Reality Tv

Why is reality TV such a popular genre that is watched by many? It is quite simple because it shows regular people in the cast and the public and the viewers can relate to them. “The fact that…the �characters’ on the show are selected from �ordinary’ life is a key part of this appeal” (Maasik and Solomon 228). The “characters” are not celebrities but just average people around the nation cast by the producers. The personal, emotional, and physical characteristics of these people's lives are televised for millions of people to watch, as they compete to win a large sum of money. But the one disappointment in these shows is that there is only one winner and the rest leave with nothing. What is it that people find so entertaining about these shows that keep them glued to their television week after week? Reality TV has become such a popular genre because the shows play on people’s emotions and imaginations which keep them coming back for more. An example of this is the show The Amazing Race.

The Amazing Race is a reality TV show about teams consisting of 2 members which are often lovers, family members, or best friends that race around the world in order to win the cash prize at the end of the race. Teams must race to certain checkpoints per episode and the last team to arrive at said checkpoints is eliminated.

The show “Survivor added another dimension to the mix by inviting viewers to identify with some contestants and to despise others” (Maasik and Solomon 229). The Amazing Race also used the concept from Survivor and was also designed to have the viewer associate themselves to a team and basically “cheer on” that certain team. Viewers’ emotions play a big part of the way the show was setup, but by associating themselves to a team, the viewers imagine themselves a part of the show itself and it keeps them watching to see the result of their team’s fate in the show. Each viewer would associate themselves with a different team and slowly project themselves into the show. As the race continues on, viewers tend to develop feelings for their teams and also feelings toward opposing teams. The reality TV genre generally uses this design and concept to “hook” the viewers into the shows, but emotions are not the only way these shows were designed to keep the viewers watching.

The Amazing Race is not just a simple race to the end of the prize. The producers of the show carefully scripted and incorporated drama and conflicts into the show to keep it from being otherwise “plain” and “straightforward”. The show would have the teams uses otherwise “dirty” strategies to gain advantages and to direct obstacles