People who watch Reality TV need to be sent to camps

I’m not a monster. They won’t be killed. Just sterilized and quarantined for the remainder of their lives. Maybe then, at the end, in their cholera-ridden, urine-soaked moment of clarity they will realize why they deserve no place in this culture. But I doubt it. Nevertheless, future generations will appreciate their sacrifice.

We could hide some cameras at this camp, and put it on TV!
Brilliant!!

The only reality shows I watch are Real World, Road Rules, Bachelor, Bachelorette, Survivor, Big Brother, Simple Life, Average Joe, Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance, Osbournes, Newlyweds, and Apprentice. But for anyone who watches any of the others, I agree with you. Send 'em away.

Yeah, but there has to be some way for them to “win” at something, to keep the attention of the viewers. Perhaps they could compete for the opportunity to have a weekend pass out of the camp, or have loved ones visit them, or for special privileges and items from the outside.

I think we’ve got a winner here. But if we shop the show to Fox, remember to tie in midgets or man-eating tigers or something like that.

Normally I would agree with you; that is up untill they came out with “My Big Fat Fiance’”

I don’t know if that show is going to STAY funny becuase I could see that one going in a downward spiral very easily, but the first show was some pretty damned funny stuff.

but… but… but…

Tonight on Fear Factor it’s Couples grabbing at flags while hanging upside down from a helicopter! And tomorrow there’s a new Real World San Diego, and after that the season premiere of the Osbornes!

If I watch I have to go to Castration Camp?

I don’t want to go to Castration Camp :frowning:

As terrible as the premises are for some (maybe most) reality shows, the reason they are popular is because people are sick of regular TV programs that are so goddamned predictable and cliched, and often preachy. Reality TV would lose out to good programming, but it beats bad programming (in my household, sports beat everything else on TV, and a book is better than anything else on TV). In fact, I think Reality TV is a lot like sports, because what makes it interesting is that the audience can be involved to some extent and because many aspects of it are out of the control of the producers. I also think Reality TV is more of a window on our culture than any TV programs, including the serious dramas. The basic values of people, what they are willing to do for money, how they perceive themselves, is all on display. I’ve only seen maybe 5 hours of reality TV total - 1 Survivor, 3 American Idols, 1 Fiance, but I feel I’ve seen enough to know what it is. I don’t even think it’s necessarily bad for our culture… I used to think so, but after watching a couple, I think that the stupid and embarassing behavior of people out of greed (Survivor, Fiance), or their complete lack of self awareness (Idol) might make the audience reflect… Gee, maybe I’m not a star in the making either, or Maybe getting a huge pile of money isn’t as important as cultivating personal integrity and dignity.

Um, before you send me off to be quarentined and whatnot, can I take my TV with me? So, you know, I don’t miss American Idol? :wink:

American Idol is interesting for one reason… the winners bore me, even though they are good singers, because the music is way to pre-fab safe pop and lacks character (the judges are all uber-pop guys, incredibly mainstream and status quo, although if Paula finds this offensive she can call me and we can discuss it over dinner)… the fact that people completely devoid of talent try out and are shocked and outraged when they’re told they suck. Why, why, why do they think they can sing? I wonder. Randy and Simon ask them the same question. Would you try out for a baseball team if you can’t play? And if you did, and the scout said, “sorry, but you can’t play,” would you argue? “I can so play! You’re making a huge mistake! I’m going to be a star! Just you watch!”

I think that decades of “dare to dream” and “believe in yourself” pablum fed to grade school kids has created a generation of narcissists lacking in self awareness. Instead of trying to come up with clever new barbs, the show should dump the rejects with slime in the tradition of “You Can’t Do That On Television.” That’s their “No.”

Amen to that, skutir ! As I said on the American Idol 3 thread in Cafe Society, a lot of these people seem to have a sense of entitlement, thinking that just because they’ve sung in church choir that they are pop star material. Part of the reason I can’t take my eyes from the screen during the show is that I can’t believe just how deluded some of these folks are. Which is probably the reason FOX shows these kinds of people. Even though they may be only a small sample of those who try out, conflict still makes for some interesting television.

I would have agreed with the OP until I saw previews for that one with Ron Jeremy and Tammy Faye Bakker. I gotta remember to watch that…

Whoever thought of putting those two together: pure genius. They need to do one of the “Reaaaal Men Of Geniuuuuusssssss…” beer ads devoted to that guy.

Noooooo! I can’t go to camp! Survivor All-Stars starts this Sunday night. And then there’s the new season of Real World/Road Rules Challenge (Inferno) and with both Coral and Julie on there, there’s no way I can miss that one…
What? Addicted? Me? Ha!

Simon: Who told you that you could sing?

Contestant: I don’t know.

SPLOOSH

The thing I hate most about reality shows is that I never know when I’m supposed to be laughing, since there’s no helpful laugh track. Also, it’s upsetting that the situation at the end of the show is usually different than how it started out. Worse still, the following week, it’s still different! Who wants to watch a show that doesn’t start from the same place every week? :mad:

I don’t believe this at all. There are different strains of “reality show.” Depending on the breed, I would go so far to say that events that appear spontaneous when edited have been nothing less than designed, orchestrated and engineered by the producers.

Not to camps. To remote desert island locations and permitted to bring one luxury item. (Hopefully they’ll all bring their televisions and nobody will think to bring a pedal-powered generator.)

I don’t see the appeal of reality television, for the most part. It’s hippodroming. The broadcasters have this down to a science now. They know from the start who wins and who is unpleasant and who is congenial and who gets voted out next-to-last. They can stage the race any old damn way they want. Even Junkyard Wars (or Scrapheap Challenge) seems to do this by elongating the ‘12 hours’ until both teams have something that’ll vaguely work.

Bah. If I want to watch a rigged contest I’ll follow the Florida elections. :stuck_out_tongue:

Weirdest thing…
I can see how you would get to a point with these things where you’d like to banish everyone who watches them verrrry easily. I have two problems with them…enough people watch this crap so that the never ending stream of “new and improved” reality shows just flows and flows, thereby pre-empting shows I like to watch, which pisses me off. The other problem I have with these shows isn’t so much a problem with the show itself, but the people who watch them constantly asking me, “OhmyOG!! Did you SEE what happened on blahblah last night??” When I tell them, “No. I don’t much like that blahblah show.” I invariably get the shocked stare with the, “But you really should watch!!! It’s soooo amazing with a capital AAAAA!!! Like last night when Bob (they always talk about these people on a first name basis as if they’re lifelong friends) said to Jane…blahblah…!!”

If it wasn’t for the inference that I must be some sort of slackjawed mutant because I’m just not hip enough to care what happens on these contrived nuisances…

I’m not better than they are, I’m just not into it. I wish they’d leave me alone about it. Come to think of it…I wish my co-workers would just leave me alone about most stuff. :stuck_out_tongue:

No, no, no you don’t have to go to Castration Camp, you get the oppurtunity to compete for millions in FOX’s AMERICAN CASTRATION MILLIONAIRE CAMP!!!

Exciting, no?

Well duh! The contest is “Escape from the Reality TV Show Viewer Prison Camp”! All the guards are heavily armed, sex starved, black belt midgets, and instead of guard dogs we have…wait for it…man eating tigers!

Gotta go. Fox is holding on line one…

Actually, it’s already been done. Anyone seen Series 7? :eek: Heartily recommended for anyone who might enjoy Fox’s next: Pick the Pedophile Priest. (ten priests are lined up in front of a noose - only one gets to leave.)