The early days of BB up to about series 5, when it had a cross-section of "genuine" people you could actually imagine meeting in real life, were great. Nowadays it's full of meejah wannabes who are all far too "knowing" about the format and who are just out to be "famous for being famous"
That's exactly why it is on the wane, in my opinion, the participants and the viewers of reality TV are now "in on the game" so it's lost its appeal now. The jig is up and it really shows on most popular reality shows as producers desperately try to engineer drama between the participants.
I still think it will be around for a while (it still has an audience and it's cheap to produce) but I think the height of its popularity was around 2008-2012 (Jersey/Geordie Shore, Made In Chelsea, TOWIE, X Factor, Real Housewives, Kardashians etc).
Reality TV has become very popular over the past decade with shows such as "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here", "Big Brother" and "The Apprentice" attracting big audiences and making a lot of money for broadcasters worldwide.
I won't give an explanation as to what reality tv is but it is often a hot topic as proponents believe it paints an unrealistic and inappropriate view and is therefore bad for our society and the children that make up the majority of the audience. They call for a cut in the number of hours given over to reality programmes, or even to ban them completely. Opponents meanwhile maintain that people should be allowed to watch what they like, and that reality programmes make good TV, as shown by consistently high viewer figures.
Some believe it can create bad examples to society, it isn't really educational, make people think this is a way to long term fame and make other genres of tv resort to becoming more "sensational" to be relevant and new drama is reduced to lack of prime time space.
What do reckon, if you like this genre of TV tell us what your favourite one is or has been and defend it or rip it to threads? Pun intended
I have to say I was a big, Big Brother fan in the C4 days!
The shows you mention aren't really reality shows. They are game shows with celebrities, or people wanting to be celebrities, or with a prize at stake. It's a subtle but important difference.
The reality of a reality show is a fly on the wall sort of thing. Big Brother fitted that description when it first started 16 years ago, and I was glued to it. Now it is full of wannabes and dysfunctional bizarreos wanting to be famous.
I would argue that the Jaywick Benefits on Sea is the nearest thing we have to a reality show. Also the old Kim & Aggie, mucky houses, hoarders. That's reality.
The early days of BB up to about series 5, when it had a cross-section of "genuine" people you could actually imagine meeting in real life, were great. Nowadays it's full of meejah wannabes who are all far too "knowing" about the format and who are just out to be "famous for being famous"
Series 6 was when the decline set in. They had the most obnoxious folks. As for other shows I stopped watching IAC for a fair few years as I was bored with it. Picked it up again last couple of years. Gave up on XF after series 3. Total manipulation and the god like status given to Simon Cowell annoying. Never watched a single minute of BGT. Apprentice OK but it's a shell of what it originally was. Almost a parody. SCD has stood the test of time the best but I even got tired of that last year. The obsession with one participant was just ridiculous.
People tend to classify talent shows as reality TV.
I think this was probably because they originally wanted to buy into the reality TV boom and caught a ride along with it.
So even if reality TV fades I think there'll always be a place for talent shows.
The myth is 18th Century Freak Shows use to cut the vocals of an infant and throw that child in with a mother wolf. The wolf sometimes took to the child and semi raised it. However, the Feral Wolf Child was a 'scripted reality' and a big draw for the circus Freak Show.
MTV ''shores'' are the modern Freak Shows with their own type of spectators. There are also lesser Freak Shows and some may say worse. The point is so long as people are curious about Freak Shows they will remain, either on TV in some tent or club. However, the formats to these shows tend to change over time.
I agree with the poster who points out that not all reality shows are Freak Shows. Some have their basis on information sharing and/or talent rather than the 'shock and awe'.
Once people are no longer 'freaked' they move on. A lot of money is made out of 'freaking' people and both in the past and present day 'reality stars' make money on this primitive emotion.
Comments
That's exactly why it is on the wane, in my opinion, the participants and the viewers of reality TV are now "in on the game" so it's lost its appeal now. The jig is up and it really shows on most popular reality shows as producers desperately try to engineer drama between the participants.
I still think it will be around for a while (it still has an audience and it's cheap to produce) but I think the height of its popularity was around 2008-2012 (Jersey/Geordie Shore, Made In Chelsea, TOWIE, X Factor, Real Housewives, Kardashians etc).
The shows you mention aren't really reality shows. They are game shows with celebrities, or people wanting to be celebrities, or with a prize at stake. It's a subtle but important difference.
The reality of a reality show
I would argue that the Jaywick Benefits on Sea is the nearest thing we have to a reality show. Also the old Kim & Aggie, mucky houses, hoarders. That's reality.
And personally, I am sick of them all.
Series 6 was when the decline set in. They had the most obnoxious folks. As for other shows I stopped watching IAC for a fair few years as I was bored with it. Picked it up again last couple of years. Gave up on XF after series 3. Total manipulation and the god like status given to Simon Cowell annoying. Never watched a single minute of BGT. Apprentice OK but it's a shell of what it originally was. Almost a parody. SCD has stood the test of time the best but I even got tired of that last year. The obsession with one participant was just ridiculous.
Yes it's dying but it'll take time to withering.
I think this was probably because they originally wanted to buy into the reality TV boom and caught a ride along with it.
So even if reality TV fades I think there'll always be a place for talent shows.
This is what I was about to say, manipulation isn't the same as real drama. Making it safer and cheaper takes the excitement out of it.
Jay?
MTV ''shores'' are the modern Freak Shows with their own type of spectators. There are also lesser Freak Shows and some may say worse. The point is so long as people are curious about Freak Shows they will remain, either on TV in some tent or club. However, the formats to these shows tend to change over time.
I agree with the poster who points out that not all reality shows are Freak Shows. Some have their basis on information sharing and/or talent rather than the 'shock and awe'.
Once people are no longer 'freaked' they move on. A lot of money is made out of 'freaking' people and both in the past and present day 'reality stars' make money on this primitive emotion.
Surely that was Pete. ....