Why Reality TV Works

These past few years have seen a boom in reality TV shows. Those of us old enough remember the novelty of The Real World, Road Rules, and other soft versions of reality TV. Those semi-scripted, terribly contrived scenarios had many of us tuning in weekly. Our interest in these shows has spawned a whole new level of the genre. It is almost impossible to remember a time when every channel did not have several of these programs to choose from.

This begs the question, why do people care? What is the interest? Truthfully, we humans have always craved drama. To watch the spectacle of what happens to others.

You see, until very recently, executions were public affairs. Very public. From hangings to beheadings, people gathered by the hundreds if not the thousands. Simply for the horrific entertainment of watching someone die. People would line up to watch a firing squad. They would sit on river banks to watch soldiers shoot each other while picnicking in relative safety from the other side of the water. The gun fights of the Wild West. The burning of witches. The games of the great Coliseum. Hell, you could even buy a beard to go to a stoning. Look at any culture in any time period and one is likely to find some kind of judicial public affair.

Currently, our culture does not have an outlet for our seemingly insatiable thirst for this kind of exhibitionism. Until Reality TV came along. It is no accident that shows like Fear Factor and Survivor hold our attention. People do disgusting things, and we love it. I suspect many of us who have never watched or even heard of Jon and Kate Plus 8 will be tuning in to see if all the hype has been worth the press. Neither have I any doubt that if our executions were open to the public that people would come in droves to watch someone throw that switch.

Instead, we substitute with the next best thing: Reality TV. People line up by the thousands to participate, and there seems to be no end in sight. Watching people makes asses of themselves has taken the place of the court jester. Watching the humiliation of talent judges tearing down dreams has replaced the gladiators and their armor. Watching Japanese men and women get the shit knocked out of them to the sound of cheerful game show banter has temporarily filled the place of the actual violence whatever fill-in-the-blank activity we would be watching if we were living five hundreds years ago.

Until the next level of exhibitionist entertainment comes along, I fear we are stuck with Reality TV. Producers continually push the edge of these programs, and I don't know whether I am excited or scared to find out. And therein lies the hook.