Guilty Pleasures: the Reality Show Edition

Cafe Society
1

I know, we’re all high brow here. But once in a while, you flip to your reality show of choice when you’ve loaned out all your copies of “Howard’s End” and you just can’t face pretending to enjoy “The English Patient” again.

I was inspired to post this OP when I discovered that, thank God, there’s another America’s Next Top Model marathon on MTV today. (Does that channel even pretend to have anything to do with music anymore?)

So, fess up? Your reality shows of choice?

2

Design Star, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Dancing with the Stars … those are the ones we go for.

I don’t know if you count Alton Brown’s Feasing on Asphalt or Les Stroud’s Surviorman, but if so, those are great as well. They’re not competition shows, but it’s more “let’s roll the camera and see what happens” sort of a thing.

3

I never try and catch MTV’s My Sweet 16 but if I find it while flipping through the channels, I can’t help but watch. I don’t think reality shows come any worse than that, right?

4

I’m not sure what the attraction is, but I find myself watching ‘Gene Simmon’s Family Jewels’ on A&E.

That or Dr. 90210. That one is more like a train wreck at times… I flip through the channels, spot it, and can’t bring myself to flip away.

<< University faculties are communities of scholars united only by common grievances about parking. >>

5

My wife and I actually quite enjoy Pirate Master.

We are not ashamed(much).

6

The Amazing Race, Survivor, and most guilty: Pimp my Ride

7

I confess that at the gym, on long treadmill sessions, I’ve watched VH1 Celebreality marathons - including “Flavor of Love” and “Celebrity Weight Club.” Reality doesn’t get worse than that.

8

Project Runway. It’s my only reality show, really. I say it’s for the fashion, but then why don’t I fast-forward through all the testimonials and arguing?

9

And only a few days til they put the new bitches up on the website! woohoo!

America’s Next Top Model is mine too.

Except I’m not embarrassed by it. I just recognize how stupid and vapid it is and love it anyway
… and The Simple Life and My Super Sweet Sixteen. Those I am embarrassed by. I don’t go out of my way to watch them. I don’t even know when they’re on. But if they are and I’m bored, I’ll watch and laugh my head off.