Return to Reality

I know it seems I've gone all fancy-pants watching classic films and quality TV shows, but no worries—I still watch plenty of crap. I've been reticent to write about it, however, because, frankly, much of it is losing its appeal. It's not the genre's fault. I'm sure there's plenty of ridiculousness left to be mined. I think it may be my choice of shows.

Bravo has been my main destination for a quick reality fix, but it's become rather stale. There are mainly five types of shows on Bravo: the Real Housewives franchise, spinoffs featuring cast members from Real Housewives, a group of friends with a shared culture/lifestyle (e.g., Princesses of Long Island), a group of young people who work in the same industry/location (e.g., Below Deck), and the competitions (e.g., the Top Chef franchise). Aside from the competition-based shows, most of the Bravo series are filled with frequent full-cast events (dinner parties, product launch parties, work parties, etc.) interspersed with smaller get-togethers in which cast members talk trash behind each other's backs (ensuring a fight at the full-cast events). Which sounds awesome if you're into this kind of thing (which I am), except the stories have gotten so formulaic that there's nothing new or unexpected anymore.

And here's the other problem with Bravo and the other networks that produce reality shows—we've all known for quite a while that these shows aren't exactly real, but now the networks have gotten brazen about scripting and setting up each interaction. As a result, the same celebrity news sites that publish stories about the shows' stars now also post articles about the storylines that were completely faked (for example, see Radar Online). And it isn't only the news sources getting in on the big reveals. Individuals with personal knowledge about reality stars' lives, particularly those with an axe to grind, have taken to personal blogs and Twitter to spin their own versions of certain events. It's become an industry of she said/she said/he said/she said... Ultimately, you end up assuming that none of it is true.

So, am I going to stop watching? Hell no. Despite knowing all that I do about these ridiculous shows, sometimes there's nothing I want more than to immerse myself in nothingness at the end of a long day. Sure, sleep would be smarter, but then how would I have learned these two very unimportant things: 

• Joe Francis isn't just a soft-core porn peddler and exploiter of young women; he's also an asshole to all people regardless of age, gender, sex, or celebrity status. His offensiveness is equal-opportunity, as seen on Couples Therapy (VH1).
• Despite their varied backgrounds and belief systems about art and commerce, all contestants on Project Runway (Lifetime) are willing to smile pleasantly as the show spends increasing amounts of time shilling their sponsors' products during the challenges. (Yes, I'd love to give away Yoplait Frozen Yogurt from a cart and then design clothing based on the tasters' descriptions. Mmm...creamy dress!) No fear of selling out here.

And it doesn't get more real than that! (Well, actually, I guess it does. I'm going to search for some new shows. I will report back soon.)