This week's Finish This Sentence Friday installment is: "When it comes to reality TV shows, I ..."
I hate to admit it, but sadly, my response would be "... I'm an addict." In my defense, I am also an insomniac whose brain won't shut off, so the only way I can fall asleep at night is watching TV, preferably something I have seen before or something stupid so my brain will be more likely to tune it out - I'll finally drop off during a commercial at some point. I'll record shows, then pop them in when I go to bed. That accounts for the crazy Jerry Springer type of reality show. As for the contest-style reality shows, I'm all over those and make no apologies for it - especially, of course, the cooking shows.
I guess it all started with The Real World, right? That's the first reality show I remember. I watched for several seasons, but finally grew out of that one somewhere along the line. I eventually realized the only reason I was still tuning in was to see the cool apartments/houses they were set up in. I think the last season I watched might have been New Orleans?? Road Rules followed along after that, but I was never really into that one. For me, what started next was the design shows, like Trading Spaces. I used to love that show! After that came the cooking shows (although actually, I grew up watching Julia Child and The Galloping Gourmet, so they were really first), and now the crazy housewives of America. It took several seasons before I jumped on the housewives train. I finally caved after having so many conversations with people where I was the only one with a blank "what the hell are you talking about" look on my face. Now I'm hooked! I guess they took the place of my old soaps.
Holy cow!! I just did a search for reality shows thinking that I probably watch most of them - not even close! There are so many, I've never even heard of half of them. OK, I'll break down my viewing into categories by priority:
NEVER MISS
- Survivor
- American Idol
- Dancing with the Stars
- Top Chef / Top Chef Masters
- Next Food Network Star
- Next Iron Chef
- Master Chef
- Hell's Kitchen
- So You Think You Can Dance
- Dance Mom's
- Project Runway
- The Apprentice
- Big Brother
- (pseudo) Real Housewives of Wherever
- Amish Mafia (I know, but I can't help it!)
RANDOMLY TUNE IN FOR
- Chopped / Chopped Champions
- The Biggest Loser
- Hoarders
- Extreme Couponing
- Celebrity Rehab
- America's Got Talent
- America's Next Top Model
- The Bachelor / The Bachelorette
- Ink Master
- Kitchen Nightmares
- Sister Wives
- Storage Wars
- Tabitha's Salon Takeover
- The Voice
- Face-Off
USED TO WATCH (Over It)
- Real World
- Extreme Makeover Home Edition (Got tired of crying every week)
- Flip This House
USED TO WATCH (some regularly, some on occasion - no longer on)
- Frontier House / Colonial House (Great PBS Shows)
- Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
- Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
- Marcel's Quantum Kitchen
- Eco-Challenge
- The Casino
- Kathy Griffin - My Life on the D List
- Last Comic Standing
- Monster House
- The Osbornes
- The Rachel Zoe Project
- Amish in the City
- Work of Art: The Next Great Artist
- High School Reunion (Sounded like an interesting concept - not so much)
JUST COULDN'T DO IT (may have seen but had to tune out)
- Breaking Bonaduce
- Here Comes Honey Boo Boo
- The Hills - never saw
- Jersey Shore
- Jon & Kate Plus 8 - never saw
- Keeping Up with the Kardashians (even though they're Armenian - just can't)
- Laguna Beach - never saw
- Teen Mom
I suppose if I was ever forced to pick just one to follow, I'd have to stand by Survivor. I don't tune into PBS regularly, but if they ever re-run Colonial House or their other reality shows, you should definitely check those out. The participants actually live as though they were living at that time, so you see the social structures that were in place, how finances were managed, food, religion, etc. Very interesting! I consider those to be "intelligent" reality shows. Eco-Challenge would be the only other one I would rate that way. Man, I would be exhausted just watching the commercials for Eco-Challenge!
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