Betrayal, romance, drama. While most reality television shows are unpredictable and messy, the drama surrounding the shows is what keeps many viewers hooked. Reality shows provide an escape from viewers’ everyday lives and give them a glimpse into real world story lines that sometimes seem unfathomable.
“I just think it’s really fun to kind of escape to a nonsensical world that’s so different from your own but still know it’s the real world,” Ira Sharma (12) said, “It’s a fun escape from real life because of how absurd it is … It lets you turn off your brain for a while.”
After decades, reality shows are still hitting it off. There is always a new reality show premiering with new drama and events that has led some to question whether some series’ plot lines are scripted. Sometimes certain events or conflicts become too unrealistic, leaving watchers to question the producers of the show. However, although some reality shows are edited to boost ratings, much of the drama shown is pure and comes from the stars’ personalities.
“The drama is mainly they all have hyper inflated egos because of the lives they live, and they can’t really get over themselves even when it comes to family,” Sharma said.“They’re all very self-centered people so they just feel threatened and they get mad over the tiny things, which is funny to watch because it just shows how little emotional self regulation some people have. It almost feels like satire.”
Regardless of whether the events are scripted or not, many viewers enjoy watching reality television because of the dramatic and exaggerated scenes. The stars are chaotic at times and it can affect the trajectory of the entire episode. While reality shows’ sole purpose is for entertainment, many shows produce enough seasons to where viewers are able to watch the stars grow and develop.
“I feel like there can be some gratification in saying ‘oh, I would never do that,’” Mollie Coates (11) said. “[But] I like watching people grow out of … their nonsense and their drama, especially in relationship shows.”
As more viewers tune into reality shows, it leads to a new found fame for the cast members. Whether a Kardashian or Honey Boo Boo, many reality stars gain enough fame to where they are constantly spotted or stalked in public places. With fans tuning in and dissecting every part of these stars’ lives, many fans find joy in judging or shunning every move a star makes.
“I feel like [reality television] made it a lot easier for people to judge celebrities,” Coates said, “Nowadays [with] reality stars, like the Kardashians, people tend to be more mean to them and judge them a lot more than they would … that might be the point of reality tv, honestly, for people to judge situations”
Yet, as reality television and its stars remain popular after years, there are questions about where it originated. Shows such as “Survivor” and “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” gave inspiration for other series, but there are still inquiries about how reality shows emerged in the first place.
“I think it’s probably American consumerism, like in wanting to see other people do crazy things with the crazy amount of money and wealth everyone now has or the country now has,” Sharma said. “I think it sort of propelled this trashy, sort of overbearing kind of reality show into popularity.”
Regardless of its origin or potential scripts, reality television shows are still popular throughout society. The events are entertaining and the drama is messy, pulling viewers in. Reality series are still moving up and are bound to continue in the future.
“When I watch shows that have way more drama it’s kind of fulfilling in a way,” Ren Hunter (12) said. “It’s amusing and it’s entertaining.”
