It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of reality TV shows. I tend to prefer fiction or documentary for my watching pleasure. I have however noticed that there are a FEW shows I watch that could be considered reality TV. These shows tend to have some things in common and I consider them my rules for reality tv.

The number one thing is lack of drama. By that I mean the back stabbing and overacted BS. Stop throwing each other “under the bus”.

Another thing is cooperation. You rarely see it on most competition shows, but you DO see it sometimes. Those are the shows I like. When you see contestant A help contestant B when they need an extra set of hands.

The final thing is making the show about the subject matter. An odd thing to notice and like but there you have it. If a show about building aquariums becomes more about the family drama than about aquariums then they have lost their audience.

Here are a few examples of shows that get it right. (most of the time)

Face Off

Chopped

Ace of Cakes (now defunct)

Once upon a time there was a TV cake maker who had a good show about decorating cakes. They showed how they did it, they showed the lovely artistry that went into some of them, and they even showed the smiling faces of the recipients. Then some executives and producers wanted to show more “dramatic” scenes and show more of the things that go wrong. The cake maker promptly STOPPED doing the show. He QUIT. I miss that show. (true story)

Are there any reality TV shows that I don’t know about that follow my rules? Do you agree with my rules?

dracoselene

I'm an artist, writer, ordained interfaith minister, veteran, spiritualist, androgyne, and piles of other labels that never seem to fit. I'm following my passion and attempting to make myself and the world a better place. I think that through compassion and understanding we can all become one unified race of human beings, and life is better when you remember to play.