Mini Project #1 - Erin Carney

Reality television is sweeping the nation. It is impossible to channel surf, at any given time, without running into some sort of reality show. Some of these shows are about becoming America’s Top ______ (fill in the blank); some are about winning the man or woman of your dreams; a few programs showcase the “talents” of their competitors; and then there are the shows where we aren’t really sure what their purposes are, but we know that they will be filled with drama, so we watch them anyway.

A group of friends were over my house one evening and we were all watching the reality show I Love New York. Since we were already watching a reality show, I decided that it would be appropriate to bring up the question: Are we all just itching to appear on a reality show? My subjects included three of my close friends; Jackie, Katie and Mike. A little background description of my participants would be that they are all very calm people. None of them would do anything out of the ordinary, and I’m pretty sure they are all quite content with their non-celebrity status in life.

Jackie admits that she does enjoy watching reality T.V. shows all of the time, but not because she aspires to be on one. “Participating in a reality show magnifies your life, and makes you the center of attention for everyone that is watching… and then they are able to see how stupid you really are.” She believes that the big reason everyone watches these shows is out of boredom. Jackie’s point of view is that the people on these shows are obnoxious and full of themselves, but this creates great drama, which is the basis for most television shows anyway.

When the first question was directed to my friend Mike, he didn’t think that there were an incredibly large amount of people out there that were interested in appearing on reality shows. Mike believes that the big motivation for those who do take part in the reality craze is the pot of gold awaiting them. He realizes that some people are out there for the exposure, but most of the people involved in these shows are there for the big prize that is promised to them if they make it to the end.

Katie explained that, in her opinion, when it comes to reality television, the people trying out for these shows are only doing it for one reason: to become famous. The example that she used came from the episode of I Love New York that we happened to be watching at the time. Chance and Real, two brothers who were competing for Miss New York’s heart this season, also had a rap album that was referred to several times. Katie explained their quest for exposure as this, “before the show aired, these guys might have had a nice small group of fans. As soon as they hit the T.V. sets of however many million Americans, I’m sure the Stallionaires (the name of their rap group) didn’t have any trouble selling their CDs.”

While talking with my friends, we were all able to agree on the fact that not everyone is seeking to be on a reality show one day. When it comes right down to it, those who are caught up in the whole reality television scene are in it for one of two reasons: to become famous, or to win a lot of money. Those of us who watch the shows are watching them for the sole purpose of entertainment, and we would never want to be portrayed as ridiculously as the folks who appear on reality T.V.