Reality TV Show Madness

Is it just me, or is America slowly becoming aggravated with reality TV? It maybe 4AM, but I have been watching the Bravo Network for roughly an hour and during that time I have encountered two reality shows: “Top Chef” and Kathy Griffin’s show. Is there no aspect of life that cannot be made into a reality TV show? From cooking to listening to someone shell off bad jokes, no one is safe from the latest fad in American society. Accordingly, it is not my intention to single out Bravo, as there are countless reality shows on countless networks; it just happened to be on.

“Top Chef” is a show that encompasses a “real life” competition between various chef wannabes, whose creations are judged by a panel of “professional” chefs. This is not riveting television people; it lacks any semblance of “must watch TV.” The only thought that I had while watching the show was of American Idol. The panel of “professional” chefs seemed to intimidate and shred what little confidence the budding chefs had left, just as Simon does to the singers on American Idol. Not to rip the cooking business, but what do these people know about what I or anyone else likes for that matter?

The working definition of a professional chef includes one who charges extravagant prices for “food” that can be thrown in the microwave at home for a tenth of the cost, they have a show on Food Network, and have an eating disorder. With that said, one needs to ask how much do we really need to know about the lives of others? Our elected officials on the national and state level are scrutinized and queried on every aspect of their personal lives, i.e. Bill Clinton. Because they are elected by the people, the people need to know what color sheets are on their beds.

My point is simple; reality TV is another fad that Americans are growing tired of. Personally, I do not habitually watch a single reality TV show (or any other show for that matter) due to the fact that I do not care what people like Kathy Griffin or “Simon” think. I’m sure they do perfectly fine in their selected professions. But most of these professions are entertainment based. The American public is firmly aware of what entertains them; we do not need to be told what we like.