In recent years a new genre of television programing has taken audiences by storm; "reality television." It's everywhere, game shows, daytime talk shows, "amazing" home videos, wild-animal attacks, and more recently "survivor", MTV's "the real world", etcetera. More and more "reality tv" shows are popping up every season. So what makes it so popular? The contestants couldn't act to save their lives and in fact most of them are annoying and conniving. Maybe that's the appeal. Daily sit-coms and soaps have become old and predictable. Who needs actors when the camera can capture the instant drama of real emotions and reactions? "Reality Television" brings something to the screen that satisfies the tv audience's craving for novelty, drama, and emotional reality that the viewer can relate to. I've often heard the phrase "reality is often stranger than fiction." This is the premiss upon which reality tv operates. Watching house mates on "The Real World" goat each others throats is far more interesting than anything a writer could put in a script. Who the "Bachelor" will choose to marry? Who will be voted off the island next? Who has an alliance with whom? It's unpredictable, and offers emotional reality. We can relate to the characters on screen because they are real people. Novelty and innovation are the most important aspects of a successful televisions show. If people liked predictability then we would all be watching the same twenty episodes of the "Andy Griffith Show".
It's not mystery that sensationalism sells. There will always be talk about who's dating who and which of Hollywood's hottest got arrested last weekend. .
Wether it's "The National Enquirer" or Ethel and the galls playing bridge and talking about Suzanne down the street having an affair with the mailman, scandal and gossip are always a point of interest to many. We can actually watch the scandal unfold instead of reading about it later.
