Where has it gone? It used to be that there was a good night or two a week that you sat around with your friends, glued to the TV and lose yourself. When Mtv rolled out with Real World & Road Rules, people thought the rogue music channel was crazy, but it gave us the new style - legal Voyeurism. The “characters” started looking at the shows as a chance to make it big. Buffed and beautiful people, all with attitude, opinions, and some type of emotional trauma were the makeup of the cast. Well, soon after, came Survivor & Big Brother. Then everyone jumped on the boat. The Apprentice, The Bachelor (& -ette), Marrying a Millionaire, and now we’ve moved on to Dancing with Circus Animals, Ice Skating with Crack Addicts, Singing with Bees, Swapping Wives, Hyper Kids & SuperNannies, and I Can Make a Jackass Out of Myself on TV and Hope I Get Noticed or Revive My Career (I made that last one up. well, not really). So, save some space on your TiVO this fall, here comes “The Corey’s”. This must be the by-product of one hell of an alcohol/multi- chemical induced brainstorming session.
When it gets down to it, why is Reality TV such a hit? Isn’t it just people watching? I know most of these are guilty pleasures but haven’t we gone a little over the edge? I think the reality genre now makes up over 50% of the upcoming primetime schedule. Most of these episodes end like train wrecks and have some type of finale with the non-winners/ evacuees all pissed off at the potential winner. Lord of the Flys, right? Aren’t there some high-priced TV execs with some good ideas? Where has Larry Charles (Seinfeld) disappeared to? Here’s one - Survivor 22: Manhattan. One of the challenges - Take 10 people, drop them off around sunset at Inwood with $20K taped to their bodies. Have them run through a series of checkpoints: Fort George, Washington Heights, Harlem, Morningside, East Harlem and back up to the finish line at Yankee Stadium. The winner is determined by an equation of finish position and cash remaining. Hmmmm…Anynone? Mark Burnett’s phone number?
Sad part about all this, is now the people that are called “Reality Stars”. Yes, they are on television and yes, we see them “acting”, but what are they doing now? Pitching projects to Fred Savage? Having lunch with Ron Howard? Well, here’s your chance to find out! They are actually doing a tour on how to make you a reality star and I’m sure its coming to a town near you. Here in Atlanta, they are actually using Phillips Arena (home of the Thrashers and mosh-pit inducing JT concerts) to pack the money crowd in. You too can experience a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn from Syrus, Kristen Johnson (who?) and William Hung on how to make it. Yesssss! Oh yeah, did I mention tickets start at $49 and go to $115. HOLY HELL! (Is that with or without lube?) I classify the useful information/take away of this event just below the “How To” seminar on real estate with property mogul Ivanka Trump (yes, the 25 yr-old daughter of “Make your money the old fashioned way, inherit it”) and not her father. Hey, if the price is right then the secrets are yours to be had.
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