Pop Culture Commentary – Reality TV

There are many types of reality television genres, some more tasteful than others. I prefer to watch competition-based reality television shows because they are a bit more wholesome, my personal favorite being The X Factor. Shows like The X Factor, American Idol, and So You Think You Can Dance are interesting because they incorporate celebrities and talent together; both strategies have been proven to be great attention-getters in popular culture today. In my opinion, the top five reasons that Penn State students watch reality competition television are as follows: for entertainment, to escape, the ability to live vicariously, to boost self-esteem, and participation in determining the fate of others.

First and foremost, it is simply for the pure entertainment of the television program. There’s nothing wrong with a little friendly competition. Audiences like seeing how contestants interact with each other and how much work and effort is put into these shows. There’s also entertainment in watching the competitors of the show who exhibit some type of talent; America’s Got Talent, The X Factor, American Idol, etc. Watching incredibly singers, flexible dancers, and other performances are a form of artistic entertainment that reality TV competitions can provide for the viewer.

Aside from talent, there’s always humor that comes with these shows, be it scripted or not. Competitions with famous judges like The Voice, The X Factor, or American Idol provide a source of entertainment to those who are interested in the celebrity factor and enjoy seeing how famous people interact and tease each other when wanting to put together the perfect “singing team” or find the next big thing. A good example of that would be the dynamic between Simon Cowell and the other panelists that he judges with. Cowell has been known to throw snooty comments and sassy remarks at Paula Abdul while he was on American Idol and more recently, his banter has been towards Demi Lovato on The X Factor. Students enjoy laughing at these ridiculous situations, playful arguments, and silly situations that make them smile.

Reality TV competitions also give the viewer a peak into the life of a dreamer trying to achieve his/her goals. Even if the process is skewed or compressed because of time, it’s entertaining for them to see the process behind it all and follow along with the contestants’ journeys from beginning to end.

Secondly, a one or two hour episode allows the audience to escape from his or her life for a bit and become completely absorbed into the life and journey of a favorite contestant. For college viewers, watching shows like these can provide a safe alternative to drinking, a potentially dangerous behavior that allows students to escape the stresses of schoolwork, job applications, and general anxieties of college life. Television allows students to just sit and relax without having to worry about their own problems and lets them watch others on the screen have to deal with problems that the viewer may or may not have to relate to. It’s nice to know that some people have bigger problems; contestants with sob stories. And it is also comforting to know that some contestants are just like us; normal college students, and they have to deal with the same issues we do.

Those who can relate to contestants also exhibit the third reason for watching reality TV shows; the ability to live vicariously through contestants. Shows like Biggest Loser, The X Factor, and others allow us to live vicariously through those who are working to achieve his or her goals. For example, the Season 2 winner of The X Factor was a 40+ year old construction worker who felt that his life was going nowhere. He was struggling to get by and had to leave his dreams and aspirations behind so that he could raise a family. When we feel hopeless, we tend to give up on our passions and get caught up in the day to day tasks of life and trying to survive. Stories like his inspire us to go out and try to achieve something greater. With The Biggest Loser, students who are unhappy with their physical appearance may feel that “if so-and-so can lose 300 pounds, I certainly can lose just 30.” It gives us a goal to work towards and it lets us know that any average person can be something great if they put his or her mind to it. We then grow attached to these people because we feel that we can relate. They become our favorites and we become loyal to them and watch the shows weekly to see how he or she has been progressing throughout the competition.

The fourth reason ties nicely to the third in that, when competitors behave poorly or don’t perform up to our standards, it allows us to feel a little better about ourselves as well. We realize that our “idols” are human too, they have flaws, and everybody makes mistakes from time to time. Other instances makes us sometime think “I could have handled that better.” And that type of attitude can actually act as a type of counter-inspired motivation as well. We feel the need to push ourselves to prove that we can perform just as well as the contestant and exceed his or her achievements. Wanting to excel at something your role model already performs well at is a great motivator that can influence the viewer’s self-esteem. He or she will feel better about his/herself because of the accomplishment he/she achieved through his/her own self effort.

Finally, many competitive reality shows incorporate the audience and allows them to participate in deciding the outcome of each contestant. American Idol and The X Factor are two singing competitions that allow for America to vote on each contestant’s fate. The person with the most votes moves on to the next round. Because you can vote, you feel a sense of power. Sometimes college students feel that they aren’t able to control their lives and that things are too much to handle. With reality shows, they may not be able to control their own lives, but they do have a say in what happens to their favorite contestant. There is a sense of duty to root for your favorite and help them achieve success. In the end, if this participation pays off, their favorite may be rewarded with a recording contract and the audience will be rewarded with new music from someone whose victory they feel they played a part it.

Some criticism of reality television competitions may be that they seem unrealistic and overly dramatic. That may be true, but there is still some level of truth in them. With all competitive situations, there is a lot of stress and pressure that we may not see that goes on behind the scenes. We notice the small things and progression that contestants go through and we feel a sort of sympathy towards them. Others may argue that these competitions are rigged, but those who prove to be superior in talent or skill still find a way to be successful even when the season or their time on the show has ended. It is important to remember that even though these things may be true, the people on these shows, no matter how much of a character he or she may be, are still humans, still people and that is why we are entertained by them; they still possess human traits, emotions, and have the struggles that we can relate to on some level. That being said, if we want to emulate these people, we should do so in a positive way, take their strengths and use them to inspire us and take their flaws and use them as precautions for how to better ourselves.

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