For the past few weeks, my roommates and I have been acting
strange. We live fairly normal lives, but when Monday evening rolls
around, we drop whatever we’re doing ““ school work,
weight lifting, even dates ““ rush home, and huddle around the
television for an intense hour of mirth and merriment. I hate to
admit it, but I think we’ve become addicted to “Joe
Millionaire.”
But we’re not the only ones. So-called “Reality
TV” shows like “Joe Millionaire” have taken over
the airwaves and generated some of the highest ratings for the
networks in years. Forty million people tuned into the past
year’s “American Idol” finale. Eighteen million
watched the premiere of “The Bachelorette” this week.
As Robert Thompson, professor of media at Syracuse University,
said, “It was time for a new idea, and this is it.”
But why? How have these television shows managed to ensnare all
of us in their pop-culture web? Maybe it’s the chance to vote
for your favorite participants, or the unscripted action and
impromptu dialogue that people enjoy, but I doubt it ““ you
can get all of that on CSPAN. The reason people love these shows is
that “Reality TV” offers a unique way for viewers to
vicariously fulfill their wildest fantasies. Shows like
“American Idol,” “Survivor,” “Joe
Millionaire,” and “The Bachelorette” promise
fame, fortune and love to ordinary people, and we can’t help
getting swept away ““ we watch because we wish it were
happening to us.
Try to remember the last time you were surrounded by dozens of
beautiful women or handsome men, all desperately trying to win your
affection. Of course, it never actually happened to you, but you
can imagine what it would be like. We watch “The
Bachelorette” and “Joe Millionaire” for the same
reasons people star in those shows ““ we’re all looking
for that perfect somebody. Like Evan Marriot, the supposed
millionaire, said, “I took the $50 million lie that Fox threw
out there, and I said to myself, “˜Screw the lie, I’m
gonna get to know these girls, they’re all super-hot.’
I don’t know what red-blooded American male wouldn’t
want to be in this position.”
As the show progresses, we pick our favorites, cheer when they
advance, and feel a little slighted that we didn’t have the
chance to meet these hunks or babes in real life. In fact, the
number one reason given by men who signed up to be contestants in
“The Bachelorette” is that they fell in love with
Trista Rehn (the woman up for grabs) when she appeared as a
contestant in the original “The Bachelor.” These dating
shows offer us vicarious relationships with the men or women of our
fantasies.
OK, so maybe you don’t need love. You crave fame and
fortune ““ the chance to be a big star. If you can’t
sing, dance or act, just watch “American Idol.”
We’re fascinated by “American Idol” because it
appeals to our vanity ““ everyone who watched knew they could
do better than some of the contestants. “American Idol”
played on the fantasies of everyone who has ever sung along while
their favorite band was playing full blast on the radio. As
Thompson said, “(American Idol) is three dramas in one: the
drama of the judges, the drama of the old becoming a rock star and
grabbing the brass ring, the drama of the whole vote-in, and all
the rest of it.”
Over 100 million votes were cast to determine the winner of
“American Idol.” To put that in perspective, there were
more votes for Kelly or Justin than for Bush or Gore.
The term “Reality TV” is a deceptive one ““
what we see on TV isn’t reality at all, but it’s what
we would like our reality to be. By watching each week we leave our
ordinary lives behind, and for a few moments become rock stars,
millionaires or lovers. Reality? No, but it sure makes for a fun
Monday night.