Why do people watch reality TV?

AMKC

Really are peoples life's that sad that they have nothing better to do than watch that crap. We are in the golden age of TV. There is loads of great TV out there to watch loads of great shows. So why waste your time watching some z list so called celebrity or a nobody doing feck all on a cheap reality show just so they can get 15 seconds of fame. I for one can't stand these shows and certainly do not have time to waste watching them. I don't even have the time to watch all the great shows I want to watch but the time I do have I prefer to either be watching a good show on the TV or a good film at home or in the cinema.

I love Dancing With the Stars and The Amazing Race. Love them.

My brains aren't that precious or special that I can't switch them off and enjoy something for what it is every now and then.

Autochange

AMKC wrote: »

Really are peoples life's that sad that they have nothing better to do than watch that crap. We are in the golden age of TV. There is loads of great TV out there to watch loads of great shows. So why waste your time watching some z list so called celebrity or a nobody doing feck all on a cheap reality show just so they can get 15 seconds of fame. I for one can't stand these shows and certainly do not have time to waste watching them. I don't even have the time to watch all the great shows I want to watch but the time I do have I prefer to either be watching a good show on the TV or a good film at home or in the cinema.

People commenting while watching people on tv comment about what they are watching on tv.

Gogglebox sh1t

Top Gear
PM's Q's
6 o'clock news
Current Affairs programs
University Challenge
Documentaries
Cookery shows etc, etc,

All also reality shows.

There's a vast gulf between the best and the worst, a single judgement doesn't apply to them all.

Canis Lupus

I hate the X Factor and The Voice. If I could be granted a wish I'd ask them to be removed from tv. Crime against music the entire lot of it. I'd cover it with petrol and burn it down with all the 'singers' and judges still inside. Or maybe not.... that might be too drastic.

But to answer you question because it's easy tv. It easy to make it's easy to consume and people like to cast judgement on others/celebs from the comfort of their couch. Sure we now have Gogglebox where we watch people watching telly.

Canis Lupus

Candie wrote: »

Top Gear
PM's Q's
6 o'clock news
Current Affairs programs
University Challenge
Documentaries
Cookery shows etc, etc,

All also reality shows.

There's a vast gulf between the best and the worst, a single judgement doesn't apply to them all.

I think we all know what the phrase 'reality show' means. Ain't no one going to call University this show makes me feel stupid Challenge a reality show.

retro:electro

Realty tv? Me? Nope never. Don't touch the stuff..........

Odhinn

AMKC wrote: »

Really are peoples life's that sad that they have nothing better to do than watch that crap. We are in the golden age of TV. There is loads of great TV out there to watch loads of great shows. So why waste your time watching some z list so called celebrity or a nobody doing feck all on a cheap reality show just so they can get 15 seconds of fame. I for one can't stand these shows and certainly do not have time to waste watching them. I don't even have the time to watch all the great shows I want to watch but the time I do have I prefer to either be watching a good show on the TV or a good film at home or in the cinema.

Few examples of the shows would be good.

freshpopcorn

The simple answer is everybody has their own likes and dislikes. Some of these great programs I hear about can be rubbish in my opinion!

People like their guilty little pleasures. Not everything you do, read, watch or think has to be highbrow mind-expanding stuff. Sometimes you can have a challenging day at work and just want to relax in front of something you don't have to pay acute attention to and can just let yourself be entertained by without effort.

Everything has it's place. In the case of the Kardashians, that place is in the bin, but not all reality tv is that vacuous.

ToddyDoody

Did you see what yer wan said to yer man?!?! Type of general interest.

GMSA

It's all scripted. The American shows are the worst. Even the documentary type shows are like watching amateur role playing.

Church on Tuesday

It's like watching a really bad brainless action flick; it requires no real thought, you can leave your brain at the door.

Everybody has their own way of switching off, and seeing as reality TV is often portrayed in a glossy format and most people are, for some reason, obsessed with celebrity culture(or the chance to be one) it has a large market. Good cash cow too.

I despise reality TV, but I wouldn't look down on someone if they want to watch it, to each their own.

Arghus

Because it entertains them.

iamwhoiam

AMKC wrote: »

Really are peoples life's that sad that they have nothing better to do than watch that crap. We are in the golden age of TV. There is loads of great TV out there to watch loads of great shows. So why waste your time watching some z list so called celebrity or a nobody doing feck all on a cheap reality show just so they can get 15 seconds of fame. I for one can't stand these shows and certainly do not have time to waste watching them. I don't even have the time to watch all the great shows I want to watch but the time I do have I prefer to either be watching a good show on the TV or a good film at home or in the cinema.

Because we are all different and not all of us like what you like .Personally I would prefer to converse with someone who realises this and is open to all tastes and to accept others tastes

AMKC

Some fair points made. I don,t have a problem with someone else wanting to watch them they just don,t appeal to me that's all.

Ones like X factor, The Voice, gogglebox and I am a celebrity they are just terrible.

I do watch like Top Gear do but I class that as an entertainment show not a reality show.

Odhinn

AMKC wrote: »

Some fair points made. I don,t have a problem with someone else wanting to watch them they just don,t appeal to me that's all.

Ones like X factor, The Voice, gogglebox and I am a celebrity they are just terrible.

I do watch like Top Gear do but I class that as an entertainment show not a reality show.

A lot of the american ones that in theory aren't scripted are. I gave up on Bering sea gold after it became too obvious.

retro:electro

AMKC wrote: »

Some fair points made. I don,t have a problem with someone else wanting to watch them they just don,t appeal to me that's all.

Ones like X factor, The Voice, gogglebox and I am a celebrity they are just terrible.

I do watch like Top Gear do but I class that as an entertainment show not a reality show.

I mainly watch them to participate in the forum chat here on boards. Some of the best threads I've ever been a part of are in the reality tv forum. Serious craic.

murpho999

AMKC wrote: »

Some fair points made. I don,t have a problem with someone else wanting to watch them they just don,t appeal to me that's all.

Ones like X factor, The Voice, gogglebox and I am a celebrity they are just terrible.

I do watch like Top Gear do but I class that as an entertainment show not a reality show.

Gobblebox is good stuff and shows how people react to tv.

shoegal1

I always say WTF when 'Naked and Afraid' comes on telly. I mean like WTF why? Also I don't get eating the gross **** on 'I'm a celeb'. Is it really real do ya think?

AMKC

AMKC wrote: »

Some fair points made. I don,t have a problem with someone else wanting to watch them they just don,t appeal to me that's all.

Ones like X factor, The Voice, gogglebox and I am a celebrity they are just terrible.

I do watch like Top Gear do but I class that as an entertainment show not a reality show.

Some of them are utter rubbish, but even that serves a purpose. That's why it's not fair to say peoples lives must be sad if they watch reality tv. It's just entertainment, it's not a real reflection of a persons intelligence or the quality of their life. We all need a little brainless downtime now and then.

EPAndlee

I don't mind I'm a celebrity or x factor but MTV is the worst for it. Teenagers and people in their early 20's worshipping these nobodies

dok_golf

Canis Lupus wrote: »

I think we all know what the phrase 'reality show' means. Ain't no one going to call University this show makes me feel stupid Challenge a reality show.

"No one will call.........."

Carry on!

MadYaker

I always find it so brainless that it annoys me. Yet some of my friends who are far more intellegent than me can't get enough of it.

BurnUp78

I honestly find the ones on discovery/history channel the worst because they are presented as real but are obviously heavily staged/scripted. I hated flicking onto nat geo wild and instead of a lion documentary they show ****e like fish tank kings.

shoegal1

shoegal1 wrote: »

I always say WTF when 'Naked and Afraid' comes on telly. I mean like WTF why? Also I don't get eating the gross **** on 'I'm a celeb'. Is it really real do ya think?

Not so much that show, but I love lots of survivalist shows. The best one is Alone, love that one. Survivorman is excellent too.

s4uv3

I'm extremely stressed lately and my head is mangled. Stuff like gogglebox gives me a nice little 30 minutes out of my own thoughts for a wee while.

Junkyard Tom

Used to enjoy watching 'Deadliest Catch' - I think it was fairly close to 'reality' TV. It all went downhill from there though. Good drama is now the closest approximation of reality TV.

Oh, and I got a question right on University challenge last week.

eviltwin

I don't get the appeal of shows like the Kardashian one but can see why competitive ones like X Factor etc do well. I don't watch them myself but not out of snobbery, just prefer Netflix and podcasts these days.

Lorelli!

eviltwin wrote: »

I don't get the appeal of shows like the Kardashian one but can see why competitive ones like X Factor etc do well. I don't watch them myself but not out of snobbery, just prefer Netflix and podcasts these days.

I don't understand how one's like the X- Factor are still going. It's the same thing over and over.

Canis Lupus

Lorelli! wrote: »

I don't understand how one's like the X- Factor are still going. It's the same thing over and over.

The stupid warbling they have to put into each song to show off their 'vocal range' makes me want to break stuff if I happen to be in earshot of it and how everything is treated like it's the most....important.....moment.....of.....their.....lives..... (despite the fact that they'll go on tour with the show for a bit and then be thrown on the trash heap) and how each contestant has a parent with 5 kinds of cancer who is also in a wheelchair and runs an orphanage for blind kids and they're doing it for them so they can be proud.

Clearly I have issues with that show.....

Lorelli!

Canis Lupus wrote: »

The stupid warbling they have to put into each song to show off their 'vocal range' makes me want to break stuff if I happen to be in earshot of it and how everything is treated like it's the most....important.....moment.....of.....their.....lives..... (despite the fact that they'll go on tour with the show for a bit and then be thrown on the trash heap) and how each contestant has a parent with 5 kinds of cancer who is also in a wheelchair and runs an orphanage for blind kids and they're doing it for them so they can be proud.

Clearly I have issues with that show.....

:pac:

I've only watched two or three series and that was in the beginning but seen the odd episode since and the sob stories are quite bad.

Also I find the judge's pompous and fake. And what are they looking for? Just a good voice? I hate that boring Mariah Carey style singing.

jamesbere

BurnUp78 wrote: »

I honestly find the ones on discovery/history channel the worst because they are presented as real but are obviously heavily staged/scripted. I hated flicking onto nat geo wild and instead of a lion documentary they show ****e like fish tank kings.

Or finding bigfoot, how that was ever aired is beyond me

sbsquarepants

jamesbere wrote: »

Or finding bigfoot, how that was ever aired is beyond me

Surely it should have been called "looking for bigfoot":D

Reality TV is shíte - TV in general is shíte.

The only thing worth watching is the sport (sometimes) and the music (sometimes).

in 40 years of watching telly - I've maybe been actually impressed with 3 or 4 shows. At least 99.99% of what I've watched was only really background noise.

8-10

Even after being on TV for years I still find The Apprentice entertaining.

9or10

Some of the programmes some people watch are cheap mindless dross.

Last year we had a lot of capital shoite going on. Watching Coach Trip Road to Marbs (I think) was 30 minutes of peace and chill time. Now I'm an absolute sucker for all Coach Trips. So I absolve everyone else.

Oh yeah, I also watch the Bear (I'm a total knob) Gryllis island thing .

harr

Only reality shows I watch are gogglebox and the first 48 the rest I don’t even bother with.
The likes of the history channel and Discovery have gone down hill big time.
The only place now that I find fairly decent documentaries are online or PBS

I enjoyed the xfactor in the earlier days and I'd probably stilk watch a bit of the auditions if i thought of it. Having heard how set up it is makes ita bit more difficult to watch though!
Mostly watch Netflix instead though

Fr_Dougal

Candie wrote: »

Top Gear
PM's Q's
6 o'clock news
Current Affairs programs
University Challenge
Documentaries
Cookery shows etc, etc,

All also reality shows.

There's a vast gulf between the best and the worst, a single judgement doesn't apply to them all.

Nah, they’re not reality shows.

PeterParker957

Canis Lupus wrote: »

The stupid warbling they have to put into each song to show off their 'vocal range' makes me want to break stuff if I happen to be in earshot of it and how everything is treated like it's the most....important.....moment.....of.....their.....lives..... (despite the fact that they'll go on tour with the show for a bit and then be thrown on the trash heap) and how each contestant has a parent with 5 kinds of cancer who is also in a wheelchair and runs an orphanage for blind kids and they're doing it for them so they can be proud.

Clearly I have issues with that show.....

I know I'm a complete cynic generally but that show does bring out the worst in me.

My mam passed away nearly 25 years ago and it would almost be worth the humiliation of screeching on national TV to stand there and go "but you can't give me a no, I'm playing the dead mother Joker!!!"

If it ever was purely a singing competition it lost that years and years ago.

Kimbot

AMKC wrote: »

Really are peoples life's that sad that they have nothing better to do than watch that crap. We are in the golden age of TV. There is loads of great TV out there to watch loads of great shows. So why waste your time watching some z list so called celebrity or a nobody doing feck all on a cheap reality show just so they can get 15 seconds of fame. I for one can't stand these shows and certainly do not have time to waste watching them. I don't even have the time to watch all the great shows I want to watch but the time I do have I prefer to either be watching a good show on the TV or a good film at home or in the cinema.

So what exactly do you watch on TV?

PeterParker957

9or10 wrote: »

Some of the programmes some people watch are cheap mindless dross.

Last year we had a lot of capital shoite going on. Watching Coach Trip Road to Marbs (I think) was 30 minutes of peace and chill time. Now I'm an absolute sucker for all Coach Trips. So I absolve everyone else.

Oh yeah, I also watch the Bear (I'm a total knob) Gryllis island thing .

Well done for someone FINALLY using his complete given name!!!!

CelticRambler

Lorelli! wrote: »

I don't understand how one's like the X- Factor are still going. It's the same thing over and over.

So is soccer!

Haven't had a telly for 25 years, but occasionally get to stay somewhere that does have one. Last week, the top story (on all the news programmes) was some fella picking bits of paper out of a bowl that would decide who'd play whom in some game some time in the future ... Does that count as reality TV?

PeterParker957

CelticRambler wrote: »

So is soccer!

Haven't had a telly for 25 years, but occasionally get to stay somewhere that does have one. Last week, the top story (on all the news programmes) was some fella picking bits of paper out of a bowl that would decide who'd play whom in some game some time in the future ... Does that count as reality TV?

Er no, no it's not.

Outlaw Pete

The kind of people that watch reality TV shows are the same kind of brainless morons that......

Wait, I watch Big Brother, Celebrity Masterchef, Cops etc etc.... you better fcuking not be talking about me, OP!!

c68zapdsm5i1ru

They were a novelty at first, and programmes like Big Brother and Come Dine with Me used to be genuinely interesting. Then all the wannabes started to take part, the programmes became more and more contrived and just ended up being complete rubbish.

Reality TV has also reached saturation point at this stage. Nothing seems to be too private (giving birth) or too mundane (someone choosing their wedding dress) to be broadcast to the nation.

eviltwin

Rupauls Drag Race is the only one I make a point to watch. Sometimes I watch Jeremy Kyle. It's junk food for the mind really, something that washes over you and doesn't require much input. It's a great antidote for some of the crap and stress of life.

Wanderer78

AMKC wrote:

Really are peoples life's that sad that they have nothing better to do than watch that crap. We are in the golden age of TV. There is loads of great TV out there to watch loads of great shows. So why waste your time watching some z list so called celebrity or a nobody doing feck all on a cheap reality show just so they can get 15 seconds of fame. I for one can't stand these shows and certainly do not have time to waste watching them. I don't even have the time to watch all the great shows I want to watch but the time I do have I prefer to either be watching a good show on the TV or a good film at home or in the cinema.

'Golden age of tv', I think not! Majority of content is pure drivel, designed to subdue us, a marketing tool to control us, to convince us to continually consume, it's all good for us, apparently, and good for our planet, but truthfully, it's really not, in fact it's bloody terrible for us in many ways. Turn off the tv, there's better things to be doing

PeterParker957

Wanderer78 wrote: »

'Golden age of tv', I think not! Majority of content is pure drivel, designed to subdue us, a marketing tool to control us, to convince us to continually consume, it's all good for us, apparently, and good for our planet, but truthfully, it's really not, in fact it's bloody terrible for us in many ways. Turn off the tv, there's better things to be doing

Not on Wednesday night when Scandal is on there's not.

super_furry

Can't Pay We'll Take it Away is a guilty pleasure for me in the truest sense. I always feel a bit dirty after watching it.

Stonedpilot

Canis Lupus wrote: »

The stupid warbling they have to put into each song to show off their 'vocal range' makes me want to break stuff if I happen to be in earshot of it and how everything is treated like it's the most....important.....moment.....of.....their.....lives..... (despite the fact that they'll go on tour with the show for a bit and then be thrown on the trash heap) and how each contestant has a parent with 5 kinds of cancer who is also in a wheelchair and runs an orphanage for blind kids and they're doing it for them so they can be proud.

Clearly I have issues with that show.....

Very good. The sob stories and sad music begin even before they open their mouths at the random "auditions".

Have to find some way the public can relate to them most these people empty vapid folk with nothing to say.

Anyone who has a personality or a soul is seen as "trouble" and the rigged voting system swiftly sees to them

All Puppets of Simon Cowell last thing they are is artists.