows are not all gorgeous. Some poeple might even say that shows like Survivor are educational because it is telling the viewer a little about the country it is in. The viewer can learn about the climate and what type of people live there so poeple have said it is educational and can be entertaing for children. Many reality t.v. shows are cheaper then sitcoms such as friends because of where they are taped and because the people who are being casted on the show are not being payed as much as an real actor/ actress. The casting for the shows is very diverse. So the viweres are seeing all different types of people not just one race. Within the casting process the might pick a person that gay and another person that hommophobic which at first might not be a good thing, but throughout the show they two might become friends and change eachothers views ofe eachother. So the viewers watching shows liek this will get to see different types of realtionships formed and there views of a certian type of person may change.
The cons of reality t.v. are more so than the pros. Stephen Winzenburg said "shows like this can bring out the worst in human behavior." This is true because the people on these competitive stsrt to play the game and it can get very rough at points. That si when you get to see had sneaky and minipulitive people really are, and its all for the money. Some people think that the t.v shows should be more sensored because they feel some of the material is inappropriate. The reality t.v shows always pose a question in the viewrs head and that question is how much of this is really reality? This all has to do with editing of the show. The editors edit things they want people to see and what they don't want people to see. Like viewrs might be viewing more arguements then friendships because they producers and editors find it is what the viewers whant to see. Which is kinda of gross that we live in a world where people enjoy watching fighting. These shows can also portray violence for people to see which can lead to bad things succh as a cast member fighting with another and being thrown off or threatening other cast members. The casting has somewhat to do with what may go on. They cast different types off people with different views of other which can lead to violence can cause arguements between each other. These shows result in pain and embarresment for some of the cast members. Many people are loosing their jobs because of reality t.v shows. Since these shows do not require as mant camera men and editors and producers it causes people to loose their jobs. A this type of viewing becomes more popular there may be many many people who loose their jobs.
In recent years, we have been seeing a sudden extreme popularity in reality TV. From the Real World on MTV, to Survivor, to people getting married to complete strangers on national television. Some people could say that these producers are getting a little carried away, and starting to go to extreme circumstances to keep the people interested (ex: 30 or so women thinking that they're going to marry a millionaire if they're the last one standing, when he's really just a regular guy making 30k a year). Some people could also argue that its entertainment, and if people had a problem with it, they wouldn't volunteer to be on the show, but the people don't always know what they're volunteering for.
There are certain Pro's to having shows like this on TV. First off, people really enjoy them, if they didn't, the shows wouldn't still be on the air. These shows are so incredebly entertaining to the audience because it shows the way people really act when there isn't a rehearsed script. For example, Survivor, in a great example of dramatic irony, the audience watches a person allie themselves with one person and walk off and make the same agreement with another person. Soon the show stops being about who is the Survivor, and becomes more about who plays their cards right and gains everyones trust without getting caught. To an audience, this is great TV because they know that its real.
On the other hand, there are certain Con's to having these shows. Some people think that these shows are somewhat manipulative to the audience, telling them thats its okay to lie and cheat as long as you get your million dollars. Some people also think that some of these shows are immoral and don't put proper value on things such as marriage, because now, more than ever, we are seeing shows that end in two strangers getting engaged, or having a competition between 20 or 30 people over who gets to marry the perfect man or woman. For example, Joe Millionaire, the first season consisted of a bunch of women, thinking that this man was a millionaire, and if they got him to fall in love with them, then they would get married and have dibs on his whole fortune, when in reality, he's just a regular Joe. Now in the second season, since the entire country knows about the little scheme they pulled, no women would go for it since they knew what would happen in the end, so this season, they flew in a bunch of foreign women. The producers saw the success of the first season, and they're taking desperate measures to see the same results, but after a while, it just seems to get a little silly.
In ths day and age, there are so many reality shows that its hard to keep them straight. But they're all relatively the same; a bunch of people in a competition for something, with a person getting voted off every once in a while, and its chock full of lying, backstabbing and scheming so that one person can get that very special prize. One can never really give a straight answer on whether reality TV is good or bad, because there will always be someone out there who will disagree, but just like every other media trend, it will soon get old, and get out.
Reality T.V., is a successful T.V. genre that has been thought to positively and negatively influence the lives of many people. Unlike in the other T.V. shows such as dramas and sitcoms, any ordinary person could take part in a reality T.V. show. Many reality T.V. shows are basically game shows in which the participant's would recieve a prize at the end. One example of such a reality show would be Survivor, in which sixteen people are stranded on an unfamiliar island for a month and the one person who survive's up to the end recieves a million dollar prize.
Reality T.V. is very popular today due to it's ability to make the audience relate to the events that occur. It is very unique from all the other shows on T.V. because it is unscripted and represents our everyday life and activities. One reason why many people take interest in the shows,
Does reality television reflect or shape our population? This is one great question that has been argued for the past years by both sides. I believe that reality tv does part of both, showing the audience what a group of regular people do in a specific situation over the course of an amount of days. However, it does too portray a nonexistant side of our lives, an imaginary life that we would like to have, but we dont. I think that the media industry created reality tv shows so that the audience will be hooked on something different than what they have had on television until a couple of years back. Reading newspaper articles regarding the reality tv show Survivor, i came across what Stephen Winzenburg, in Christianity Today, had said about this type of television: "Each week they're uncovering a sin as a way to hook viewers". Through trhowing this quote in the reading, it made me think twice before forming my personal opinion on reality television.
The producers of reality tv want to get the majority of the television audience hooked on to their show, creating a heavy amount of publicity for that show. Advertisement always work on the public. It is something that goes subxounsciously, not even realizing that we are partially brainwashed by what is introduced to us through television or billboards.
I have always questioned why we are so easily influenced by the media, even though we might try to avoid it. The media producers are so well trained and skiled that they are able to shape our views sometimes, without us even realizing what is going on. In the movie Josie and the Pussycats, they had the theme of the public being brainwashed all through the movie, making the public see how much media has changed our oppinions.
Seeing people doing all kinds of things on reality television, the viewers form the impression that it is okay or that it is cool to do what they see on tv in their everyday lives. A very good example of that is the show Made on MTV, which shows an obese teenager who accepts to do anything in order to lose weight and become a cheerleader or a star basketball player. Are they doing this to prove that they can do it if they want to and to accomplish their dream that might possibly come true or are they doing this to fit in with a certain group, because this is what the media has showed them that is cool in every shw they watch on friday nights lets say? Being someone who is concerned abou his/her weoight and watching this show stimulates you to do whatever it takes to get in shape and to look stunning. Before making those decissions, i think they should ask themselves if they decided to do this because it would be healthy for the to lose some weight, or are they doing it because they have the desire of looking the way supermodels look? By doing this, they might get into other big horroble problems, such as getting sick and suffering from anorexia or bulemia. People dont realize how great the impact on them is just by watching reality television without having a point of view thats already formed.
Why are people especially attracted to reality shows? Are they just a buch of cheap shpws that shouldnt even be shown on tv? Do these shows "prortay" what reality is? Is the reality on tv really reality or are we tricked into thinking it is reality? Are we strong enough to protect ourselves from what the rpoducers are trying to inforce?
Reality TV Has gotten bigger and bigger over the past few years, exploring different wild and crazy tasks the will ultimately turn an ordinary person into a celeberty and wealthy person. These reality shows have put people in situations of survival, love and fear. Athough these hit shows are very entertaining they have also stired up a lot of oppinoions on the subject of both the positve and negitive nature. Some of the the viewers suggest that some of the events and topics that this genre to be imoral and promote poor behavior in society.
From being stranded on a desert island to dating 25 avaible people or bing tempted to cheat on a loved one, it is very easy to understand why people might feel that hit reality TV shows are imoral. According to Christianity Today "Each week they are uncovering a sin to hook the viewer." Also people are being rewarded for the poor behavior displayed. Many of the TV show's contestants on shows such as Survivior and Big Brother feel the need to lie and cheat in order to win the game and not be voted off. This may say to some of thre viewer that in order to get ahaead in life that it is nessary to lie and cheat to get what you want. Another show that although very entertaining is disgusting. Fear Factor makes people do daring and crazy things from walking across a type rope 100 feet in the air to eating pig overies or bugs in order to win a prize of $500,000. "Basiclly its the survival of the fittest and the people are being treated like animals."
Reality Television is rapidly taking over today's media. Shows like the Real World, Survivor, and various dating game shows are just a few examples of reality tv. Personally, I never picked up the reality television addiction like so many other people living in America. However, I can understand the interest in watching how people live and co-exist naturally, as opposed to reciting lines on sitcoms. Reality tv shows generally work with a cash prize given at the end. I think that many of the viewers find the suspense of who will win the money gripping, and therefore they continue to tune in to their favorite reality tv show every week.
A newer reality tv show, Survivor uses the aspects of stealing, cheating, lying, and danger to attract its audience. It is a fact that people enjoy watching aspects of a show such as these, and therefore it has become one of the fastest spreading reality tv shows to reach our televisions. Survivor allows the participants in the show to use their instincts to survive. For example, in the first episode of Survivor this season, one of the men was left with the other tribe's shoes. He used his instincts and stole their shoes and traded them for supplies. In many way, this would be looked at as a dishonest thing to do, however, on Survivor, it means that he was doing what was best for his tribe.
This beings up the question, is media shaping our society? We are taught from an early age not to steal, but then a show like Survivor tells us it's okay. There is no doubt that this could lead to a new outlook on stealing or otherwise immoral actions for certain people. I wonder, in the end, what will reality tv do to society? The number of sitcoms used to wipe out the number of reality tv shows. Now that ratio is beginning to decrease more and more. How much reality tv can we have on television?
Reality Tv shows are very eye catching. They get you hooked like a kid to candy. You run out and go back for more. Many reality shows such as Paradise Hotel, The Bachelor, and for love or money are very intrigueing shows although they are not in any way helping you to expand your mind. The basic concepts of all reality shows are all always the same. You have a group of people competing for a prize or money. With the people comes conflict and drama. When your watching a show such as.....
Paradise hotel and you see someone like for example Tom, who is not your prince charming, take off his shirt your first reaction is EWWWWW oh my god why did he have to show his fat on national TV. Sure you say that at home but in reality thats what you like to see beause the next day all your going to do is go telling all your friends, " Oh my god did you see Tom take off his shirt yesterday night??" and then the person you tell goes and tells someone else and it goes on and on and pretty soon you have millions of people world wide tuning in the next episode to see Toms fat!
Its very intresting to me how reality Tv shows are so intresting and real because in reality these shows are not reality and what your seeing on TV is not how the average person acts. Reality shows are a vary controversial topic. SEveral argue that these shows munipulate your mind and promote immortal behavior while others say its just a Tv show and you have to know the difference between real life and scripted.
While we are at home gauking at the TV screen wondering how in the wrold the people do such things on National TV, the truth behind it is that most of it is pre-schemed and written in a script. The way that these contestants on reality shows are partrayed, may be in no way how they act in their everyday lives. For example survivor which is one of the most watched reality shows in America, pre-interviews their contestants to make sure that they pick a range of people that they know wiil be intresting to watch. I never really got into the whole survivor deal but many love it and could sit for hours watching it. Again a very controversial topic. Many say survivor is not really a competition the fittest because most of what you see is pre-schemed and not real. Is reality Tv really reality? is it all really happening as they are partraying it? Are they munipulating your mind? Is it a bunch of people competing for a prize and promoting immortal behavior?? Well.......... why dont you tell me!! Post your coments and opinions!
I unserstand the fascination for Reality Television. i am personally not intregged by it, but in this day in age, everyone seems to be so interested is Witnessing real life, on television. All of the hype for realtiy television comes from poeple's desire to see poeple do things that might not be a part of everyday life, but inevidably is real.
The media had become so over-poputalated with reality television, it seems to be all poeple want to see.
In a show like survivor, there are so many aspects that are admirable to viewrs. Over the course of the show, we see romance, dissagreements, cheating, back-stabbing, pain and overall danger, which are all things that Americans like to watch on television. i think when people watch poeple go through hard-ships, it makes them feel better about their life, weather its good or bad, seeing poeple go through troubled times, is liked by TV veiwers. poeple feel they can escape from their own lives when the enter the lives of others through reality televsion. They get to film the cast all day, so they get to choose which segments of their lives that are most interesting.
what's all the maddness about anyway? Why has survivor lasted seven seasons and other shows can't receive substancial reveiews for even one? This is becase reality shows are actual poeple having actual relationships, and there is less space for a bad plot, or bad episode.
As many critics argue today that Reality T.V shapes and influences society's behavior, Does it really?
In today's society we are witness to more backstabbing, lying. betrayal, and cheating, than ever before.
Reality T.V hooks viewers by promoting "immoral" behavior, "each week they are uncovering a sin to hook a vierwer" (From Christianity Today).
Viewers watch Reality T.V to escape from real life, it's temporary relief from the real world, from their own reality. Society sees normal people, non-celebrities on t.v, all having to stick together, get along, help one another, relate, and communicate in order to survive. I'm not only talking about the show "Survivor", but also shows such as "The Real World", "Big Brother" and "Road Rules". In these shows the "actors" have to work together as a team, and they usually do, but at the same time they have to succeed as individuals, right? So... the result is, that these teams and so called friends betray and lie to one another to achieve their goals and to get to where they need, " Big Brother and Survivor reflect the ongoing decline in media morality" (From Christianity Today)
In a way Reality T.V influences society by enforcing and portraying "normal" human behavior under extenuating circumstances and show that people lose their morals, respect, moray's, and values in order to gain personal achievment and to accomplish whatever it is they need to accomplish, "Such shows can bring out the worst in human behavior" says Stephen Winzenburg in Christianity Today.
Another way in which Reality T.V may influence a specific group of people is the fact that Reality T.V underminds the whole concept of marriage, loyalty and partnership in shows such as "The Bachlorett", "The Bachlor" and "Who wants to marry my Dad". These shows take the whole institution of marriage, something so important and serious, very lightly. These shows actually show that promises, vowes, fidelity, honor and trust are not important concepts and can be revoked easily. As we see today this influences the divorce rate and will influence futur and younger gernerations.
So..... Does Reality T.V actually influence its viewers?
For the past four years we have been overtaken by reality tv. The first big hit was Survivor, followed by The Bachelor, Joe Millionaire and countless others. What do we, as a society, find so fascinating about this tasteless genre that is ironically, completely contrary to our real lives?? Have these low budjet, absolutely unscripted shows molded our lives as they invade time slots on each big time tv station? Maybe it is the idea of a fairy tale come true, ideal life made possible that intrigues us the most.
Reality TV is not worth our time. We waste an hour each week infront of the TV watching people desperate, lying and cheating on Survivor. Christianity Today says " 'Each week they're uncovering a sin as a way to hook viewers.' " If you take away the glamour and beautiful settings all we are watching is people degrading themselves and doing ridiculous things for money. Is this sending the message that such immoral behavoir is acceptble in society? We may not all be in the position to win one million dollars, but hey, if these people are living this way and winning the show than why shouldn't I?? Who cares about honesty and morality if it is not going to get you what you want? Reality TV influences our daily behavoir tremendously and brings out the worst in us and in its cast.
Many watch reality television as a way to escape their real lives. Witnessing ordinary, non-celebrities, living such unreal experiences gives us hope that "maybe that could be me!" We are tricked into watching a dishonest substance that we think is infact reality. The public's burning desire to know what is fact and what is fiction is yet another factor shooting survivor's ratings through the roof.
When will this gigantic phase of reality tv blow over? The question we must ask ourselves is, if reality tv has such a large audience and interested viewers is there really any harm in it?
What's on TV tonight? More reality TV. There is now a wide range of this reality TV on just about every channel on TV. People do things that range from eating bug to lying-and-back stabbing to competing to marry a some guy or girl which they didn't know before the game.Even though these shows may run a few weeks before going into the usual one year hiatus (like Survivor) they reel in millions of viewers. How do they do it? Is it just some media magic or a few special twists? How does this this affect us? Does it affect us at all?
The big debate on reality TV is whether or not it really is reality TV. On one hand, what are the chances of someone getting lost in a jungle or island. On the other the people doing these things really have feelings and not acting with scripts. Most of the time the second argument wins out over the first argument. These are real people that lead normal lives. The thing is that these people are actually hand picked. A network may pick out a really sexist guy and a really feminist girl and the as a result the viewer gets to see a hugh argument between the two. This means the ratings go up.
Why does the viewer just keep coming back to see a similar show over and over again? Survivor puts new twists into it's show to make the viewer want more. It's like the example above, people like to see what happens as a result of the combination of two opposites. In this season of Survivor the new twist is that the contestants could only wear what they were wearing on their way to the island. There is also another little twist although it is not as definite as the one announced. If any viewers noticed they may have noticed that one side had many office workers and the other had many retail workers. So could this be the battle of the office and retail workers? We'll have to see.
Do these people influence us? Do the thins they do infuence us? Maybe and maybe not. Many experts say that it is very bad in it's content. The Parent TV Council said that it found 49 bleeped abscenities in the first four hours of Big Brother. They say that this isn't appropriate for kids and in general all of reality TV isn't good. That isn't what every expert says though. Winzenberg said that it is family- friednly.
"Reality" television is one of the most addictive forms of televison media currently today. Shows like Survivor and Big Brother have dominated dramas and have created strong competition to sit-coms like Friends adjusting viewers to a new degree of television viewer. What creates reality shows so addictive is that we, the viewers, are allowed the chance to see the personalities and lifestyles of "normal" people which we can relate to. However, this increase of reality television has begun to nulify our understanding of reality and has degraded our morality to a gladiatorism viewing of other peoples lives.
Big Brother, one of the major reality shows, is meant to entertain us by watching 8 or 12 people being placed into one house which they cannot leave, and then are forced to compete to see who can be the last one standing. We are somehow addicted to continue watching these characters who are having afairs, arguing, fighting, stealing, and obviously not getting along because as a society violence and disputes are always interesting and a topic which we can discuss the next day. However, the creation of these reality shows have re-invented the Roman Gladiator Colossuem and adjusted it to relate to a more modern audience. But the objective still hasn't changed; it is as if we were throwing several people into a ring of lions, tigers, and bears and watching to see who will betray who and who is going to be eaten by the lions.
Another reason why "reality" television shows have become so popular is that they are soap-operas that consist of a real life dramas. Even though these characters on the reality aren't essentially "real", they have the characteristic that provide the illusion of reality that allows the viewer to become strongly attached to these people. Especially a lot more than watching a daytime soap, which pertains to of wealthy people arguing, bickering, and killing each other.
Since this new society is acceptable to muiltiple forms of media entertainment through clearer HD TVs, internet, and cellphones; it seems that we have become more of observers of the world than actively working to be apart of it. Reality televison is one of the causes of use becoming observers because it provides a false outlet of reality through morals of fighting and cheating to obtain money, while we sit on our couches and become entertained. We have become the people in the stands of a larger Roman Colossuem.
Osjua A. Newton
Vist Troubled Minds Magazine
The main question is if reality television good or bad? What do people think about reality television? Well, the audiance have the answer to these questions. Some people might think that reality t.v. is entertaining and some might think it is just a waste of time but what is good about the reality t.v. and what is bad?
Some people say reality t.v is bad because it has a bad influenece on people. "Participant walking around in nude, two people communicating unappropriatly, and a person discussing a homosexuality is very inappropriate for young viewers." It promotes immoral behavior. This professor at Grand View college in Des Moines he says, "Basically it's survival of the fittest, and people are treated as animals." He says it's wrong the way they show people are treated Also there are some people who think that reality t.v. is a sin. " Each week they're uncovering sinas a way to hook viewers." Participant walking around in nude, two people communicating unappropriatly, and a person discussing a homosexuality is very inappropriate for young viewers. Some of us say that it is not about people and island it is more about lying, and cheating on people which is not something peope want to watch.
On the other hand some people might think it is a nice show. Some people believe that it's good because in reality t.v. they don't show racism. For
some people it releases depression and the forget about the real world for a while. The audiance escapes from the laws of the real world. "Reality t.v. is entertaining." This is one o the remarks from some of the audiance who watch reality t.v. "It places a focus of attention on real people instead of star personalities" These are also what some people think. People also think that reality t.v. encourages young children to aspire to real jobs and real lives.
I personally think that reality t.v. is not so good because of the inappropriate actions. I do not think it encourages children but it's a bad influence on them. Well, this was my opinion, write coments and tell me what is your opinion about reality t.v.
The trend of modern day televison is reality programs. What many viewers and critics do not realize, is that the country has been attracted to unscripted shows through out all of the 90's. MTV's Real World, and Road Rules have given that network some of their highest ratings, within the past decade. The idea of people living and competing for something has matured into other major networks getting their piece of the pie. Our parents and teachers have all grown up on television that was called "unrealistic". The idea of a married couple sleeping in seperate beds, was something that was shown not only in TV, but in movies as well. The media has traveled a great distance since those days, into 16 people competing for a million dollars. CBS' Survivor was one of the first shows to follow the Reality TV trend. The trend of modern day television is reality programs. What many viewers and critics do not realize, is that the country has been attracted to unscripted shows through out all of the 90's. MTV's Real World, and Road Rules have given that network some of their highest ratings, within the past decade. The idea of people living and competing for something has matured into other major networks getting their piece of the pie. Our parents and teachers have all grown up on television that was called "unrealistic". The idea of a married couple sleeping in separate beds, was something that was shown not only in TV, but in movies as well. The media has traveled a great distance since those days, into 16 people competing for a million dollars. CBS' Survivor was one of the first shows to follow the Reality TV trend.
There are many pros and cons to reality television. Particularly with Survivor, the competition makes the show more attracting. Throughout the show, the contestants on the show are forced to make alliances with each other. In order to survive to the end, a lot of cheating, lying and betrayal of assumed friendships occur. The people on the show are forced in to immoral behavior, but as sick as it can be; the American Public is drawn into the controversy and conflicts of real people's lives. The casting of the show is very important, because they have to choose the right people that are going to have conflict, but at the same time build friendships. The most attracting type of friendship is a romance between the contestants. Usually where romance comes, conflicts come; for example jealousy, and the best type of betrayal. The casting directors of the show take into account that not everyone is going to look like a super model. Of course they are going to pick a few highly attractive contestants, but there also needs to be everyday type people, such as ones that viewers and critics can relate to.
The lack of food has resulted in, if not everyone most of the cast dropping a few pounds. The media eats up this type of detail on the show, because they know that viewers whether they notice it or not try to or do relate to the caste on any show. Survivor is put on that pedestal, for the simple reason of being a reality program, therefore viewers are shown that starvation is the key to a slim figure. Therefore, the show has recreated fresh diet trends in our society, among everyone including our female youth.
When it boils down to it all, reality television is a trend in it's own. The question is; where will network television go from here? How will reality television continue to effect society? Will the nudity on the show one day be fully shown with out any blur, as in Europe? What exactly is the limit?
Reality Televison, Good or bad? It seems that everytime a new "Survivor" or "The Bachlor" appears this question is asked. Most people think that reality televison is the worst kind out there, but if you look at the ratings you see it's always at the top, so some people must be watching it. As a frequent watcher of reality televison I don't see the problem of picking your husband even though you've never met him or eating spiders to win a million dollars, whatever floats your boat is what I say.
So what is it that drags so many people into their couches every Thursday night to watch the thrill-seeking "Survivor"? Is it to watch real situations instead of corny sitcoms with a laugh track? Or is it to see real people instead of that beautiful six on "Friends"? It could be to get educated and see unique sights on the islands of where "Survivor" is placed. These are all great reasons to watch reality televison and the reason people do indeed watch it.
One might say that all these shows promote is sex and violence, and that it's sad to see human behaivor at this low level, but this is how humans act, all of us. When it becomes game time we will lie, cheat, and steal to get out hands on that cash prize of one million dollars. So in a way not wanting to watch reality televison is like not wanting to walk down the street and see how humans act everday, which is dramatic. Dramatic is the key word in all of this, what is attracting everyone to these shows is the drama. People love to watch people get in fights, cry, and suffer, it's sad but it's true.
The other question people can't seem to lay off of is if reality televison is even real at all. Is it? Even if it is fake, we as the veiwers don't care. If you believe what all the newspapers say about how it is all an act you won't be able to enjoy it, but if you know that it is real and you think that, that hour of televison will be so exciting for you and you will not be able to contain yourself because you will want to know what is going to happen next week. So in the end is there really a problem in loving reality television more that the usual primetime shows? It it bad to like "Temptaion Island" better then the soap opheras? Or to like "Survivor" better than "Gilligan's Island"?
Reality Television is without a doubt the most popular type of programming, besides big sporting events, on telivision today. But I'm noticing more and more that people are forgetting where to draw the line. In fact, sometimes the line gets crosses everyday, but since it brings in so many ratings, the cencors for the telivision companies don't really care. This just shows how shallow America can be.
The first braodcasted reality telivision show was Candid Camera, which was over 50 years ago. But the reality shows that we have today are nothing like that, not only are they cruel sometimes, but some of the people will do anything for money, even if it means endangering their own health. The Real World and Road Rules, both MTV shows, started running about 10 years ago. Here they put six, or seven, strangers in a house or RV together and let them live together basically until a homocide occurs or six months is up, which ever happens first. The new hit series Fear Factor has people facing their worst fears. But I can't remeber the last time that I heard someone say that their biggest fear was chewing cow testicles, or transferring worms from a bucket to a scale to weigh.
And how can someone enjoy watching someone get so disgustingly skinny from not eating simply because she wants to win money. This is ridiculous, now people are just seeing how far people will go and how low they will sink for money. Which in actualltiy doesn't seem so bad to people because this is America, home of the greedy. And if there is one thing I have noticed about Reality telivision shows, it is that if there is money involved, people will be trying it.
If you would like to see more about these reality television shows click here:
Survivor
The Real World
Road Rules
Fear Factor
Reality television is a genre of television programming in which the fortunes and misfortunes of "real people" are followed. The question that we must ask ourselves is: Whether reality tv reflects where we are in society right now, or whether it is shaping our behavior towards the future? Furthermore, is reality tv negative or a positive influence on viewers? Is reality tv really reality? And finally, are we as a society committing a sin by supporting this kind of media? Some of the shows that are a representation of this genre are Survivor, Big Brother, and The Real World.
The first thing that we must look at is whether or not reality tv is really reality. Some would argue that reality tv is deceptive, for instance, how is a show considered reality when the people that are cast within the show are chosen in order to anger each other? For example, in many situations a homosexual and a homophobic are forced to live with one another. In addition, in shows such as Survivor what is their limit, is there ever a point where they intervene and help the people within the show, which would therefore no longer make it reality. Nevertheless, the people within the shows are ordinary, real people, they aren't celebrities. Moreover, the show does not include a script, which thus also differs it from a sid-com or another form of show. Hence, as Speak Out states, "It's not true, pure reality. On the other hand it's not scripted drama. It's somewhere in between: dramality."
Another argument brought up against reality tv is whether or not this genre promotes "immoral behavior". Christianity Today proclaims that, "Basically it's survivor of the fittest and people are treated as animals." This same critical site states that "each week they're uncovering a sin as a way to hook viewers." Christianity Today contends that the wholke experience of reality tv is for the experience of living, backstabbing, and eating rats in front of a camera crew in pursuit of a million dollars. However, other articles such as Speak Out claim that Survivor has remained quite decent in that "the island environment could have meant a lot of bouncing bikinis and speedos, but it's been put together with a great deal of discretion."
Reality tv's most appealing attraction is the escape that it offers to the viewers. When one watches a show as Survivor, their mentality is capable of escaping their difficult mindset and is able to travel to an exotic land, and for that one hour that person is no longer in their own world. Moreover, one could also argue that reality tv has a positive effect on our society because it provides an educational experience. Speak Out debates that "on the other hand realitu television can offer a vibrant and educational medium for children, who are perimitted to learn as they were meant to by observing real life."
Therefore, the questions that were posed at the beginning of this article are questions that one must ask of themselves, they are not questions that have definite answers but instead depend on the person. They can be debated over back and forth. But in the end the real question that is left is: Is reality tv for me?
There are a many good things about reality tv. Since the audience have seen many sitcoms discussing the same thing and wanted something new. Reality tv shows the audience real things, in real situation. There is no scripted out show, it is just real poeple doing real things, no act. Reality tv first stated getting popular when Survivor started. It was never before happen that people were stuck on a island for 1 million dollars. The audience watched the show because it was never a show like this that ever been done. When the audience watches the show it makes the audience fell like there in their shoes, in trying to win 1 million dollars. Also when the audience watches the show, at the end of each show a turning point happens, so that makes the viewer want to watch the show the week after than the week and always staying tuned to the show. These reality shows get good ratings and has a low budget to make the show. It makes people take their minds off their own life.
The bad things about reality tv There are bad things about reality TV too. Since reality has no script and just regular people doing regular things, writers are losing jobs. Reality TV shows are increasing so the more realty TV shows there are the more writers are losing jobs. In some reality TV shows bad things occur. Some shows sin and doing things unrighteous. There are groups that are against those things mostly religious groups, and they find things on the show to be harmful to viewers.
Even though there are good things and bad things about reality TV it is the choice of the individual to watch the show or not. Reality TV is just a trend and it will eventually die down and then there will just be a couple left. There will come a time when seeing the same types of reality shows will be boring to the viewers and then the viewers are going to want something new.