realitycheck

story by | dani parkos fluge

It’s the time of year one can’t help but notice those perennial signs of a new season: the changing of the leaves, the kids have returned to school, and the summer reality TV shows have given away to a new Fall lineup of controversy, fighting and general chaos. Of course we know that these shows are contrived, edited beyond belief, and for the most part supremely useless. And “yes” on an intellectual level we know that investing time and energy watching these shows is ridiculously unproductive. Yet we all must confess that we indulge our craving on a weekly basis.

So I ask you this, what’s your reality TV guilty pleasure and why do we give these programs our ratings? Here are just a few of the hottest time wasters on television and the real reasons we hate [and secretly love] every fist-pump, PDA, food throw down and train wreck all the way from the Jersey Shore to Cupcake Wars.

Jersey Shore why we hate it: Aside from the stereotypes perpetuated by the show, the tragedy of seeing yet another group of young adults start their rise and inevitable downward spiral into the Reality Show black hole, is unfortunate to say the least. I think every parent prays their little Snooki or Vinnie isn’t one day airing their dirty laundry on TV. why we love it: Who can resist a full hour of pure, unadulterated trash that is more like an after dark soap opera but filled with immature drama. There’s also a part of us that can relate to “back when” life was as simple as “GTL”, but now our reality has seen a definite shift from gym, tan and laundry time.

19 Kids and Counting why we hate it: How much is too much or better yet how many is too many? Could you really imagine having that many kids? It’s probably safe to say 99.9% of the population would go crazy! why we love it: There is no denying they have their poop in a group. All the kids seem respectful, Jim Bob’s tone remains constant, and you never hear anyone say, “what did you bring me?” upon their parents return. If only TLC could introduce Michelle to Stacey and Clinton from What

Not to Wear for a long-locks make-over to match her flawless skin. Have to admit, she wears hormones well.

Keeping Up With the Kardashians why we hate it: We already have enough trouble keeping up with the Joneses, but the Kardashian clan is off the chart. With their killer looks and lush lifestyle, these sultry sisters have have worn out their welcome on all media levels. why we love it: Other than a secret desire to wonder what it would be like to walk a day in their Jimmy Chu’s and have the hereditary hot hairless body and hair to boot, we keep thinking that by watching, we can telepathically convince Kourtney to drop Scott like last season’s Dash inventory. And who doesn’t like Bruce? why we love it: Because regardless of how crazy we think our nut-house life is, we know there’s a housewife [in Orange County, DC, Atlanta, NY, Beverly Hills] making our lives seem more and more “normal” with every feud and faux pas.

The Real Housewives of EVERYwhere!

Really? What happened to leading by example, teaching the value of a dollar or treating others the way you would like to be treated?

So whether your weekly vice is for rock stars looking for love, wannabe models in verbal cat fights, zany dream designers creating clothes from scrapes, inspiring stories from a Biggest Loser, or the return of the big balls, there is no getting away from the fact that we love to watch reality television. And ladies, it’s really okay to take a break from our own world. After a long day in the real bed jumping: [ b-ed ], [ juhmp-ing ] – verb, the classic and universal act of weightless joy experienced at any stage in one’s life and can be rediscovered at any time.