Reality Check

I read Neal Gabler's article and found it very interesting. I disagree with a lot of it, but I believe it does hold some weight, even though it is kind of outdated. I remember when Survivor first came out and how cool it was. I watched it every week with my parents, but not for the reasons Gabler states in his article. Not once did I think about the people on the show playing out life for me. Also, I feel like the people on the show did it for the chance to win money that they needed to make their lives better. Now, with the popularity the show has gained, I think people do it strictly for the chance to become "famous". I think it is sad when people who are already rich go on shows like that. What do they have to gain from that? Nothing, except cheap fame.

The show I watched for this blog was this weeks Jersey Shore episode. It was the third season finale. I hate to admit it, but I watch Jersey Shore every week. I find it amusing and funny. In the episode, Ron and Sammi fought again, which was becoming a very played out storyline. Also, Deena prevented Vinny from courting a female, JWoww got a boyfriend, and the group had to leave their house for the summer. (I wanted to provide a video of them all saying goodbye and leaving, but every video clip was taken off of Youtube for copyright infringement.)

Notice about how I wrote "storyline". I do not think that this show, or any reality show for that matter anymore, is actually reality. I believe that all of them are scripted. That is why I don't think that me watching them is anything like the Coliseum. These people are getting paid to do a television show. Today, reality television is no different than any other program. Specifically on Jersey Shore, I believe these people would be doing the same things whether they were being paid and filmed anyway.

I find the show entertaining not because it is "real people", but because the situations they are in are just down right funny. Every week, Snooki does something ridiculous that is funny, so I watch, and I laugh. There is no harm in that.