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Reality TV, Really?
If the Nineties was the decade of the sitcom, then the Noughties was the one of reality TV. It has been ten years since the show that started it all, Big Brother, first aired. Its original premise was simple: lock a group of strangers in a house together, without any contact with the outside world, and see how they interact with each other. It was a risk, was there much appeal in watching unknowns roam around a house all day? It turned out to be a surprising success. So successful, in fact, that it drew ten million viewers in the finale. But what started out as a social experiment soon escalated into a television freak-show. Big Brother producers plucked as many ‘out-there’ candidates who were radically different from one another and audiences watched with glee as they proceeded to fight, have sex and humiliate themselves.
This dramatic form of television then spawned a torrent of competing reality TV shows. Many were based on trying to find the latest musical superstar and there proved to be great appeal in watching so-called celebrities (that in all honestly haven’t been seen or heard from in years) struggle to grasp a new skill. Thousands upon thousands auditioned, seduced with the tantalising promise of fame and fortune, not realising that it was sink or swim; rise to glory or become a national laughing stock.
Reality tv is compelling viewing, a guilty pleasure that sucks us in and causes us, however unwillingly, to invest our time and interest in someone, whether they are singing, dancing, or modelling. We, as viewers, are introduced to their lives, each week we slowly grow to know their personalities – at least, the ones they project in the show. We cheer for the underdog, slate the wannabes, and are left on the edges of our seats during the eliminations. Yet the phrase ‘reality television’ is almost ironic. What we see onscreen is all down to careful editing in order to produce the most dramatic results, hardly a true representation of what is actually going on. We are manipulated into liking one and loathing another based on the few weekly clips we see. And while appearing on a reality show can make for a better life for many contestants, reality TV has also encouraged the obsession with the celebrity culture. Tabloids and gossip magazines thrive on rumours and scandals involving contestants, launching ordinary men and women somewhat brutally into the spotlight. It is quick-fix fame, they shine for a time and then are just as soon forgotten about, their CDs and exercise DVDs left in the bargain bin. While there are the few odd singers who have become very successful – Leona Lewis being the obvious example – most have one hit debut album and then are never heard from again.
With Big Brother finishing this year, the streams of reality shows, after dominating the most terrestrial channels, are losing steam. Perhaps people are getting tired of the same thing year after year, seeing the same old formula producing Z-list celebs. But with rumours of Simon Cowell taking X-Factor over to America, reality TV’s death is unlikely to come very soon. Until people get bored, it seems as though reality TV is here to stay.