The Influence of Reality Television on America

Reality television is the most popular genre of television in America. People love to sit and enjoy the unscripted dramatics or humorous situations, the ordinary people instead of famous paid actors, and the real situations. Reality television has existed in different forms since television began, but the term is most commonly used to describe the programs produced since the year 2000. Reality television contains a wide range of topics that range from game shows to surveillance shows. However, the type of reality show that seems to get most of America’s attention is reality dating shows. Each week millions of viewers tune in to their favorite reality dating shows to see what drama and fights occur, who has the better chance of winning, and who will be eliminated. It all originated with reality dating game shows that had new contestants every week. Eventually, the show “The Bachelor” came out and changed reality television history. The whole season of the show was focused on one man choosing from twenty different women. Each week the audience got to know each contestant more and more and became more addicted to the show. Bachelor-like spin-off shows have come out recently that give the term reality television a whole new meaning. These shows are full of fighting, craziness, drama, and sex appeal; this is what America is drawn to.

The first spin off show featured a man named William Drayton, an African-American hype man, who America knows as Flavor Flav. His career began in 1987 with his rap group Public Enemy. Flavor Flav was the “hype man” or the “rap sidekick” of the group. He kept fans entertained with his different choice of clothing and crazy personality. He later was a part of the Vh1 reality show “The Surreal Life,” which put B list or washed up celebrities in a house to live together. He became so popular on the show that Vh1 decided to give him his own dating show, and so the show “Flavor of Love” began. It featured twenty contestants (mostly African American) competing for the love of Flavor Flav. The show broke Vh1 records in terms of viewers on its premier night on January 1, 2006. Compared to the more “classy” girls featured on the Bachelor, the Flavor of Love girls were bad-mannered, vulgar, and outrageous. Teresa Wiltz, a Washington Post Staff Writer, wrote an article about the show and described it as, "Twenty current/former/future strippers compete for the attention and affection of a cracked out deadbeat dad." They're decried as weave-wearing, booty-shaking �hos’; critics argue their desperate-to-please antics signal the ultimate degradation of women of all colors, particularly African American women.” Wiltz also writes that the show is “resulting in much outrage and denouncing of Flavor Flav in the blogosphere as a �minstrel in action’ and a �recovering crack head and ex-con’ who has taken his race-baiting antics to �all-new depths.’” Flavor of love created so much controversy because it was such a different type of show compared to the wholesome Bachelor show. On the Bachelor a few girls fought here and there, but on Flavor of Love girls were physically fighting, cursing, and spitting on each other. Despite all of the criticisms that Flavor of Love received, it is now in its third season and still breaking Vh1 viewing records. Many of the girls on the show have gained a lot of fame. One contestant, the self proclaimed “head bitch in charge,” Tiffany Pollard aka “New York,” stands out above all the rest. She was so outrageous on the show being the villain of the house that Vh1 even gave her a spin-off show of her own.

I Love New York premiered a year after Flavor of Love on January 8, 2007. The show beat out Flavor of Loves viewing records and turned into the most viewed show in all of Vh1 history. It was a similar format to the Flavor of Love show except the tables has turned and the one picking from the twenty contestants was a female. The show featured twenty men competing for the love of New York. Men are more competitive then women by nature, so these men stopped at nothing to be the last one standing. Fights constantly broke out, cliques formed in the house, and drama began around every corner. A twist that I Love New York featured that Flavor of Love did not feature was that Tiffany’s mom, Michelle Patterson aka “Sister Patterson,” assisted Tiffany along the way in picking the best man for her. However, Sister Patterson was not your typical “mom.” She is very bizarre and mean and liked to fight with all of the contestants. The showed aired for two seasons and in the end Tiffany did find love. Despite all of the fighting and drama on the show between the twenty male contestants, the shows popularity truly grew because of Tiffany Pollard herself. Tiffany, an extremely dramatic