Twenty years ago, the only reality show you could find on television was MTV’s “The Real World,” which was created as a relatable TV show for people to enjoy. Now, more MTV viewers look forward to “Jersey Shore” every week than they do the latest installment of “The Real World.” Different from the original intentions of reality television, “Jersey Shore” showcases the most absurd reality MTV could find.
From guidos to housewives to Kardashians, almost every channel features its own type of reality programing, with each show becoming more absurd than the last. Despite this fact, millions of viewers, including myself, tune in every week to watch all of these TV shows.
While the shows bring in big bucks for the television stations – and big laughs for the viewers – I can only see downsides for many of the people who choose to live their lives out for the cameras.
Take the Kardashians, for instance. Their show, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” has brought family fame and fortune beyond their wildest dreams. The show has also changed most of the family, and probably not for the better. From what they show on television – and I realize this is a very loose interpretation of reality – the Kardashians from the first season wouldn’t even recognize the ones from the latest.
Scott Disick, famously known for his suits and that cane, walks around in shorts and T-shirts during the first season. Kim has slowly become more superficial as the seasons go on, starting season two by demanding the best hotel room in Miami or else threatening not to make her appearance. In season one, they lived in a semi-modest house and ate family dinners every week. In season six, Kourtney can’t even get her family together for a game night.
For the Kardashians, more money than they could ever spend seems to be worth losing their family over. On the opposite end of the spectrum, for many of the housewives from Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County” and its many spinoff shows, losing all of their money and their families seems like a fair trade for being television celebrities.
Both the original show and all of its spinoffs have ended badly for the housewives, with at least one woman from each show falling into bankruptcy or getting a divorce (or both). While neither of these are endings you want to see for anyone, this season of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” ends in the biggest tragedy of them all: housewife Taylor Armstrong’s estranged husband, Russell Armstrong, was found dead in his bathroom of a suicide in August.
Instead of cancelling this season of the show, Bravo decided to continue production of the second season, which is airing now. Watching the season, knowing what is coming, is especially difficult, because every episode is riddled with the ladies insulting Armstrong and speaking of his abuse.
While some could easily argue the benefits of the money over dignity or even the money over family, someone’s life is never worth the money. In my opinion, the destruction of these people’s lives should be reason enough to take these shows off the air. These shows are meant for people’s enjoyment, but when the reality show puts too much of these characters’ reality into the show, it’s just not worth the laughs anymore.
