Crazy Formulas in Reality TV

Crazy Formulas in Reality TV

There is no doubt that Reality TV has become a pop culture icon, but is there a formula that helps to explain the vast success of this conglomerate?  When looking at the most successful shows, I think you will find a common blueprint for their success which is really not that crazy after all.  It would be too obvious to review the formulas associated with the contests of reality TV so instead I have chosen to focus on the reality or lifestyle genre.  You will find from the Jersey Shore to the Real Housewives Series to the Kardashians, that each have a few things in common. 

First, whenever alcohol is involved, things get intense and there is almost always some type of a brawl resulting.  Alcohol seems to equal heat which equals action, and the more action the more we love it.  The reality of why we watch may be that misery loves company, or perhaps it is nice to see the other side of the tracks do the same dumb things as we do.  Or maybe we just love to see others fail because the guilty pleasure is it makes us feel better.

There is also an aspect of feeling as though you are part of the inner circle, a voyeur if you will, peaking in, through the lens of a camera with your "own eyes".  We are after all looking at these celebrities in their homes, living rooms, kitchens and even bathrooms every once in a while.  How else can you explain why we choose to watch shows where watching them in their bathroom is considered entertainment?  It as to be we fell a sense of an emotional connection to us that makes us feel like they could be in the room right next to us.  This false sense of an actual relationship enhances the emotion, and helps to explain the success of such a simple concept that in truth portrays not allot of talent, and nothing more than what we might see in our own homes; same situations, just different people. 

Finally, we love to see a good fight.  Whether it is verbal exchange of insults or more of a physical attack including the occasional hair pulling, we cannot resist.  I find myself a little ashamed, thinking how can I be watching this and yet, I cannot turn the channel or turn away.  And then, I remember what it’s all about.  Reality TV may not be good stuff, it just makes us feel good, and we feel part of the in-crowd since we could just as easily be there as they are.  Maybe it enhances the feeling that we are special too just like they appear to be, because we all know someone who has at one time acted equally as stupid and it is therefore relateable to us. 

In the end, we aren’t hurting the stars, we shouldn’t be hurting ourselves, and if it helps us to escape our sometimes crazy lives and helps us to recoup so that tomorrow we can hit the grind another day, well what is so bad about that?  I say nothing at all, and bring on all the crazy reality you got.