REALITY TV How much of the real emotions and feelings do we see on TV nowadays? Not much if we delete reality TV programmes out of our TV list. So what exactly is Reality TV? It is a genre of television programming that do not have scripts which usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors. Contestants are usually placed in abnormal situations and recorded for the TV audiences.
Without reality TV programmes, all that’s left are programmes that are acted out from scripts and superficial behaviors that is society-accepted which in most cases do not reflect in our daily lives.With reality TV shows, we can see real emotional behavior from ordinary people that we can relate to. This gives us a reality-check that shows how people really feel in these types of situations and not in a drama with unrealistic approach to problems.
In this speech, I would be touching on about various different types and examples of reality TV shows and also the importance of it to the people. Reality TV has a huge variety of subgenres which are documentary style, competition game show, makeover , hidden cameras, talk shows, paranormal and others.Today, I will be focusing on competition show, hidden cameras and makeovers. Firstly, competition show is basically about elimination contest. In other words, the last person left standing will be the winner to walk away with the attractive prizes and fame. One of the famous examples of a competition reality TV is the American Idol.
I believe many of you in this room have seen it before or at the very least heard of it. It is a classic example of how situations changes people. If you have been following American Idol, you will see a drastic change in the contestants from the auditions to the final round of elimination.This is what I believe makes the show so popular. It is because they are ordinary people which allow audience to be able to relate to and secretly envy and adore.
This causes people to become more motivated in life seeing how other people achieving fame through their passion and hard work causing them to work hard themselves too. Another example of a competition show is the America’s next top model hosted by Tyra Banks. This is also one of my favorite TV shows as it shows in-depth of their emotions and their passion.
This is a little different from America’s Idol as the contestants are filmed 24hours by the camera crew which also means they have absolutely no privacy. Since they are on camera the entire time, it would be impossible to put on a facade and act in a certain way different from their personalities. That’s where the beauty of the show comes in.
They will feel angry, frustrated and annoyed when the pressure kicks and all of it are caught on tape. People are able to see real people emotions and how they overcome it and get a better start or in some cases don’t and get kicked out of the competition.Secondly, hidden cameras reality TV entertainments are shows that feature rolling hidden cameras on unsuspecting passer-by encountering a staged situation. This generally goes to the humorous side of the entertainment. There are many humor shows “Just for laughs gags” is one of the examples.
It has mild sense of prank and mostly resulting in the person laughing. I often find myself laughing at their honest behaviors when a sudden and unexpected pops up in front of them. It’s a great laugh and makes you feel better after watching the programme.Since it makes you feel better, I believe it is a good show for everyone to watch.
Lastly, the makeover shows are basically about a group of people trying to improve their lives by changing their appearance or fashion sense. They believe they will lead a better live by changing and adapting into society accepted norms. Well, I’m not trying to say appearance matters the most but it does create an impact and people are willing to sacrifice in order to achieve their desired look which propels them to join these related shows.Additionally, fantastic prizes are given to the winners so it’s an extra push. Normally, in these shows, there is a selected group of people and are covered for the entire season with new target for improvement in each episodes. It focuses more on the changes in people physically and mentally over the season and how they adapt to elimination pressure.
One example of a makeover show is the “biggest loser”. It is a show that zooms in on overweight people attempting to lose a target desired weight each episode or accomplish a difficult task to win the attractive cash prize.This, too, I believe is a show that motivates people to accomplish what they think they could not before. For example, perhaps a person who is severely overweight and has no hopes of losing weight after attempting a few tries sees the hard work the contestants put in and the results they accomplish sparks a light of hope within him/herself causing them to believe more in themselves. Ironically, some people who feel inferior and insecurity about their weight may feel better after watching the show with people with worse-off problems.In any ways, I believe it will only garner positive motivation and emotions after watching makeover shows.
In conclusion, Reality TV programmes are very enjoyable and an important source of entertainment. They show the real side of people and reflect how people are feeling in different situations. This allows us to deliberate over our behaviors and the way of thinking as compared to the people on TV. It can serve us as a motivation, strength or become just another show that managed to put a smile on our faces. It can invoke emotions and entertaining at the same time is what makes the show so special and incredible.
