Reality Not So Real After All

If it's hard to believe that "reality" television is real, it's because it's not. Many don't realize reality television shows are scripted time zappers with directors telling their casts what to do, adding nothing to our lives. Not only is "reality" television not real, but it's becoming repetitive and boring.

Instead of showing the truth of daily life, reality television shows scripted cat fights, fake romances and faux friendships. It is unbelievable that so many people waste their time on these types of shows.

"We look at reality TV, which is billed as unscripted, and we know it is scripted," said Daniel Petrie Jr, president of the Writers Guild of America-West, to the Washington Post.

VH1 reality show "Flavor of Love" has gone through three seasons in search of love for rapper Flavor Flav of Public Enemy. However, at the end of each season his quest for love fails and the show is ripe for another season. If you find it a little weird that a famous rapper can't find the right girl after going through so many, it's because VH1 stage events with the girl he picks, that way the station can make more money with more seasons of the same show.

MTV's "The Hills" was one of the first shows to come out and reveal that they really do staged scenes and manipulate situations. "I hate to say we schedule their lives, but we definitely schedule out what we want to cover," executive producer Adam DiVello told TV Guide.

Audrina Patridge, one of the stars of "The Hills" confirms this, saying, "We don't have a set schedule. It depends on what's going on," according to Realityblurred.com.

With reality shows it is hard to tell whether the show they film is real or fake. Speculation has abounded that American Idol has fixed finalists, meaning finalists are chosen based on what the viewers would like, not on actual votes. According to the NY Daily News, an American Idol staffer for this season told a "group of people that the last four are going to be Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds, Adam Lambert and Alexis Grace."

Asked if this was opinion or fact, the staffer vehemently retorted, "Those are the people," expressing that it wasn't mere speculation.

We need to get back to watching good old scripted television, where the actors can actually change the way you think, rather than supporting these talentless people who are just filling up time slots. The next time you decide to watch a reality show ask yourself if it is really worth your time and try reading a book with real substance instead.