Reality Television

Reality Television

Although many people are ashamed to admit to watching, reality television has inundated our programs and viewing. Most of the new shows, and many of the old shows, on television are some form of reality television.

This genre has several different forms, including contests, home improvement, and extreme situations. The contest shows often involve several people who are vying for a prize, for example a record deal, a million dollars, and so on. One convention of this type of reality television is the judge or mentor. This person can be cruel or caring, but they are on the show to tell the contestants what they have done wrong, and how they can improve. This will often make the judge a target for audience dislike, because the judge may criticize the crowd favorite.

Another convention of the contest reality television show is the underdog. There is always at least one person who the judges and others say will not make it. In many cases, this person will become a crowd favorite. People like to see the underdog win, as they sometimes do.

These are two conventions of the contest shows on reality television. Because this is such a broad genre, it is necessary to break it into smaller parts in order to discuss.