Reality Tv

Amber Ray
Mrs. Walden
LTCA
March 13, 2013
Reality TV

. There are so many different genres of reality TV. Reality TV is a genre of television programs that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations that require no scripts and usually no celebrities. Reality TV is the new wave in television media. If you want to prepare 30 minute meals or see some rich people being very dramatic, all you have to do is tune in and watch reality TV. There is something for every crowd, no matter old or young. It is impossible not to find something that interests you. The main genre of reality TV are talent show, drama, and educational. One genre of reality TV are the talent show programs, for example “The Voice”, “American Idol”, and “So You Think You Can Dance”. They all have the same purpose in the end, which is basically one winner that will receive some sort of reward of money, or a record deal. “American Idol” is a talent show where hundreds, even thousands of contestants are viewed in the actual tryout stage before they partake in challenges to be that one winner. This is a show that allows the viewers to really get to know the contestants as far as where they came from, why they came to the show, and just a summary of each individuals background. As for “The Voice” you don’t really know the contestants because the contestants are prepped before airing and the show focuses on the battle aspect of the competition. Another talent show is “So You Think You Can Dance”, which focuses on dancing rather than singing. It involves contestants competing for the best dancer title. All three talent shows consist of a panel of judges who are celebrities. Another genre of reality TV that sweeps our nations is drama. Drama is an event or series of events having vivid, conflicting elements that capture one’s interest. . The fighting, the vulgar language is what keeps the ratings high and viewers watching. Drama is something viewers love to see. According to “Time Magazine”, “reality TV drama is the best things that ever happened to television in several years. It has given the viewers water-cooler buzz again; it has reminded viewers jaded by sitcoms and dramas why TV can be exciting; and at its best, its teaching TV a new way to tell involving human stories”. A few shows that fall into this genre are “House Wives of Atlanta”, “Big Rich Atlanta”, and “Basketball Wives”. My least favorite out of the three are “Big Rich Atlanta”. Why? Because it focuses on wealthy women of Atlanta (predominately white women) that in my view lack substance because all they do is go shopping, spend money, hang out at the country club, and talk bad about each other. The saddest part is that all the women have kids and the children play a major part of the show and they act just as caddy and vengeful as the moms do. The mothers influence their children to not talk to other children if they don’t act in a certain way they act. In this program none of the women appear to have any jobs and lack work ethic, they just live off their husbands riches. On another note “House Wives of Atlanta” and “Basketball Wives” are two other programs that glorify drama, but definitely don’t lack substance. I love the show incredibly, but I do have my concerns. I admire the fact that every women (black women at that) on each of the two shows have their own business or careers, and no one is hiding behind a man’s wealth. I think its powerful and inspiring to see women doing good, but the downside is the constant drama that both shows depict. The drama amongst women, especially black women acting in such a negative manner, is already strikes against us it makes us. It makes us look very ignorant and non classy. In my opinion it gives critics more negative judgment against women. The fact that entertainment plays a major part in our media world, reality TV is not only entertaining because of the relativity viewers get from it, but because as much as it is entertaining, its informative and educational as well. Educational reality TV shows inform through science in the genre of wildlife; in particular “My Cat from Hell”, “Crocodile Hunter” and “Animal Cops”. “My Cat from Hell” is a reality television program that focuses on cats. It stars Jackson Galaxy, a cat behaviorist who visits the home of cat owners (usually couples) in order to resolve conflict between human owners and their cats or between multiple animals. Jackson teaches the owners how to care for their cats down to the way they are supposed to be held, how to create barriers in the home to divide space into areas which the animals can claim places of their own. Jackson believes he can help any cat problem, provided his human guardians follow the advice he provides. Also, we have “The Crocodile Hunter”, which was a wildlife documentary television series hosted by Steve Irwin which dis[played his unconventional approach to handling crocodiles which lead to his interest in other wildlife. The “Crocodile Hunter” show educated you on crocodile habitats, their origin, and crazy techniques for catching crocodiles as well as other wildlife. Then we have “ Animal Cops”, an observational documentary reality TV series that follows animal officers and investigates reports of animal cruelty and, when necessary, removes animals from horrible abusive situations. They inform you of the rights of animals and information for other care options in case you can no longer take care of the animal. They also work with the county police to press charges against the abuser. To conclude, reality TV is at its peak in the 21st century and I could guarantee it is here to stay, although it has its bad reviews as well as its good ones. There is something for every viewer and several more genres than I have explained here. While our world evolves, so does the evolution of television, so don’t think for a second we will be getting back to our imaginary, comic book world anytime soon. Television is getting smart and allowing “couch potatoes” to actually expand their minds with several informative programs as well as entertaining shows that were never offered before reality TV came about. Embrace it.