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Analysis of Reality Television

            Reality TV has been around for a long time and doesn’t appear to be going away. According to Reality TV magazine (2011), there are over 200 reality shows on the air and more are up and coming all the time. What makes these shows so popular? I believe The American Myth of Success plays a big role in the success of reality TV.

            Reality TV stars are average Joes with no special or unique talents and no acting experience. The general audience is able to relate to these types of programs because they could possibly see themselves being on one of the shows. With no experience necessary, anyone who is willing to live their life on the TV screens can be on a reality show. The fact that some of these reality stars do profit monetarily and gain added fame after the airing of the show leaves the viewers thinking they can be a person of interest on one of these programs.

            Some of the most interesting things I found were the formulas used in the reality shows. They all seem to follow the same setup with the same ingredients. Although reality TV is entertaining as is, I would like to see some of these reality shows change up the theme. Some of the shows are so repetitive that they become predictable and not as enjoyable to watch. Other things I learned was how popular reality TV is. Reality TV is being aired all over the world and most programs are stemmed from shows produced and aired in Britain. It was interesting to see the trends of pop culture spreading around the world.

            I don’t really think I will view reality TV any different than I did in the past. I like watching real-life situations unfold on TV and the suspense of it all from one week to another. One disappointment I did find was that some of the shows are somewhat scripted and there is a lot of editing done before they go on air. All in all, I will continue to be a fan and tune in every week to my favorite programs.