Reality T.V. supposedly takes the television audience into a selected environment where the audience can voyeurishly and vicarious experience someone else's reality. Today some version of Reality Television, dominates the medium.
Although some form of Reality T.V. had been around, at least since the 1970's, it never dominated programming the way it does today. Ironically, the 2007-2008 Writer's Strike by 12,000 members of the WGA (Writers Guild of America) in Hollywood and New York, may have expedited the transition by non-union writers who introduced the new programming format, which became Reality Television.
I think it permanently changed the content of T.V. in ways no one could have expected. Meanwhile, I also suspect that none of the 'actors' on Reality T.V., however popular, are paid the 5 figure salaries actors of Sitcoms used to earn, per episode.
Some shows such as The Osbourne's and Gene Simmon's Family Jewels sought to depict the daily lives of the Osbourne and Simmons families. Some members of these families have successfully gone on to other careers in television. Another version of the genre places the participating cast in a remote location or a mansion somewhere isolated from the rest of the world, where usually they attempt to 'win' a spouse, a game, some challenge or a monetary prize.
A very popular group of productions, ostensibly offer a tantalizing glimpse of wealthy or famous people, either supposedly living their glamorous lives or facing some group challenge for charity. Most, but not all of them, seek to gradually eliminate the competition and have a grand finale in which the final two face off and a winner is declared.
In general, the format used presents episodes of each series which are written but not scripted. The 'cast' interact with each other throughout a series season.
After a segment is shown, a commentary by one or another of the cast on some aspect of the show is staged, with, for example a room in the house in the background. The commentary is usually presented in a way that reflects well upon the person speaking. Many have been accused of using whatever means they can to increase their own time on camera. Rarely, does an 'actor' miss an opportunity to promote his/her pet project, product or service.
That shows such as The Real Housewives for example are experiencing great success is obvious when we look at the spin offs that have resulted. For example: Real Housewives of Orange County began in 2006 following the great success of the drama series Desperate Housewives.(2004-2012). The Orange County group was followed by Atlanta and New York in 2008, Beverly Hills and D.C. in 2010 with offshoots such as Athens, Brazil and Vancouver in 2011, France in 2013 and Australia upcoming. Obviously there is a market for some or perhaps almost all of these and their offshoots. Some 'housewives' have gone on to their own shows, others appear on such programs as Celebrity Apprentice, Dancing with the Stars etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_Housewives
However popular any of these individual offerings are, or how renowned/notorious their 'actors' become; any resemblance to what a normal person would call reality, would probably be accidental.
In the above mentioned Real Housewives series, most of the woman could easily be considered 'Trophy Wives'. The clothes, the squabbling, the focus on one participant or another as a troublemaker, seems to be part of the formula. These are 'Material Girls' and what we see are a lot of material possessions. High Maintenance hardly begins to describe them. They are definitely not The Millionaire Next Door.
Many of these 'Real Housewives' are also filmed at social and charity events in their 'normal lives' in whatever city they live in. The squabbles and pettiness between the housewives of each series, continues whenever they meet others of the group. Earnest discussions and gossip about what one person said to the other, continues ad infinitum.
We soon sense that most of these are not happy people. Their wealth and privilege does not make them immune from hardship, particularly when a child is unwell, disabled or injured. One family last year experienced a tragic suicide.
Strangely, their wannabee successors are out there in large numbers. Each episode of a show called Millionaire Matchmaker, offers Millionaires (usually men) a bunch of Women very interested in meeting them.
Personally I do not react positively to the people portrayed in Reality Shows since I do not find the way they behave toward each other admirable. Their relationship to money must be singular. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous indeed. Their marriages must be another thing altogether from what most of us could imagine or endure.
Mercifully, most of their children and their spouses are not involved in the filming. That the couples off camera lives are effected is evident because, almost each group has one or more divorces by the time the season ends.
Usually however, 'Real life' and Reality T.V., do not coincide much. One recent exception however, was a feud by one of the cast of the Real Housewives of Vancouver, who publicly blamed recent vandalism of her clothing store on one of the shows cast members who she vilifies hysterically and most viciously in on film whenever they meet.
Who's 'Reality' any of these women (and men) represent is a mystery to me. No one I know, no one I want to know either.
No comments:
Post a Comment