TV Reality Shows: A Cost Cutting Boon To Producers, With Incredible Popularity! It's been several years now since some television land genius came up with the TV reality show concept. Perhaps I'm a cynic, but my immediate thought was that the idea surely saved the producers a ton of money in production costs, while providing viewers with irresistible entertainment, on a greater scale than could ever be found gossiping over the back fence with their neighbor. The pretty part for the producers was that they did not have the expense of finding and hiring professional actors, nor were burdened with costly sets, costumes, screenwriters and hairstylists. Viewers were drawn to the TV reality shows by the fact that ordinary people like themselves could be seen doing gross things, demeaning themselves and in some cases, being humiliated. Perhaps – dare I say - the voyeurism factor plays a role in the huge popularity of these low cost, high rating programs. I can't recall now the name of one of the original programs of this new genre, but I'm sure you'll remember it anyway. This show outfitted the contestants in brightly colored workout wear, in which they were competing for $50,000 in a last man standing format. Only one walked away with the prize. Stunts included drinking raw ostrich eggs, being submerged in coffin-sized boxes filled with a variety of insects, some of which bit, and many other such disgusting acts. They might be asked to climb into a cylindrical tank of water to retrieve a set of keys, only one of which would open the tank cover before they drowned or cried 'Uncle!'. The contestant with the best time went on to continue going for the gold. The ones who had the worst time were sent off home, with sad music, into oblivion, cashless. This TV reality show gave viewers their jollies in grossness. One of the most popular of the current crop of TV reality shows is 'The Biggest Loser', where some extremely overweight people are put in color-coded teams. They are put up in luxurious surroundings, with personal trainers, who sometimes taunt the contestants in what seems, to me, nothing short of cruelty. They work out night and day, eating healthy, but minimal amounts of food. Sometimes, they're subjected to a tempting vending machine, full of forbidden treats. Some of the treats are marked with 'points off' which provides an incentive of some sort that benefits their weighing in. When contestants get on the scale for a weekly weigh-in, most look as though they might break into tears. Indeed, some do. No one ever seems to achieve slimness. Another very popular TV reality show is 'The Bachelor' where one guy comes shopping for his dream girl of the marriage material type, choosing from among a bevy of aspiring wives, numbering a couple of dozen or so. The women fawn over the guy, hoping to be 'the one'. Sometimes, roles are reversed, with a woman choosing from among a camp of men, who are equally obsequious in their efforts to 'win' the girl. Again, humiliation is ever-present. Is this reality? In real life, do people shop for a mate like this? No matter. 'Wife Swap' is another most popular TV reality show. Wives and mothers from two disparate family backgrounds, such as a well to do psychologist versus a woman whose family enjoys nothing better than go-carts and paint ball, switch places, with each Mom setting new rules and activities for the other family. This invites conflict and plenty of resentment between the two families. The purported objective is to open up new avenues of family life for both parties. As the two-week stay progresses, tension grows. Most express relief when they finally get to go home. Then there's 'The Nanny', a child-rearing expert. In this TV reality show, the nanny inserts herself into the family life, with all sorts of sage advice about managing children's unruly behavior. This TV reality show is perhaps the mildest of the lot. I don't know about the ratings, but they're probably not as high as the bug-eating show. I admit to watching each of these shows at least once. However, my cynicism remains. TV producers are raking in the viewers, but the contestants, win or lose seem always to be the losers, right on national television. Nonetheless, I believe that TV reality shows will continue to be all the rage for some time to come. One can only wonder what's next. The entertainment value is there. Summary They might be asked to climb into a cylindrical tank of water to retrieve a set of keys, only one of which would open the tank cover before they drowned or cried 'Uncle!' The contestant with the best time went on to continue going for the gold. The ones who had the worst time were sent off home, with sad music, into oblivion, cashless. Related Articles Dancing With The Stars Complete Series Related Sites