At a party last weekend, part of a conversation between a guy I had just met and me went something like this:
Him: “Do you watch 'Game of Thrones'?”
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Me: “No.”
Him: “Let me guess; you’re one of those girls who watch 'The Bachelor'?”
Me: “Actually, yeah! I love 'The Bachelor'!”
Him (laughing): “Girls either like 'Game of Thrones' or 'The Bachelor.'"
"Game of Thrones" viewers are the “cool” and “interesting” girls who can hang with the guys, unlike fans of "The Bachelor" and other reality shows who are assumed to be airheads whose minds might implode if exposed to TV the least bit intellectually stimulating. Believe it or not, people can enjoy both. Even more shockingly, one’s taste in television programming does not determine their intelligence!
I love many shows that span across many different genres, but reality TV truly holds a special place in my heart. As stupid as that may sound, I’m not the least bit ashamed to say it, even if it’s supposed to be a “guilty pleasure.” Anyone who knows me is familiar with my belief that guilty pleasures should not exist, and that if something makes you happy, then life is too short to pretend that it doesn’t. I also need an excuse to put on my résumé that I spoke to "The Bachelor"host Chris Harrison on live television, but that’s another story…
Reality TV can be mindless entertainment, which is one of the reasons why I, and so many others, enjoy it. Sometimes it’s necessary to let your brain recharge after a long day, but my love for reality TV also stems from my fascination with it. Take "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette" franchise, for instance. Is the expectation that one should be able to fall head over heels in love and get engaged to a stranger within the span of nine weeks completely ridiculous? Of course, but that’s exactly what makes the concept so intriguing. I think it’s incredibly interesting to think of what it would be like to be thrust into that situation, where contestants are completely cut off from the outside world, yet constantly aware that the entire outside world is watching them.
I’m aware of most people’s deep-seated hatred for the Kardashians, but I love "Keeping Up With The Kardashians"and am amazed by its role in securing the family’s position front and center in pop culture today. I received an A on a ten-page paper I wrote on the ethics of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians"for a philosophy class I took years ago, and I encourage people to think about reality TV in the same way. Until Kim’s whirlwind 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries, I never questioned what on the show was real, and what was contrived for ratings.
For me, what makes shows like this so enthralling is not just the drama that unfolds on camera, but taking into consideration the manipulation of these situations by producers, and wondering how the fine line between what’s real and what isn’t is blurred and affects their family dynamics. When you really think about it, mindless TV doesn’t have to be so mindless after all.
