The Reality I like

14 January 2007

Reality TV.  Do you love it, or love to hate it?  Our screens have exploded with Big Brother, Australian Idol (based on the American Idol), The Bachelor/ The Bachelorette, Survivor and Dancing With The Stars - to name but a few.

Basically they are all competitions about whose personality and/or ability can win them the prize of whatever the game is about.  It can be pretty engaging stuff.  Great when an average Jo, whose talent was previously untapped, becomes a superstar (like in Australian Idol) through skill, hard work and the 'x' factor.  Positively c r i n g e material when you see people fall apart in front of your eyes because the stress, or whatever, is too much for them.  That's the reality I hate to watch.

Enter - a new breed of reality TV like The Iron Chef, and the current hot favourite; So You Think You Can Dance?  That's the reality I like.

The players are not your average Jo off the street or have been totally thrown into the deep end.  These shows are more like sporting competitions with a twist.  The participants have professional grounding (say, in dancing and performance) but are just asked to step outside their comfort zones (like to try another dance style).  I can handle that.  Sure there is the drama that we have come to expect from reality TV, but at least you know that the participants have a lot of experience in this field and the chances of them falling to pieces in front of the camera and really embarrassing themselves are slim.

Do I mind people getting emotional, doing embarrassing things and learning from their mistakes - no.

Do I mind this happening in a really artificial environment, and being aired to thousands (maybe millions) of viewers - yes.

So, if the reality is about really competent people in their field competing against one another; then bring it on!!  But if it's about seeing someone publicly degraded, crushed and embarrassed; then I'll be reaching for the controls.

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