Why We Love "Reality" Television
So why do "Reality" shows do so well in the ratings? Is it the
suspense that the producers instill in each show? Is it the
likeability of the contestants? Is it the plot or the storyline?
Is it the money or the prizes that are offered to the winner? Or
is it that we are able to see people just like ourselves? In
truth all of these things are reasons that we love to watch
"Reality" television.
For a storyline to be successful it must possess certain
elements. The first element is an introduction. All reality
shows start by introducing you to the contestants in some way or
another. They spend the first couple of weeks letting the
viewing audience get to know each of the contestants and
allowing us to draw our own conclusions about "good" and "evil."
By the end of the second or third week nearly all viewers have a
favorite contestant that they want to see win the show. By doing
this, the producers have now drawn us into a storyline where we
want to see how far our favorite contestant gets in the game.
Even after that person is removed from the show, we want to make
sure that our least favorite person doesn't win.
The next element is the climax. Once we are drawn in to the show
they have to keep us interested enough to see what will happen
next week. By eliminating one person each week we have to watch
to make sure that we don't miss an important piece of the game.
Reality TV gives us that climax each week and keeps us in
suspense until the very end of each show. Ever notice how during
votes they set it up so that the vote count stays pretty even
until the very last possible moment? For example, if 3 people
vote for Bob and 4 people vote for Dan then it will always be
shown as three votes for Bob and three votes for Dan. Only then
will they show the deciding vote. They do this in order to
continue building a climax through suspense and anticipation
until the very last moment.
The last element is a grand conclusion. At one point there was a
"never ending" reality show that hit the air. Why was it not
successful? Because we want to see it end. We need to see that
final episode that crowns a winner. What is the point of
watching a competition and never seeing a final result? That
defeats the point of competition. So the producers work up to
this grand conclusion all season long. It is often the
discussion of many people in the workplace and is common topic
that even uncommon people share. Who will win? Who will lose?
Who do we want to win? Who do we want to lose? Who do we hate?
Who do we love? The producers always make a grand production of
the end of a reality show and give us the answers we have
sought. More often than not, they even give us extra by bringing
back all of the contestants and allowing us to hear answers to
the things that we may have asked them ourselves.
But even with all of these things that draw us into "Reality"
television, the biggest by far is seeing the "average" person on
television. Everyone would love to live the life of a star. We
want to be recognized on the street and to feel important. By
seeing the average person on television every week and getting
to know them, we are living out our own fantasies. What a grand
idea to put on shows with real people who we can all relate to.
Not to mention that we all feel that maybe, just maybe, if we
applied to our favorite show we could be a contestant too. If
the producers can see some potential in some of their past
contestants then surely they can see some potential in the rest
of us.