REALITY TV: HOW LOW CAN WE GO?

Reality Television is truly a force to be reckoned with! Whether you can’t stand it or can’t get enough it has carved its way into our society and shows no signs of stopping. The Bachelor, American Idol, Survivor, or the Real World are just several examples of multiple season shows that America has never tired of. The most important question to ask is: what does the future hold for reality TV?

The emergence of MTV’s new reality hit The Jersey Shore is the best example of what reality television has in store. Like it or not the “cast” of the Jersey Shore is everywhere these days. From tabloids, to personal appearances (or cancellations) to every day water cooler fodder the oversexed, party crazed Jersey Shore kids are riding their 15 minutes of fame all the way to the bank.

How does this showcase a new trend you ask? Simple, a few years ago you were seeing the glamorous lives of the Hills, the City, and Real Housewives being what America watched. Almost as if a window into these people’s lives was the next best thing. American seemed obsessed with the overindulged posh lives of people who didn’t deserve any of their fame or money. Now it appears people are clamoring for the exact opposite. As if to say “I’d rather watch people who are so trashy, so classless, and ridicules that at the end of the day it makes me feel better about myself”. People may love the Jersey Shore, but I doubt any self-respected business professional would ever want to be associated with it. If the Shore is the next wave of TV, I only shudder to think where reality TV is headed…Trailer Park Housewives perhaps??

Michael Corrigan
Asst. Publicist