It’s like watching a train wreck. It’s so bad but for some reason I just can’t take my eyes off of it. I’m talking about reality TV.
At some point, I bet you’ve sworn off reality TV. “It’s trash,” you say. “It’s scripted,” you insist. And yet, there you are, four hours deep into a Love Is Blind marathon, emotionally invested in people who met two weeks ago in a pod. So why do you keep coming back to these chaotic, dramatic, and kinda ridiculous TV shows? Probably cause it’s just entertaining but it can be a bit annoying too. And trust me, I’ve seen my fair share of reality TV and to be completely honest, I kinda love it, but lately I’ve just been getting more annoyed and over it.
There’s a couple things that always keep me coming back for more. First, sometimes I can’t believe what I’m seeing is real. I mean it’s probably heavily scripted but hey the people have to have some sort of emotional investment into what’s going on right? Sometimes it’s just so absurd and insane that once I’m in, I’m invested and I can’t look away. It’s also just good drama that you don’t have to deal with or be a part of. I mean admit it, drama can be juicy, being in it is no fun, so reality TV is the perfect way to get your dose of the madness. It lets you watch the drama you would never want in your actual life. Betrayals, love triangles, explosive arguments over absolutely nothing – it’s a trainwreck you can’t take your eyes off of. And the best part? It’s not your problem, you can just enjoy the mess without the stress.
Yes, reality TV can be very predictable but isn’t that nice sometimes? I think it’s nice to be able to just turn your brain off and just destress and watch something that is generally easy to follow (besides all the messy love triangles, those can be hard to follow….) Be honest with yourself, some reality TV is so bad, it’s good. The editing is over-the-top, the storylines are so crazy it’s insane, and yet, it’s impossible to look away. We roll our eyes, mock the people on it and insist we could never be that dramatic… yet somehow, you keep pressing “Next Episode.”
I, for one, enjoy little sprinkles of reality TV here and there and I’ll never say no to a new episode of the Kardashians. What about you? Do you love the messy storylines? Or prefer something a bit more sane?