avoiding reality television like the plague

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.auI'm not sure if I'm the only person in the world who is hating on reality television shows - I'm pretty sure I'm not, I'm also pretty sure there are a gazillion other people out there who are heartily sick of seeing hour after hour after hour of mind numbing programs......and yet they keep on coming!


In the good old days (before I became a person who used expressions like "in the good old days") there used to be three TV channels in Western Australia - two commercial stations and one government funded one. Now there are SEVENTEEN free to air stations and between them all there is less to watch now than ever. The few decent sitcoms that we used to watch have finished their runs years ago and now we just see a few episodes repeated ad nauseum to fill gaps in programming.

The mainstay of television now days seems to be "reality" TV. I put "reality" in inverted commas because there is very little reality involved in these shows. There is also the premise that if one type of show works then lets quickly produce half a dozen versions on a similar theme. Case in point would be cooking shows: Master Chef, Junior Master Chef, My Kitchen Rules, My Restaurant Rules, The Hot Plate, The Great Bake Off etc etc. Then there are all the performance based shows: The Voice, Australia's Got Talent, The X Factor, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars, Australian Idol, Big Brother etc etc.

These shows take up ENDLESS hours of prime viewing time leaving room for nothing else. I get it that you might love cooking but surely one decent cooking show at a time would be sufficient? If you love to be entertained by amateurs hoping for their 15 minutes of fame then surely one decent talent show at a time would be sufficient? If you want to see people suffering to win money (yes that's you Survivor, Fear Factor, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here etc etc) surely one of those at a time should be ample? If you like home improvement (to name a few: The Block, Better Homes and Gardens, House Rules, The Living Room etc etc) couldn't you be satisfied with one of those at a time too?


#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au

And for those of us who aren't into any of that stuff, the air time that would be freed up could be used to show something interesting - maybe a not-repeated-for-the-hundredth-time movie, or a new sitcom that hasn't gone straight to pay TV, or a decent documentary where we could learn something? I'm open to suggestions because there would be room for everyone to have a little bit of everything and my television set might get turned on now and then instead of gathering dust waiting for me to show it some love.

On a side note - I am also not a fan of endless sports broadcasting either - but at least that isn't always on in my after dinner viewing time.

14 comments

  1. I admit to watching some of the cooking and talent shows but the rest I have no patience. Like you said, most of the people are on those shows hoping they will get more than 15 minutes of fame and unfortunately the world seems to give it to them.

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    1. Exactly Beth - I don't mind a talent show here or there, but it is the amount of them that drives me crazy!

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  2. They are my brain candy. I have learned so much from the cooking shows, for one, but I have to admit to watching several of the "real" housewives shows. (hanging head in shame)
    Carol Cassara
    http://carolcassara.com/still-stylish-vintage-shoes/

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    1. Hi Carol - I will forgive you for your "real" housewife confession :) and they are brain candy which we all need at times - it's just that there are SO many of them!

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  3. I can take a small dose once in a while. I got tired of American Idol. I watch a little of "So You Think you can dance" and sometimes Love it Or List It (home remodel). Most TV is toxic. Great post for #TheLeisureLink. Thanks Leanne!

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    1. Thanks Terri - I am of the same persuasion - a little now and then - and please give me a bit of something a little more meaty to balance it out!

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  4. I enjoy the occasional home redesign show. Mostly I have found that TV is not a good use of my time. I will save some things on the DVR so I can skip commercials. My time is better and more happily spent with a book!

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    1. I agree completely - I just love my books and an occasional hour of tv - I'm just so tired of all the rubbish that is on offer now days!

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  5. I don't have much time to watch TV, too many other interests. I have been watching The Voice a little and have enjoyed that. I guess producers make what people want and we don't have to watch. But I agree most of it does not seem the quality it used to be. I did watch some of the cricket last night that was good TV seeing the Aussies do so well :)
    Thanks Leanne,
    Kathleen
    Fridays Blog Booster Party #15

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  6. I could not agree more with you, Leanne. I really dislike any kind of reality show. They are like brainwashing, creating a fake reality that viewers end up holding dear.
    We don't even have any TV channels at home. All for the sake of staying sane. Great post!
    #TheLeisureLink

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  7. So called reality tv is not for me either. Can't stand it. I worked at UK's Elstree Studios down the road from me for several years at the time Big Brother was interviewing for the first show. They had a script. Can you believe it? The things they do are already worked out. Shish!. I did watch one program where stars challenged themselves against extreme conditions with Ben Fogle. I thought that one was good. Still, it was like a holiday with difficulties to face.

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  8. While I am a fan of some reality TV shows like Survivor and Amazing Race I do think that there are entirely to many on these days. I tend to watch a lot of discovery channel and National Geographic shows which I guess reality too1

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  9. It's nuts - you're right. We're full time travelers and I've seen many versions of the same show played out in many countries. I will admit my guilty pleasure is Project Runway though - if you strip away the drama, the output is pretty cool. -Veronica

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    1. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like watching those programs with a foreign language (and subtitles?) to deal with - not my cup of tea at all. thanks for stopping by Veronica (I love your blog)

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