Talent?

Next on the agenda of reality TV was the category of talent. Talent on TV is not anything new. The Miss America competition has been airing on TV every year since 1954, when it was first broadcasted on ABC. American Idol—which is a later version of the Gong Show, where the contestants would have to get through their act before a gong was sounded—took the United States by force when it was first of eight seasons was aired on June 11, 2002. American Idol is a TV show that strives to find the newest and most talented solo musical artist. American Idol has gotten so big and popular in recent years that in 2008 The Walt Disney Company announced its construction of “The American Idol Experience,” which is a live attraction based on the show. American Idol spin offs include The Next Great American Band, Dancing with the Stars, and So You Think You Can Dance.

The next largest share of reality TV goes to those who don’t need any more fame. Almost every celebrity at one point in time has had a reality TV show: The Osbourne’s, The Anna Nicole Show, Newly Weds: Jessica and Nick, The Simple Life, Rock of Love, Hogan Knows Best, The Girls Next Door, and Living Lohan just to name a very few. These “celebreality” shows are usually short-lived.

So why, in reality, are reality TV shows so incredibly tempting to be a part of today?

First, the fame and fortune associated with participating on a reality television show are two very enticing objectives. These creatures combined have the ability to draw any normal being out of their humdrum of existence with merely the offer of money and adoration granted by the show’s followers.

The sad truth is, however, that these so-called “stars” of reality TV are simply parlaying their 15 minutes of fame into a career in TV, whether we like it or not. While the winner of the first season of American Idol Kelly Clarkson turned her reality TV show triumph into a moderately successful and respectable singing career, others like William Hung, who was noted as one of the worse American Idol auditioners, received fame for the opposite reason. While Clarkson’s first album “Thankful” went double platinum, William Hung did not do too shabby with his album entitled “Inspiration,” which sold more than 350,000 copies worldwide.


Another reason reality TV is so big is because humans are naturally nosey. We like to know what is going on with people and we thrive on being on top of the latest gossip. If the show involves any type of controversy, we are even more interested and quickly become involved with the situations. We also love to watch people win as well as lose. What they win is the most astonishing thing. We are even drawn to the poor souls that lose. Also, we like seeing what happens behind the scenes, for example: Deadliest Catch or Dirty Jobs. Americans are intrigued by the matters at which things we take for granted are accomplished. Such as, who wouldn’t be interested in seeing someone battle against horrendous storms for their lives while trying to catch crabs or observe second-hand what is actually involved with the job description of pigeon-poop cleaner-upper, other than the obvious.