Nowadays it seems like nobody can remember a time before reality shows. But I know that the reality show revolution started in seventh grade because all my English teacher ever talked about was “Survivor.” “Survivor” was the first successful reality show, presaging the barrage of shows to follow afterwards. I find that there are usually three types of reality shows: dating shows (like the “Bachelor” and “Joe Millionaire”), “survival” competitions (“The Amazing Race,” “Fear Factor”) and some game shows (“The Signing Bee,” “Moment of Truth”). You might be thinking that game shows aren’t really reality shows, but I believe that so many of them are staged and unauthentic that they should be considered so.

I’m going to start talking about dating shows out of respect for the romantic nature of the month of February. Like many, I think that these shows are extremely fake and require some serious suspension of disbelief at times. But also like many, I am guilty of being a fan of a few, specifically “I Love New York.” The given purpose of these shows is that the main character can find true love after having been fruitless in their prior efforts. But the actual purpose of these shows are very different and reflective of the shift of values in American society.

These shows clearly serve an entertainment purpose— obviously why many of us become hooked. They also serve to fatten the wallets of the show’s participants. Did you really think that all those ladies actually lusted after Flavor Flav? Please, they were almost definitely paid for their participation in the show. (Although even a vast amount of cash money would not convince me to compete for Flav’s affection).  There we have two accepted American values: entertainment and money. Wouldn’t this explain why we are constantly bombarded with news about wealthy celebrities, and we find ourselves paying attention despite our annoyance? 

Although money is definitely a good incentive, I don’t understand how people could put their love lives and emotions up for sale.  How could you regard those feelings as so trivial? Sooner or later it’s probably going to catch up to them. I guess people would say that it’s stupid to care about the state of the fake people on TV, but I can’t help but think that they’re just people too.

Then there are those survival competitions. These shows can be full of suspense and/or just really gross (e.g. “Fear Factor”).  These shows can be super entertaining because you’re anxiously waiting on the side of your seat to see if that guy actually eats the centipede. But at the same time, I find myself thinking about what those people have to go through even though they sell themselves out to get on the show. After “Survivor,” can the participants really go back to living a perfectly normal life?

Although the survival shows can be gross, they probably offend me the least because they are the least phony. I definitely just saw the lady lie down in a bed of maggots, didn’t I?  Shows like “The Amazing Race” can even be educational. You can learn something about the Indian culture when the contestants go to there.  However it will probably be quite a distorted picture. Try watching the Travel Channel instead.

And then are the game shows. I’m not talking about the “Price is Right” or anything like that (“Supermarket Sweep,” etc.). Those are classics; definitely real; I know people who have been on “The Price is Right.” And Bob Barker wouldn’t have lied to me, right? No, I’m taking about the recent influx of game shows that have attacked my TV, like “1 vs. 100” and “Moment of Truth.” These shows are fake because the participants are coached on how to respond and act, and the winners are chosen beforehand. Let me talk about “Moment of Truth” a bit. This show is probably the phoniest rip-off of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” that I’ve ever seen. The premise of it is that the contestants have to answer intimate questions while being hooked up to a lie detector in the presence of their significant other. Every time they tell the truth, they win money, and when they lie, they lose it. Why would you even bother lying when you know that everyone will know the truth when the lie detector catches you? Second, the contestants always provide a very suspenseful pause before answering any question, even when the truth makes them look good. Why would you be hesitant about denying that you slept with your boyfriend’s best friend? It just doesn’t make sense.

That said these shows really do have huge entertainment value, and that’s what TV is for.  I’m not suggesting you stop watching – at least not immediately.  Just don’t get too caught up in them. Don’t cry when New York dumps the one guy you were rooting for. If you do, you’ve gone too far; and the last thing we need is pathos off TV in response to pathos on it.