A First 5 Look at Reality....Shows

One day my wife, Jill, and I were watching WKRP in Cincinatti. In this one, Herb had a camera crew following him around and we decided that this was TV ahead of it's time. That show had turned the clock forward and hit on something that is now, well to forgive the pun, reality.

As I watch the great reality show known as 'The Biggest Loser', I was reminded of what kind of idiots those morons at NBC can be. They truly have a great thing going as in my humble opinion it is the greatest reality show going. All they have to do is go with their usual formula, bottom two are voted off the island so to speak. But, no, they have to trick it up with 'twists' that make the game totally unfair and so far this season unwatchable for me. (But, I know I'll get sucked in eventually.) So, I decided to do a First 5 salute to reality shows.

First 5 Most Important Reality Shows Ever-

5. Top Chef-Not sure if it really is reality, but I kind of have to list it here. It is great ness on so many fronts, the pressure, the reality of the big time restaurants, the cockiness of Tom the Chef, and the arguments as the Top Chef wannabes continue to throw each other under the bus during elimination time.

4. The Biggest Loser-This show to be honest is my favorite all time. But, to be fair, it probably isn't the most important. It does have a lot of nice little stories about people overcoming obstacles that I fortunately have yet to face. This is a feel good show. Just not that many of them out there.

3. The Real World-The first. That right there get's them in the five, but, they had some foresight by making sure the people involved were simply interesting, opinionated, and to be honest, somewhat jerkish. They found personality conflicts waiting to happen and placed them in one house. It was a train wreck waiting to happen...and it did over and over again.

2. Survivor-I'll admit, I hate this show. I feel that it is by far the most unwatchable show on television (well next to Golden Girls and Rhoda reruns), but I will acknowledge its greatness. The fact that we use a term from their show, 'voted off the island', in general speech is enough to get it to the top...just not over it.

1. The Bachelor-Many have duplicated, Rock of Love and Flavor of Love (which I'm fairly sure it was a chance for two aging musical artist to score some women without effort), but none have come up with the amazing mix of class, romance, and stupidity that the Bachelor trots out there weekly. Seriously, what are the odds that you can ever hope to find true love in that situation? We watch and feel superior as the people play out their love affair in front of our very eyes. They have less time with their 'intended' than I do with a pair of sunglasses. (Private fact, an average pair of shades for Lane lasts about two weeks). They spout out love, they rationalize rejection, and then you have the usual rejected woman that says something like, "I know I'm some one special, so and so missed a great thing when he kicked me to the curb. I know we were meant to be together, but now I know I can give some one my whole heart."

Now I have to rinse the reality off of me...yuck!!!


---Lane