Reality TV Bytes
I confess. I am a reality-TV junkie. Am currently hooked on The Contender which airs on AXN. The Contender is a show hosted by Sly Stallone (Rocky!) and Sugar Ray Leonard about the search for the next boxing superstah. It follows 16 professional fighters out to make their mark in the world. Cameras record their every move, even following them into their homes. One gets a glimpse of how each decision they make can result in either triumph or heartbreak for each of their families and this is what makes it very involving. The contenders are grouped into two teams, the East and the West, and each episode has one person from one team gearing up for a match against another person from the other team at episode's end. Winners get perks like an entire day spent with George Foreman, an unlimited shopping spree in a custom-tailoring shop, and the like. Last man standing gets a cool million bucks. Losers are sent back home to relative anonymity and to the herculean task of chipping away at the once-again elusive American dream.
The Contender joins Amazing Race, Fear Factor, Survivor, The Apprentice, American Idol, Combat Missions, The Swan, For Love Or Money, America's Next Top Model, Playing It Straight, Average Joe, Pimp My Ride, Temptation Island, Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Mr. Personality and MTV's Real World in my list of shows that, at one time or another, got me clicking on the remote immediately after coming home from work to catch the latest episode. These past years, television has been mercilessly churning out every reality show premise imaginable, from the crass to the totally ridiculous. (I don't think I'll ever want to watch a show entitled, "The Littlest Groom" or "Who Wants To Date A Hooters Girl".) You wonder where the executives behind these series get their ideas yet some of these ideas manage to catch the fancy of their target audience. So sue me, I'm one of them. Maybe I just want validation that there are some people out there who are sillier, meaner, and downright more desperate than myself and the people I know. This has definitely helped me become more appreciative of the things I am blessed with. Given that kind of convoluted reasoning, it ain't that bad, right? =)
The Contender joins Amazing Race, Fear Factor, Survivor, The Apprentice, American Idol, Combat Missions, The Swan, For Love Or Money, America's Next Top Model, Playing It Straight, Average Joe, Pimp My Ride, Temptation Island, Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Mr. Personality and MTV's Real World in my list of shows that, at one time or another, got me clicking on the remote immediately after coming home from work to catch the latest episode. These past years, television has been mercilessly churning out every reality show premise imaginable, from the crass to the totally ridiculous. (I don't think I'll ever want to watch a show entitled, "The Littlest Groom" or "Who Wants To Date A Hooters Girl".) You wonder where the executives behind these series get their ideas yet some of these ideas manage to catch the fancy of their target audience. So sue me, I'm one of them. Maybe I just want validation that there are some people out there who are sillier, meaner, and downright more desperate than myself and the people I know. This has definitely helped me become more appreciative of the things I am blessed with. Given that kind of convoluted reasoning, it ain't that bad, right? =)
Post a Comment
<< Home