BoatDrinks

I am someone who does not watch Survivor, Mole, Temptation Island, etc, so I am very interested in your honest opinions of:

With the pending writers' strike, along with the fact that all the reality shows have done well (in the ratings), the networks have gone nuts developing reality shows for next season. So, here's my question:

When the market becomes flooded (there will be somewhere between 8 and 12 reality shows next season) do you think you will you continue to watch these types of shows, or is there a chance they could eventually become boring enough that you would turn the channel?

Thanks.

filmguy

I HATE REALITY SHOWS SO MUCH. MAN THEY SUCK - SURVIVOR, TEMPTATION ISLAND, MOLE.... Gee's, if I want reality, let me step foot out my house!

seven

I think they've already become boring

Deftones

well, it depends. if the show's premise is good, then they can be interesting. i enjoy survivor and the mole, but i didn't bother watching temptation island. temptation island just looked dumb. the new fox one that starts this month, called boot camp also looks very dumb.

RobCA

The only one I watch regularly is Survivor. The Mole looked lame, and I watched a couple of episodes of Temptation Island, and quickly lost interest.

I might check out the new shows, but I probably won't bother to watch any of them on a regular basis, except Survivor. That show is SO addicting!

Deftones

somehow, i get the feeling that this thread is aimed towards me!

BoatDrinks

Well, being a Sun Devil explains your fascination with these shows... and with small shiny objects.

Ba Da Bing! Slammo! Doh!

I'm just wondering if there will be an eventual backlash. Did you see that NBC hired the VH1 guy who created "Behind the Music" to be Exec VP of Programming because... "they want to get in on the "Non-traditional" form of television"... that's reality TV to you and me.

And have you heard about the show Matt Damon & Ben Affleck are exec producing? Anyone remember the movie "The Running Man?" That's what they're doing... seriously.

I think these shows will get wilder and wilder, to feed this WWF type appetite that our country has now, until somebody ends up getting seriously hurt or killed. Then they'll go back to original programming.

greeny

I am another one that can't stand those 'reality' shows. I liked 'reality' shows when it was the Real World, but after a few years, it started getting boring. I have not watched any of the current 'reality' shows, and just wished they would go away. Just my two cents, sometimes I feel like the only person in the world that feels that way.

Deftones

oh, one reality show that i hope never leaves the air is COPS. that's such a great show.

Red Dog

I'll second that.

I am hooked on Survivor. I think this season is just as good as the last, and I never imagined that would be the case.

The only other one I like is Real World.

eXcentris

You should check out the movie Series 7.

Synopsis: This movie depicts a "reality-based TV show" where six contestants from around America are given guns and followed around by a cameraman. Their mission? To be the last person alive to win the big prize. The central character, Dawn (Brooke Smith), is the returning champion, who has a particular reason to win this year: she's pregnant.

Home page: http://www.series7movie.com/

Trailers: http://www.movie-list.com/s/series7.shtml

The thought that we could ever come to this makes me want to give up on humankind...

Feneant

My sentiments from day one...

matchpenalty

In general, I think most of the reality shows suck. However, I have enjoyed both Survivor series and the recent Mole series. I thought the Mole would be lame (and some small parts of it were), but in general it was interesting as to how people played the game.

JoeC

I'm not so sure that attacking the genre is fair. I think that reality TV has been done well (Survivor) and poorly (When Animals Attack).

I, for one, think the British have had some good ideas that we're sure to ripoff, like "Jailbreak", "Robot Wars" and the already imported and Americanized for TLC "Junkyard Wars" (formerly "Scrapheap Challenge").

I think what we're tired of though might be the artificial reality of some of these shows. Discuss.

JoeC...who enjoyed "Big Brother", but thinks they could learn a lot from the European versions...

briank

Well I REALLY ENJOY Survivor and The Mole.
I watched Temptation Island and would rate that "ok".
Big Brother was truely TERRIBLE, but had the premise and "could" be good if done the right way.

But things like "marry a millionare" or "Boot Camp" look terrible and boring.
So it depends on the show and how well it's put together.

cartman

Well, I must admit (rather shamfully) that I watch Survivor and get rather mad if I miss it... As a general rule, I HATE "reality" TV. I think I like survivor because it's more of a game show than a "reality" show. One of my friends thought "Temptation Island" was the greatest show in the past few years... I yell at her quite frequently... I think we have exactly opposite tastes in most everything.

You thinking of developing a "reality" show, guyot?

Whoops... forgot to answer the question... yes, the market will get flodded with "reality" shows, and most of them will fail, but I think survivor will continue for at least another 2 seasons as long as they mix it up a bit each time. How many times can we watch the same clashes, games, and hunts for food before getting bored.

I'd make it a bit different than it is now, and have the PERFECT frickin setting in mind, but I'm not a dang TV exec.

RandyC

I don't care for most Reality TV...though I did watch a bit of Road Rules and such on MTV, and I can understand the draw. It is normally not enough to make me TiVo it or change my schedule around it. Most of the Reality TV I think is lame, or centered around a lower motivation to watch (such as Temptation Island).

Okay...so having said that. I love Survivor and the Mole. In both cases, I did not watch the shows at first. But the general "buzz" about the shows makes them part of a cultural event (like SNL in the late 70s). What I found on each of these shows was a fascinating interplay of personal dynamics, changing allegiances, shifting stratagies...and some good ideas (with a few bad ideas). I found I liked it a lot more than I expected and continued to watch. Specially The Mole.

These shows can be their own victims though. It is really lame how "Hollywood" does that when something is successful and then they flood the market with more (but cheaper or stupider) knock offs. Like an obsessive-compulsive person, we tire of it and look for the next thrill....and then "Hollywood" declares the format as "out"...even though it was viable initially.

I will continue to watch Survivor and The Mole, but I will not watch a lot of new Reality Shows, unless they develop enough positive buzz about them. I actually want to enter to be on The Mole.

Jeremy517

The only one that I watch is Survivor. I won't miss that.

I think that as long as survivor keeps pulling huge ratings, you'll keep seeing new reality shows on other stations. If another station has one that doesn't work (Big Brother, Temptation Island, etc), they'll just end that one and start a new one with a different premise.