7.15.2010

TV Rant #1 aka Reality Real-its-not

"You know me. Hostility makes me shrink up like a- I can't think of a non-sexual metaphor." 


Thought I'd kick off the first few posts with a TV rant about shows on TV that people are familiar with but afraid to admit that they actually like.  Don't worry though, I have more opinions on other shows that actually are quality and ones that I think aren't that are often given more credit than is now due...cough..Family Guy....cough...

Anyway here's the first of hopefully more to come.


Real World Road Rules Challenges (MTV):  Ok, I’ll definitely admit it.  These are dirty pleasures.  It’s trash reality TV and I don’t claim to think it’s anything more serious.  But its o-so-amusing at the same time.  A reality show where participants openly plan, cavort, and backstab other contestants with no compunction that its anything else.  That’s the redeeming factor for me.  Throw in the random drunken moments and obscured nudity and scandalous hookup opportunities and we’ve got ourselves a classic representation of American culture on TV all in one spot.  Many of the contestants are “gamers” who know that they’re there for the money and the money alone and they’re willing to do whatever it takes.  Alliances are early and often changing with tide.

The slight problem I have with other reality competitions is that the contestants often are taken aback when other teams want to win and receive the prize and don’t always consider the welfare of those around them first like Survivor or Amazing Race.  I mean, going on a show, based solely on winning is the only way to get the prize, and people don’t realize that others are going not play nice.  My new term of “fakeality”  describes this best.  It’s like if you’ve ever seen The Apprentice and “the board room” scenes.  Here’s a typical sequence
Pre-winner determination meeting:
Overacting Headguy:  How was did everyone do this week?  Any weak links?
Group tool Leader #1/teammates:  Everyone did super duper this week.  I’d have a hard time with anyone being the weak link.
Group #2:  Ditto.  We all love each other because everyone gets along all the time and there are never any conflicts.


Post meeting (with losing team)

Losing Team member #1:  Teammate #2 is a (insert negative adjective) person.
Losing Team member #2:  Well, teammate #1 just ____________ and doesn’t like me at all.  I deny everything that camera showed was true about what they just said. 
Losing Team member #3:  Everyone else was a moron.  I would now like throw them under the bus and then have the bus stop and back up over them again if I can now.


With this show at least, there’s a lot less fake pretense of no backstabbing or under-the-bus throwing.  By the end of the first five minutes we all know that Macho man #1 (i.e. Kenny) and #2 (i.e.Wes) really don’t like each other, Evan is a schemer, and (insert random person) is a badass.  I will say though, on a more specific note, that the most recent iteration of the Challenge produced, Fresh Meat, is by far my least favorite.  The elimination challenges are so much more interesting and fun to watch when we see the contestants wrestling one another over a baton or putting together ridiculous puzzles instead of a race to see who can climb faster to the top of a mountain with a bar, two buckets and some weight. 


That…and there are some pretty hot girls sometimes.


And don't even get me started on that "the Hills/City" crap.  I mean...if it was scripted....that was the best they could come up with?  Really?  And yeah, I bet that girl what-ever-her-face-was really enjoyed "acting" like a ditz.  I bet it wasn't a stretch or the truth in real life at all....mmm hmmm..I bet.

7 comments:

  1. Reality shows are definitely ridiculous in this way. It's as if people think it's entertaining to pretend to forget that they are actually COMPETING for a prize. Of course people are going to be deceitful and conniving and will strategize to no end!

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  3. Yeah, 'reality t.v.' needs a new name. Most reality t.v. shows certainly have nothing to do with reality-not at this point at least...
    Oh, and thanks for entering my contest, Topher! The winner will be announced tomorrow.
    p.s. I don't like Family Guy that much, but I have to admit that I kind of like American Dad. The alien does it for me (smile).

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