{"id":1501487,"date":"2022-06-02T15:14:41","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T19:14:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1501487"},"modified":"2022-06-02T15:14:49","modified_gmt":"2022-06-02T19:14:49","slug":"why-we-love-watching-train-wreck-reality-tv-shows-so-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-we-love-watching-train-wreck-reality-tv-shows-so-much\/","title":{"rendered":"Why We Love Watching Train Wreck Reality TV Shows So Much"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhy-we-love-watching-train-wreck-reality-tv-shows-so-much%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1501487&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>By this point, everyone knows reality shows (\u201cLove Is Blind\u201d) are fake as hell (\u201cHouse Hunters.\u201d) Yet for some reason, we can\u2019t stop watching them (\u201cThe Kardashians\u201d). Why?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Reality dating shows, competition series and talent shows feel like glimpses into people\u2019s everyday lives. These unscripted TV shows run the gamut from absurd to appalling, offensive to extreme. It seems like no idea is off the table \u2013 but that doesn\u2019t mean everything is a hit.<\/p>\n<p>It could have something to do with the train wreck theory (\u201c90 Day Fiance\u201d) \u2013 like when something is terrible but it\u2019s hard to look away (\u201cJersey Shore\u201d). Or, maybe it\u2019s because reality shows that play up human flaws (\u201cMy Strange Addiction\u201d) make the rest of us feel somewhat normal.<\/p>\n<p>Some experts believe modern reality TV began with the reboot of the \u201cCandid Camera\u201d series in 1984. The premise was simple; people were secretly filmed in order to catch their reactions to weird situations. Eventually, that format led to the birth of the unscripted shows that really started the movement, including \u201cThe Real World (1992), \u201cSurvivor, (2000), \u201cBig Brother (2000), and \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d (2002).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Two years ago, The Washington Post did a deep dive that focused on reality dating shows specifically. \u201cThe Bachelor\u201d is one of the most popular in this genre, though it\u2019s far from the only option for viewers seeking a guilty pleasure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/arts-entertainment\/2020\/08\/05\/reality-tv-dating-shows-history\/\">article<\/a> also pointed to \u201cWho Wants To Marry a Multimillionaire?\u201d from 2000, which combined two of people\u2019s favorite things: love and money. Producer Mike Darnell came up with the concept while attending a wedding and thinking about how to harness the same success as ABC\u2019s \u201cWho Wants To Be A Millionaire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kept thinking: Why is this show working? Because winning money is a huge American dream,\u201d Darnell said during an interview for the book \u201cDesperate Networks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I\u2019m sitting here watching another huge American dream, which is getting married. What\u2019s bigger than that? Getting married to a wealthy man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Darnell\u2019s concept, surprisingly, isn\u2019t the most outlandish. Fox\u2019s \u201cPlaying It Straight\u201d pushed boundaries in 2004 by casting five straight men and nine gay men pretending to be straight to compete for a woman\u2019s affection. In the end, if the woman chose a straight man to date, the man and woman would each receive $500,000. If she accidentally chose a gay man, he would win $1 million and she would get nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The concept somehow got a greenlight. Per the Post, it was a huge success in the U.K. but an epic failure in the United States where it was\u00a0 canceled after three episodes. \u201cIt felt darker than we had imagined,\u201d series producer Adam Wood told the publication. \u201cI don\u2019t think we had thought that far ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to why we love these shows, it all comes down to the human tendency toward curiosity \u2013 whether for observation, comparison, connection, or scrutiny. . It\u2019s fascinating to see what other people are like, especially when their behavior is so different from our own.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReality television provides an easy, and legal, way to peer into the lives of others,\u201d attorney, author, and media commentator Dr. Wendy Patrick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.distractify.com\/p\/why-do-people-love-reality-tv\">told<\/a> Distractify. \u201cOver the last few decades, reality TV has become a staple of modern entertainment in households around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a way, you can feel like you are benefiting from their life experiences without having to endure negative aspects of [them],\u201d she continued. \u201cThis might be particularly appealing to people who are naturally more risk-averse or less extroverted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A lot of it comes down to the desire for a mindless way to unwind after a long day of work. Reality shows with their manufactured, over-the-top drama provide entertainment but don\u2019t require concentration. This, combined with a craving for entertainment that spurs and satisfies curiosity creates a recipe for success.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That success is why, even though they\u2019re universally mocked, reality shows are still an incredibly popular genre of entertainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some people compare reality competition shows to sports. They point out the tribalism associated with both categories, with viewers selecting favorite contestants just like they select favorite teams. Fans connect on social media or friends get together and host watch parties, in the same way sports fans have Super Bowl parties. There is camaraderie and friendly competition among these groups.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Also, enjoying this type of entertainment takes little effort. Media psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scoopwhoop.com\/entertainment\/psychology-behind-why-people-love-watching-reality-shows\/\">said<\/a>, \u201cWe live vicariously through the experiences of the reality TV stars, from the safety of our own homes. We don\u2019t actually have to risk our heart or our reputation when we vicariously live through the experiences of the reality show participants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In other words, few people will participate in \u201cThe Amazing Race,\u201d but it sure is fun to watch (and judge) the people who do.<\/p>\n<p>From a production standpoint, many reality shows are cheaper to make than scripted shows. They require little more than a camera<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By this point, everyone knows reality shows (\u201cLove Is Blind\u201d) are fake as hell (\u201cHouse Hunters.\u201d) Yet for some reason, we can\u2019t stop watching them (\u201cThe Kardashians\u201d). Why?\u00a0 Reality dating shows, competition series and talent shows feel like glimpses into people\u2019s everyday lives. These unscripted TV shows run the gamut from absurd to appalling, offensive &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":345,"featured_media":1501518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1501487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1501487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/345"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1501487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1501487\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1501518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1501487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1501487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1501487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}