I remember the good ol' days when reality TV first hit the scene. People were fascinated by this new genre, although at first it was just an outcropping of what had already been in place. Game shows where people competed for outlandish prizes and talk shows where people were exposed for their good deeds, odd quirks, or outrageous personalities. Still, most people I knew thought the reality TV thing was a phase that would pass. It certainly seemed that way, as soon "Celebrity" editions of popular shows came out, trying desperately to change things up to keep audiences interesting. Still, some of the first shows exist - Survivor and Big Brother, and other shows are always coming and going. Some shows are educational, others are entertaining, and still others are just wrong on so many levels.
This year I have found myself watching some of the shows, despite not having cable and despite not really wanting to. I was just drawn in. But I feel like I could be a great contestant on some of these shows. For other shows, I will have to wait for "special editions" to compete, like:
"America's Next Top Really Really Short Slightly Overweight Kinda Old to Begin a Career Like this and Not All That Attractive to Begin With Model." (also known as "America's Next Top Foot Model" (or hand...or elbow...just not face)
"The Moderate Loser" For those of us who really want to be pushed to lose that extra 10 - 20 pounds
"Dancing With the Regular People."
"Extreme Makeover: Condo Edition" Although I've never seen them demolish a home that is part of a larger block of homes...I don't think I have done anything of merit to qualify for this.
"I Was Smarter than a Fifth Grader when I Was in Fourth Grade."
But I think reality TV should try to do some good in the world, while it is going strong. For instance, instead of all the celebrity editions of everything, these shows should hire people who have been out of work for a long time, to help jump start the economy. Also, some of the TV shows could really serve purposes in psychological research, all they would have to do would be to tweak a few things to make the experiments truly scientific. A show I watched a few times, "Dating in the Dark," claims to be a unique new dating experiment. Well, why not take it up a notch and get some psychology grad students involved in designing the show so that it truly meets the qualifications for an experiment. The same could be said about, "What Would You Do?" This is a great show that puts people in interesting situations and then tests what they would do. It is close to scientific because they change up different variables, one at a time, in order to see if the response changes. Once again, just a few tweaks, and people could write believable research papers on the results. Similar to "Myth Busters," it would be both educational and entertaining, and colleges would benefit from the research funding.
And, of course, the shows could continue the great work they do with charity - shows like Oprah's big giveaway, where people compete to do the most good or like "Extreme Home Makeover." Even normal shows like "American Idol" or "Dancing With the Stars" could incorporate community service - teaching young, at risk, teens how to dance or sing to keep them out of trouble.
And maybe we could get some of the morals back in line with traditional American values, or at least not glorify risky behaviors. Imagine a show about young people choosing to date purely. Or the next episode of the bachelor could (SPOILER ALERT) end with the bachelor rejecting both finalists with a Public Service Announcement type discussion on why we don't enter serious relationships with men who date multiple women at once.
Since reality TV looks like it's here to stay, I just figured these could become incorporated into the genre for the betterment of all Americans.
