Reality Shows

Essay by mimmiLCollege, UndergraduateA, May 2006

download word file, 6 pages 3.7

Reality shows, why do we like them so much? I started thinking about this question, and then I though about how many I actually had watched. Reality shows has become a big trend in our society today. People can become famous for almost anything, and a lot of people seem to think that being in a reality show is the biggest thing that can happen in life.

I think all of us have though about being famous at some point in our life. How nice it would feel to be that athlete, singer or actor that everyone knows. Maybe you always dreamed about becoming a model, a writer or why not just get married to a rich & famous man or woman. I don't see this as something wrong, I think that everyone, at some point, wishes for that feeling of being someone important and well known. An easy way of having 15 minutes of fame today is to be in a reality show.

Today you can probably turn on the TV at any time of day and be able to see a reality show. The market has exploded, and they are almost taking over TV.

We might think that reality television are a new phenomenon, but the truth is that the first reality show debuted in 1973, and it was called An American Family. On Thursday, January 11, 1973, the first broadcast of An American Family changed television history forever. The Loud family were from Santa Barbara, California and consisted of Mother Pat, Father Bill, and their five children Lance, Kevin, Grant, Delilah and Michele.

It was a fascinating documentary series. The members of the Loud family opened up their home and lives for seven months to producer Craig Gilbert, who shot 300 hours of footage. Only 12 hours...