REALITY SHOWS

OK people. Whether it is America's Next Top Model, Dancing with the Stars, The Chef Jeff Project to Life in the Fab Lane and (dare I admit it) Flava of Love, I have yet to meet one person who has not been bitten by the reality show bug.......and judging from the variety of reality shows, it seems like everyone has a favorite. But why do we (or more namely I) like reality shows so much? I think it is, first of all because, everyone likes a human train wreck. Let's face it.........often times reality shows are a study in what human beings can and will do placed in bad or stressful situations. It is like a free psych lab. We also love suspense........ the thrill of finding out who won, who got kicked out and how they reacted.But even worse and I dare to admit it, in a world where information and stress is coming at you constantly, the reality shows sometimes give you what you want when you are tired and don't want to think. A quick cheap thrill.

I only realized this when I began timing reality shows to start watching them about 7 minutes before they are done just to see the train wreck and not the story.This especially happens with reality shows on VH1 and MTV. I don't know if it is because I am just a thrill seeker or maybe it is because the concept of shows on those channels are tending to become repetitive but that is what I am doing. I am beginning to go for reality shows with a bit more of a storyline like The Chef Jeff Project or Ace of Cakes.

So what am I going to do about my addiction to reality shows? Will I improve my low-brow TV viewing habits?I'll tell you later after I watch the episode of Dancing with the Stars that I missed.