So I liked the first seasons of the Real World and Survivor just as much as the next person, but I think the whole reality tv thing is getting a little carried away. At this point it is becoming difficult to differentiate between real tv and reality tv. If you aren’t watching a soap opera or a JJ Abrams show you better double check because it could be reality tv! Eck!

The Real World is currently filming its 18 season, Survivor has had 13 seasons so far and has plans for more, American Idol is getting ready for season 6 and most of the contestants from these shows are still bopping around somewhere trying to extend their 15 minutes of fame. Some continue to do reality show after reality show, others pose for playboy, but few garner any genuine success. The Kelly Clarksons of reality tv are few and far between.

So what effect is reality tv having on american television and american pop culture in general? Let’s look at the negative side for a moment. The lines are becoming so blurred that the definition of an actress is much harder to describe now. It used to be refer to someone on your favorite sitcom or the new blockbuster summer movie, someone with talent and a recognizeable name and face who worked their way up in the business. Now it might refer to the girl who is “playing herself” on a reality tv show where she is competing with other young, good looking, sometimes talented, attention hungry people for a chance to win a million/score a recording contract/be the lead singer of the band/marry the rich bachelor/win the race/insert your own show premise here. Most of these people only go on the shows for the fame, not the prizes or the thrill of competition. After the show has aired you find them hiring agents and publicists, writing books, posing in Stuff magazine and showing up on the Daytime Emmy red carpet, hello Omarosa much?

But what positive effects is reality tv having on our society, if any? Well some might argue that it is giving the average Joe a shot at fame, fun, riches, and a taste of the good life. Maybe it is a good spring board for aspiring actors that are having trouble breaking into the business, or getting their demo heard by a record exec. Let’s take a look at some of the winners of these reality shows. American idol for example, how many of the 5 winners or the runners up have gone on to achieve serious success? Kelly Clarkson definitely has, Clay Aiken (runner up) seems to be doing ok and I have heard a lot about Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks as well. But will they have lasting success in this business, or when the glow of American Idol fades and the show is off the air, will their careers fade away? What about those oh so entertaining dating shows, the Bachelor, Average Joe, and the countless knockoffs, have any of those relationships worked out? So far the only one I can think of that ended in a real relationship is the Bachelorette - Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter not only ended up together they are married! But other than these two most of the hook-ups fell apart shortly after the shows ended. How about a more recent reality phenomenon, Laguna Beach. Pretty much every kid on the original season is now either on another MTV show (Jason, Steven, Lauren) or trying to work their 15 minutes of high school fame into a Lindsay Lohan worthy career (Kristin).

It probably sounds like I am knocking these shows and their participants really hard. I have to be honest, I have watched episodes of every show I have just written about, some of which I really liked! But what we gain in reality tv we seem to lose in quality sitcom programming. Gone are the days of Friends, Mad About You and Seinfeld, but at least we can count on LOST for the time being right? For all of its faults reality tv does have some bright spots. Some of my favorite cable channels such as the Travel Channel, HGTV and the Food network have been influenced by reality tv.

However, in my humble opinion the madess has got to end. Reality tv has its purpose and it had its day in the sun but I think they need to tone it down a little now. The shine is really starting to fade on some of these shows. The Real World has become comical in its casting. Every season they have the same type of people with different names, the same drunken fights, the same cheating and trashing the house and getting arrested. The whole point of a show like that was to show something new and interesting. Follow around a bunch of strangers and see how real people, normal people live their lives. Now the only people interested in these shows are young co-eds eager to miss a semester of college who have studied the shows so religiously that they know exactly which ‘character’ they will play before they even audition.

Here is my advice to the wannabe reality stars. If you want to win some cash and eat bugs fine go on Survivor. If you want to be a movie star go get an agent and take some acting lessons, don’t hooch it up on MTV hoping to be discovered. Oy! I am off to watch some Road Rules, gotta go….psyche!

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