Trash TV and Junk Food

[otterhere]

Anyone here share my recent unhealthy fascination with perfectly awful family reality shows? Embarrassing to admit, but one day I lingered on "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" in an innocent effort to understand what people found so fascinating about that show. Before I knew it I, too, was fascinated! Mostly with her abuse of him and his willingness to take it.

Since then, I've been known to watch "19 Kids and Counting," "Little People, Big World," and even the polygamy show...

Of course, this is only when TCM is showing modern fare, so it's all TCM's fault (that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it)...

[charliechaplinfan]

Not so much the junk food but on occasions, when I feel really tried I find myself getting lured into real life reality shows. When I'm so tired I can't move I've been known to resort to Traffic Cop programmes.

[movieman1957]

Frankly, I can't handle reality shows. I find them frequently embarrassing. Some people put out for consumption I wouldn't want my best friend to know. They either exploit themselves or let the networks do it for them. And it all seems for some money and their time in the public.

I'm a killjoy.

[knitwit45]

I'm a killjoy.

then count me in as one, also. I am so embarrassed by the antics, I just shudder and turn the channel. I've never watched any of the "reality" (hah! there's a contradiction) shows, when I'm surfing, I can't push the next button fast enough. So many of these travesties are staged, and so phony they make my teeth ache!

[ChiO]

We watched the first couple of seasons of The Apprentice. I watched about 30 minutes of an episode of Survivor (Season I)...in a bar...in Springfield, IL. For that alone, I shoulda won.

So I guess I'm not qualified to judge the quality of "reality" shows (unlike the rest of you who don't watch them ).

[Lzcutter]

If ratings are any indication, I must be a renegade. I don't watch reality shows on E!, have never had the Karadashian clan scream across my tv screen, not been the least interested in the Ice Truckers, the Gold Rush guys, the fisherman with Capt. Phil, the Great Race, Big Brother, the Apprentice or reality shows on other cable networks.

If the advertisers of these shows had to survive on my watching, they would be out of business.

[otterhere]

"...E!, have never had the Karadashian clan scream across my tv screen, not been the least interested in the Ice Truckers, the Gold Rush guys, the fisherman with Capt. Phil, the Great Race, Big Brother, the Apprentice..."

I don't watch any of those, either; nor "Survivor," "American Idol" ("idle" may be more like it), nor any of that ilk... Nor do I begin to understand the attraction of the millions of cake and cupcakes shows; huh??? But the families do attract.
I think I'm longing for a big, rambunction family of my own to help with my caregiving duties. There: a self-diagnosis...

I'm sure all viewing choices can be explained in psychological terms; esp. (with network) terms from abnormal psych!!!

[charliechaplinfan]

I don't like the out and out reality TV, I do like to watch traffic cop because people don't know they are being filmed. There are a rash of shows on at the moment devoted to losing weight, raising kids, skating on ice etc. I avoid them. The only one I have been watching is Big Fat Gypsy Weddings because it is so unbeliveable and funny. I hate the way TV has devoted so much of it's time to filming inane people wanting a bit of celebrity and not to proper programming.