Reality TV as we know it…
Ah the summer has started - no, it’s not the torrential rain that’s told me that, it’s Big Brother back on our screens! Rachel announced to me yesterday that she wouldn’t be watching this year, and is going to read intellectual books and possibly learn to knit or something worthy like that instead. Me however, I have no such pretensions and having managed to clear my anti-Big Brother watching housemates out on Wednesday night, settled down to watch the latest bunch of housemates begin their incarceration.
It’s series 8 now, ugh – as much as I enjoy watching it (although I draw the line at being called a fan – and yes I read intellectual books too, ooh I’m such a snob) I’m still pretty amazed that it’s still going strong and has apparently been a prime-time hit in almost 70 different countries!
Reality TV as we know it is generally thought to have begun way back in 1948 with Candid Camera, where ordinary Joes going about their every day lives were put into unusual situations, usually involving some sort of silly trick being played on them, and then their reaction filmed. When the joke was revealed they were told to ‘smile, you’re on candid camera’!
Now reality TV shows are ten a penny and getting more ridiculous by the day. One of my favourites that I found out about recently was ‘Who wants to be a superhero’, where regular Americans are turned into Superheroes! No, this isn’t some strange twisted genetic engineering reality TV – contestants have to make their own costumes and convince us of their super powers (which ranged from issuing “concussive horse blasts” (?!) to doughnut powered flying), all to win the prize of having their character star in a comic book and have an original movie air on the Sci Fi channel – I suppose that’s a pretty good prize if you’re into that sort of thing.
American TV has produced some other gems, such as “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire”, where 50 women competed to be the bride of an unknown multi millionaire. Sadly this didn’t produce a beautiful romance, in fact after the honeymoon the millionaire wife sought an annulment as her hubbie had ‘misrepresented’ himself – partly due to him not being a millionaire real estate investor as promised and also the numerous restraining orders dotted about in his past. Oh. Ms. Millionaire also said that the show ‘went against her morals’ and that she used the trip to get a free trip to
In another case of misrepresentation, we have Joe Millionaire, where a ‘millionaire’ is searching for a bride. But oh no, there’s a trick in there! Joe M isn’t a millionaire after all, he’s a penniless construction worker. After all other contestants have been eliminated the secret is revealed to the last remaining woman. There’s some morals for ya – did she still love him when his wallet wasn’t so bulging? The happy couple didn’t manage to stay together after the show (although they did get half a million dollars each), and one of the disappointed contestants filed a civil suit against the show’s production company, who she claimed had intentionally and maliciously deceived her with the lure of Evan’s alleged wealth. So I think we know where her morals lay.
Dating shows seem to give rise to the craziest ideas, such as ‘Date my Mom’ where a lucky man goes on three dates with three mums to work out which of their daughters he would fancy. Hmm… I love my mum, but…
However, the bad reality TV doesn’t just stop in
So sit back, enjoy Big Brother (if you’re in to that sort of thing, otherwise enjoy your intellectual books) and watch out for the concussive horse blasts. I’ll leave you with this great quote from The Observer: “Reality television is not the end of civilisation as we know it; it is civilisation as we know it”. Discuss…