For the last few decades, reality TV has become an entertainment phenomenon. Although the interests on it has died down a bit, reality TV is still an important part in the TV industry. The genre is based on a very interesting concept of capturing and broadcasting the lives of people. Just like any entertainment content, the more dramatic and crazier it is, the better. At the end of 1990’s, reality TV started to take a hold of our lives the genre dominated highest ratings in the television industry. Survivor made a strong reputation in the reality TV genre and as of the year 2017, it manages to reach season 34. The concept is simple enough, that is to let a group of contestant stranded in various remote places, especially jungles. They are allowed to do things such as deceiving or manipulating others to win a season. This formula creates a drama among a group of people and it has become quite addictive for many people.
The Real World is considered as one of the earliest reality shoes on TV. As of 2017, the series has 32 sessions and it is still aired on MTV. The concept is very simple, that is to put a group of people in a single house and we watch how the drama unfolds. In fact, the Real World could give us more than just simple drama. American Idol was actually not a new concept during its release, because there were already previous Star Search shows. The series has a cult-like following who tune in each week for the next episode. We could directly see how the contestants perform. The comments and reactions of judges were essential parts of the show as well. American Idol is also a representation of democracy where everyone can vote and singers with the lowest vote in each episode will be eliminated from the contest. After 15 seasons, American Idol ended in 2016 and there’s a plan to continue with the season 16 at 2018.
The Amazing Race is another reality TV series captivate many audiences. As of 2017, it has been aired for 28 seasons and like American Idol, it produces many spin offs on different regions and countries. While many reality TV shows are competitive, Amazing Race places competition at a higher level. They take a dozen of two-person teams and they need to compete in crazy challenges. The team that reaches the finish line last will be eliminated at each episode.
The Bachelor is an interesting show to watch and it is particularly interesting for female audience. It is about a group of people who seek true love. The bachelor is sometimes a well known individual, but he is always attractive enough to cause a group of single women to compete and fight over him. There’s a weekly elimination with each episode, until there’s only a single woman left. The goal is to make the bachelor lives happily ever after with the last woman standing.