Reality shows make America idle
Photo Credit: Michelle Cvach
Michelle Cvach, Entertainment Editor
May 19, 2009
Filed under Uncategorized
What do you get when you mix an ordinary person with the crazy ideas of an executive producer? That’s right, you get a reality show. Lately, reality shows have been taking over television, but are they any good or are they just copies of previous reality shows, desperately searching for ratings?
How could anyone forget “Survivor,” the show that takes everyday people and places them on an island, where they compete in challenges to see what rewards they can get or who is going to receive immunity? Surely this show is hard to ignore, considering it is currently going into its eighteenth season.
Of course, everyone has heard of “American Idol,” the singing competition of millions of people across America, and “Big Brother,” a show with pretty much the same concept as “Survivor” except the people are packed into a house instead of an island.
Joe Rogan, known for being the former host of “Fear Factor,” is currently working as the host of a new 2009 reality show. “Game Show In My Head” takes an average person and places him or her on a street with only an earpiece. They are given outrageous tasks to complete within a short time frame in order to win cash. The twist is that all of the tasks they are given involve the contestants’ ability to go out of their comfort zone to ask outlandish things of unsuspecting bystanders, generally resulting in sheer hilarity.
“Game Show In My Head” is not alone in this specific genre of reality TV. A similar show, Howie Mendel’s Howie Do It, puts people in extremely awkward situations, and when they reach their boiling point, he jumps out and reveals who himself to them. This show, similar to the classic “Candid Camera,” is sometimes funny, but seems somewhat mean, as it often causes people get really upset. But who wouldn’t get upset if someone threw dirty diapers, pizza, and trash at you, like in one episode of the show.
No assessment of reality shows would be complete without mention of the overwhelming amount of reality love, matchmaking, and dating shows. “The Bachelor,” a show in which one man gets to choose out of 25 girls the one he wants to marry, is currently in its thirteenth season. A newer show with the same basic concept of finding love is “Momma’s Boys.”
“Momma’s Boys” takes a large group of girls, consisting of Playboy Bunnies, Penthouse Pets, and intelligent nurses and teachers, and puts them together in a mansion, with the three men’s overprotective mothers. During the show, the men search for the right girls for them. The twist is that the girls not only have to win over the affection of the boys, but they must impress the mothers.
Not only are typical channels showing reality shows, but some networks like TruTV and Real are dedicated only to reality and actuality shows.
With all these reality shows competing with each other for success, concepts and ideas are sure to overlap. Obviously, the shows that have aired for numerous seasons will last, but “Game Show In My Head” still stands a chance because it is so humorous to watch! Momma’s Boys was also a winner in my book.