I watch about half of them. Those dreadful, embarrassing, addictive Reality TV shows. Like watching a train wreck. Can’t quite avert the eyes.
What can I say? It’s my guilty pleasure. Guiltier for some than others.
And the Reality TV shows I watch? Top Chef and Top Chef Masters? Definitely. I enjoy viewing with my head held high. Millionaire Matchmaker? I watch more often than not, though I generally shake my head and cluck my tongue. Yes, like a little biddy disapproving of ridiculous behavior.
The best Reality TV shows? It’s a matter of taste and expectations, right?
Real Housewives
As for the Real Housewives? You know the answer to that. No, I won’t watch New Jersey (shudder), and only occasionally will I sit still for Atlanta. But Orange County? Yes. Real Housewives of New York? Absolutely.
And what does that say about me, and millions of others?
Last evening I watched the New York Housewives, of course (new episode). And there was one fabulous scene, for the fashion alone. Can you spell short short dresses? I thought Kelly’s was ridiculous, but the others were sensational! Was there skin? Yes. Bodies to bare it? Definitely. Gorgeous design? I think so – even Alex McCord’s provocative style statement. So once again, the mini-fashionista in me got a dose of eye wonder.
But some of the other scenes? And Sunday? Another matter entirely.
The price of fame
Sunday, while I was doing odds and ends around the house, the New York Housewives were humming in the background as Bravo TV was repeating a string of episodes. At one point, a shrill voice sent a chill up my spine, and I stopped. Everything. I turned and focused – truly paying attention – as a particular drama played out. Something clicked. Something I knew, but hadn’t processed.
These are not professional actors. This is heavily edited, but not explicitly scripted.
They are women living their lives – or parts of them – exaggerated, publicly, and with a dozen or more people in the room as “real life” unfolds. Strangers with booms and mikes. Lights, camera, action. Private phone calls placed on speaker. Private emails read aloud for indiscriminate public consumption. Tiffs, tirades, and (hormonal?) roller coasters, all captured on film, replayed on an assortment of devices, blogged, tweeted, manipulated, and mocked. By millions.
We all have a voyeuristic streak, I know. It’s entertainment. I know. And they signed up for it – and for the most part they’re all promoting something – a business, a brand, a book – or all of the above. I understand the reasons. And let’s not discount an extreme need for attention, a not-so-secret desire to act, and no doubt plenty of psychological nuances to keep many a psychiatric couch busy. Still, at what price comes this so-called fame?
Reality TV – Cultural commentary?
No, it isn’t every moment of every day, or every month of the year, apparently. Clearly there are hundreds (thousands?) of hours of footage filmed, then crafted to shape the story. Like I said – it’s entertainment, not documentary.
But I can’t imagine doing it. Living my life in the fishbowl. Not for a Millionaire Matchmaker date scene. And certainly not for a housewife gig. Not for 15 minutes of fame, nor 15 episodes.
What does it say about us that the activities of these non-celebrity celebrities are both “newsworthy” and entertainment? That we mix intelligence (Alex McCord and Bethenny Frankel, for example) – and what I suspect is a higher dose of “reality for the cameras” with the utter immaturity of the likes of the remaining cast members? And newbie Sonja Morgan? What might we expect from this saucy and outspoken breath of fresh air?
On top of everything else, do we secretly love to see the smart girls versus the (apparent) dimwits, fully aware that these are all – in their own way – highly successful women?
Perhaps it’s really the smart girls versus the cagey ones?
- Would you do it?
- Maybe I should ask, under what circumstances would you do it?
- Would you do it for money, for one of your kids?
- What price do you put on your privacy, or that of your family?
- How do you feel these shows reflect on women, and on us?
Images courtesy BravoTV.com
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Funny! The ad that appears for me after this post is for the movie “It’s Complicated.” I saw it on Christmas Day while my children were with their father and his girlfriend. I didn’t enjoy it as I may have if I hadn’t been thinking – not that I would sleep with my ex – that it was too much like real life.
I think we tend to watch these “reality” shows because they are truly not our reality.
Sometimes they’re a hoot. Sometimes they’re embarrassing. I think it may be more complicated than just the dissimilarities with our lives. But I do love the fashions – New York, especially. (Speaking of which – pop over to DWO for the latest in the French Style Series – Lesson Four (Accessories). I know you’ve got signature accessories, Nicki!
I would do Amazing Race. With the Husband (I don’t think anyone else would be willing to be my teammate). The money is a great incentive, but on AR it would really be about the opportunity to visit amazing places and have once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
The only other reality show I *might* consider is Survivor, but truly I don’t think I could handle it. Little food, no toothbrush, no shower, no proper bed. Ugh.
Participer, ce n’est pas pour moi. Ecrire, c’est déjà assez! Je me sens un peu exposée de temps en temps, en mettant mes pensées sous les yeux des autres.
Je vous comprends très bien, chère CT – mais en se servant d’un pseudo, on est un peu plus à l’aise, non ? Cela dit, il y a des gens qui adorent que tout le monde les voient. Ce n’est pas mon truc. Mais pour gagner l’argent, ces jours-ci ? Pour mon fils et un cours pendant l’été ? Je ferais presque n’importe quoi. Les enfants changent tout. Vous allez voir. (Et je vous assure – vous allez voir. 🙂 )
I don’t think I could do it. I really don’t. Too many people formulating opinions about me that probably aren’t accurate, and that I’ll probably have to combat for the rest of my life.
Then there’s the flip side of me that says “Who gives a fuck about those people?”
Hmmm. I guess, then, that it would depend on the money now wouldn’t it?
I agree, Sarah. There is much most of us say we wouldn’t do. And in “reality,” it would depend upon how much money it would take to sway us, and the circumstances that lay beneath that price.
Some days, I feel like I need to be on SuperNanny, but that’s not quite the same, is it?? I don’t think I’d ever be picked for a reality show … I’m too introverted and too much of a conflict-avoider (and I wouldn’t ever be comfortable wearing a short, short dress). But the empathetic announcer/host/commentator? I would totally do that gig.
I think I could do certain shows. Like, the one Oprah did where they had to raise a certain amount of money each week or a helping show like The Bucket List, Intervention, or Undercover Boss where people are turned inside out for a really healthy reason. I’d love to do one of the true-talent shows (Top Chef, Top Design, Top anything really, Project Runway), but I have no talent.
I would not do anything that forced me to check my dignity or integrity at the door. I feel people are too quick to sacrifice their character for 15 minutes of fame.
The film crew would be pretty bored over here, BLW! I guess they’d have to film for a really long time to get enough material. Or they’d have to tag along as I went about my day – getting along with people! Is there any drama in getting along with people? You probably get screened out if you’ve ever had counseling!
Like Stacia, I could definitely use a little help from a professional Nanny show but if anyone routinely saw me being such a pathetic parent and at wit’s end every single day, I don’t think it’d make for good TV!
Très bien, BLW 🙂
About the only reality TV I watch is Survivor. Everything else to me is crap! All the faux drama that is clearly edited into the show, trying to find some semblance of a story. (They do that in Survivor, too.) I prefer a well-crafted fiction story.