# Reality shows that have become unwatchable. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 7, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571 "2014-04-07T17:56:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/21 "2014-04-08T18:55:31Z")
**American Pickers**. Used to watch a lot of this, but it is so obviously seeded and scripted as to make it an annoying waste of time. Once seeing how padded the show is with stretches of annoying banter, false surprises, and commercial break cliffhangers, I actively avoid it. **House Hunters** and similar shows. Why did I ever care what other people’s picky opinions of real estate were? How do these “professional consultants” and “work from home” people afford $750k houses? **Pawn Star**. So obviously staged and formulaic now, with poorly acted cue-card read skits in place of “reality”. The only interesting thing now is the occasional oddball historical artifacts that come through. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/22 "2014-04-08T19:04:58Z")
> [@amaguri](#): > > I agree, but for different reasons. There are too many challenges that have almost nothing to do with being a good chef. Yeah, this would be my complaint. Compared to a lot of these celebrity chefs I don’t really see Tom as much of a dick. Tough at times, but not terribly dickish. But all of these shows just keep stretching to make things more dramatic and BIG and in the end it just diminishes the natural drama inherent in a competition. Top Chef is better than some ( Chopped, Iron Chef), but still getting ever more ridiculous along with all the rest. My particular bete noir among reality shows is **Deadliest Catch** which went from at least an attempt at a dramatic quasi-documentary style the first season or two to being all about manufactured/scripted personal drama and 15 minutes of fame. I know a guy who makes a living shooting on a number of these shows and apparently the fakeness of all of them is a pain on his very soul. But it does pay the bills :D. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/23 "2014-04-08T19:34:20Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > **American Pickers**. Used to watch a lot of this, but it is so obviously seeded and scripted as to make it an annoying waste of time. Once seeing how padded the show is with stretches of annoying banter, false surprises, and commercial break cliffhangers, I actively avoid it. > > **House Hunters** and similar shows. Why did I ever care what other people’s picky opinions of real estate were? How do these “professional consultants” and “work from home” people afford $750k houses? > > **Pawn Star**. So obviously staged and formulaic now, with poorly acted cue-card read skits in place of “reality”. The only interesting thing now is the occasional oddball historical artifacts that come through. Believe it or not, _ **Canadian Pickers** _ and _ **Hard Core Pawn** _ are much worse. On any “home improvement” show, you can bet that the upgrade will make the place unaffordable for the low-income shlubs who own it, taxwise. If _ **Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives** _ counts, I reached my saturation point a long time ago. I no longer care to hear Guy Fieri ramble on with his endless two cents’ worth while obese Americans stuff their faces with artery-clogging food. The Canadian knockoff of Triple D is just as bad, but without the personality. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/24 "2014-04-08T19:47:28Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I know a guy who makes a living shooting on a number of these shows and apparently the fakeness of all of them is a pain on his very soul. But it does pay the bills :D. One particularly hokey “documentary” show is _ **Jungle Gold** _, about two douchebags from Utah who leave their families to go prospecting in Africa, thinking that if they strike it rich they’ll be able to get out of debt. They then proceed to dig themselves ever deeper in the hole as they deal with crooked Africans and shifty expatriates. Of course, nothing ever, uhm, pans out. It’s a hoot and a holler! ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/25 "2014-04-08T20:00:36Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > One particularly hokey “documentary” show is _ **Jungle Gold** _, about two douchebags from Utah who leave their families to go prospecting in Africa, thinking that if they strike it rich they’ll be able to get out of debt. They then proceed to dig themselves ever deeper in the hole as they deal with crooked Africans and shifty expatriates. Of course, nothing ever, uhm, pans out. > > It’s a hoot and a holler! I haven’t watched either one, but from the promos for Game of Stones, it looks to be in the same vein ;), just with gemstones instead of gold. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/26 "2014-04-08T20:05:55Z")
I started watching those hoarder shows (I’m not going to look up their precise names) because of genuine interest in the underlying disorder that causes a person to become a hoarder. My mom was and my brother is borderline. I couldn’t continue watching them because I now actively dislike them. Hoarding is a sad, frustrating mental illness. Rather than gain an insight into how to help folks like this, I found it obvious that it’s almost impossible to help them and it became too depressing to watch. Disgusting, too. ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/27 "2014-04-08T20:08:32Z")
I find watching Survivor unbearable - showing the worst of human nature. The Biggest Loser - too much padding. (if you will pardon the pun) & too much crying. All the talent shows except I did enjoy the Australian version of The Voice. (I would probably enjoy the British & American ones too as I really like the format. But they haven’t screened over here) Anything with Gordan Ramsey although as people have said upthread the original British series of Kitchen Nightmares was really good where Ramsay was genuinely trying to help. I still like The Amazing Race, but its no longer must see TV. I like the NZ & British Masterchef shows. The Australian version has jumped the shark. Last couple of series the contestants weren’t that good & the judges seemed to be trying to wring tears out of them. Nauseating. ---
**Author:** ![PeacePlease](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@PeacePlease](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeacePlease)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/28 "2014-04-08T20:28:16Z")
The Amazing Race will never become unwatchable for me…but that may be because I met Phil Keoghan in real life and he is STUNNING!! And has such a great life story to tell. I met his Dad at the same time and said to him something like ‘You’re son is so lucky’ and he answered with ‘People don’t know how hard he works’. I do believe that’s probably true. 20+ seasons of world travel…I get exhausted just thinking about it! I gave up on Survivor after season 2. Same stuff, different people. I still love a cooking reality show, though. I don’t even cook but I love, love to watch what talented people can do with food. However, I didn’t watch the last season of Top Chef. Guess I’m burned out on that one. I’m another Doper that relies solely on my PC to watch TV…so I find myself picking and choosing! ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/29 "2014-04-08T20:56:17Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Pretty much everything except Survivor. It’s a game, an actual game, and so it works. I’ve never really been happy with how a show like Survivor, which is basically a game show, gets lumped in the “reality” genre with stuff like Storage Wars, Honey Boo Boo, or the like. I know the first season of Survivor was supposed to be more of the “what would it be like to live on a beach and survive” but after Richard Hatch did to it, it’s always been primarily a game show/competition. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/30 "2014-04-08T23:52:05Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > _Next Food Network Star_. You can’t even get onto the show unless you have a sob story about a dead relative and can relate everything you cook to how that dead relative made you a cook. Well, or… Food Network Guy: “So, what’s your story?” Contestant: “Well, my parents are Indian immigrants who came to America and then struggled so they could send me to culinary school. I went to Cordon Bleu in France, then went to work in Paris under Joel Robuchon. After working there for 7 years, I took a year’s sabbatical and traveled through France, learning everything I could about French regional cuisine. Then I came to America where I went to work for Hubert Keller as head chef of his restaurant in San Francisco. People think French cuisine is frightening, but really it’s easy, and I hope I can show the audience that they don’t have to be scared of French food…sort of French for the regular American.” Food Network Guy: “So, your parents are Indian? Ok, have you considered focusing on curries?” ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/31 "2014-04-09T00:03:18Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Oh, yeah. Dumbing-down is a prerequisite for any American version of an imported format. I think there’s a lot of expansion as well, especially of shows coming from the UK where say 12 episodes would be a lot. The latest season of Masterchef is currently on the BBC and right now is in the initial heats. They manage to go from 12 people to 2 in 2.5 hours. It’s also a much more watchable show than the American version with no manufactured drama. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/32 "2014-04-09T00:12:53Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Oh, yeah. Dumbing-down is a prerequisite for any American version of an imported format. The US Mole was smart as any other. I have seen the Australian ones and they are, in my opinion, worse and dumber. Their first series was before the US, I believe. > [@magnusblitz](#): > > I’ve never really been happy with how a show like Survivor, which is basically a game show, gets lumped in the “reality” genre with stuff like Storage Wars, Honey Boo Boo, or the like. I know the first season of Survivor was supposed to be more of the “what would it be like to live on a beach and survive” but after Richard Hatch did to it, it’s always been primarily a game show/competition. Yep, it’s not a reality show in the same sense as others. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/33 "2014-04-09T00:58:25Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > This is not to say shows you never watched because you never liked them. These are shows that you once enjoyed but now do not watch because you actively dislike them. > 2) American Idol > Yawn. When was the last time they showed the horrible auditions? How far can someone advance if they are at all different? It seems like the judges goal is to have a slate of people who sing great and sound like everyone else in Hollywood trying to make it big. But what really pissed me off was one year there was a kid maybe 16, overweight and social awkward. I want to say his name was Jace. His group in Vegas kicked him out (for no musical reason other than he didn’t fit their image of cool kids) well after midnight. Luckily Geddy Lee lookalike (who was the last person cut that year) had a group that took him in. And Jace (ITIHN) almost made it to the top 20. I was so pissed that the producers would allow that and let a situation where a singer wouldn’t have a group happen although they did change the rules slightly the next year. I don’t think you realize that the situation you described was to do exactly what it did… get you emotionally involved in the show. You actually bought the whole “kicked out of his group after midnight” storyline… that was all staged. Cameras are always at the right spot. Conversations are always overheard. And somehow, it works out for the kid who was booted out. AI was the one show I used to watch with my wife. She loved it, I loved to hate it. But after Paula left (her drug-induced babbling was always classic tv) it became less fun. And Simon leaving, as much as I hated him, was the last straw for me. > [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > I loved the first season of _Bar Rescue_. It was fun and believable. > > Now it’s shouting and unbelievable owners who deserve to fail. Agree with you on this. Jon “whatever his name” is such a blowhard, but he knows his stuff. However, it IS all about the confrontation, and the shouting, and as much as that sells to the vast majority of Americans, I can’t stand it. Most, if not all of it, is fake… or at the very least it is ramped up for the viewers. My favorite episode was that screwy pirate bar, which was just weird. They changed back to playing Pirates a week after the show left. And the other weird one was “Swanky Bubbles”, one of the strangest names for a bar I’ve ever heard. > [@terentii](#): > > If _ **Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives** _ counts, I reached my saturation point a long time ago. I no longer care to hear Guy Fieri ramble on with his endless two cents’ worth while obese Americans stuff their faces with artery-clogging food. The Canadian knockoff of Triple D is just as bad, but without the personality. This is a show I used to enjoy, but Guy is a tool. I do enjoy seeing the places he finds, because I am a big diner guy. Love to find a good place that is off the beaten path, so to speak. But Guy with his “fist bump” approval method and his frosted tipped hair is just too much for me. The food show I really have come to loathe is Man Vs. Food. That fat bastard goes all over the country and attempts these ridiculous eating challenges. I can’t stand watching him shovel food into his bloated face each episode. The first few seasons, he seemed to always wear a Member’s Only jacket with the sleeves pushed up over top of a too-tight t-shirt. He always looks like a slob. And he IS a slob. There is nothing redeeming about him at all, and every time I see him I want to throw a brick at his head. I don’t understand why people find watching some fat fuck eat 6 lbs of pancakes in 90 minutes is good TV. The only thing that would be worth watching is watching him choke on one of his disgusting challenges, and see him expire in a pile of salt and lard. The last “reality” show I watch (and I think we are about to jump the shark on this one) is Ink Master. I love watching artists work. I am not really a tattoo fan, but I can appreciate the talent it takes to draw a great tattoo. But the show has too much contrived drama with the artists in their “loft”, and it’s fairly easy to guess who is getting punted in each episode. I don’t really know the judges well enough to know if they are qualified to judge (any more than I am, at least), but Oliver Peck, with his little toothpick, Chris Nunez, and Dave Navarro seem to be just guys who like tattoos. I know Peck is a tattoo artist, but Navarro is a rock star. Don’t know what Nunez is. And this season, some of the artists downright STINK. I would be pissed if I agreed to let them tattoo me for the show, and they stuck me with one of these people that seem to be a newbie tattoo artist. some people have left that show with horrid tattoos. Anyway, they have been hinting for a couple of weeks now that one of the contestants tries to fight Nunez. Yeah, THAT’S going to help you win the $100 K. It may have already happened, since I missed the last episode, but if it does, I think I will be pulling the plug on this show as well. I wish they could just have a show where tattoo artists compete, they knock one off each week, and we are spared the injected drama of artists bickering at each other. Everyone I talk to agrees that they are annoyed by this, and yet every reality show follows the same basic formula. So it must work, and people must really like it. I know I can’t stand it. To me, it is just a weekly version of Maury Povich. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/34 "2014-04-09T01:18:06Z")
Dancing With The Stars. Nothing else even close. You might not think it from some of the final comments I made on it, but I used to like it a _lot_. That wasn’t true for American Idol, or Hell’s Kitchen, or even Survivor. I wasn’t following DWTS just because someone else was watching it, or I had morbid curiosity, I actually honest-to-god enjoyed watching this show. Looking back on it, though, here’s what I remember from the early days: - A level playing field. No free rides for “overcoming adversity” or “being inspirational”, no stupid handicaps. Everyone was judged the same, and results were _earned_. - Honest judges. If a contestant stunk up the joint, the judges would let everyone know in no uncertain terms, and they would _score accordingly_. 5’s indicating a subpar performance, were ubiquitous, 4’s weren’t uncommon, and a few got as low as 3. All without the slightest remorse or sugarcoating. No obligation to give higher scores in later weeks. - _Sane_ judges. Occasionally they’d get emotional, but for the most part they’d give improvement tips, call the contestants out on errors, and otherwise just do their job. No overemoting, no horrible puns, no tedious double entendres, no bickering. - No dumb gimmicks. No team competitions or 50-point giveaways or random picks. Didn’t need them. - Tearjerker stories kept to a minimum. If a star had a good story, cover it early…ONE TIME…and be done with it. - Positives put front and center. I’m amazed that I was able to do this! My horizons have expanded so much! I’m getting into terrific shape! It’s so wonderful being energetic and graceful in front of an audience! My kids love watching me! My partner is to _die_ for! Really got the feeling that everyone, from the strongest contender to the most hopeless also-ran, loved to be there. - Almost no injuries, ego clashes, or emotional breakdowns. - Snark kept to a minimum. Ever-present implication that while it’s okay to crack a joke every once in a while, they were all adults and needed to show some respect. And look where it’s at now. American Idol has declined (I’d still like to buy the first season on DVD if it exists anywhere), but it’s still watchable. Tiresome, predictable, overblown, yeah, but it hasn’t gone completely overboard. DWTS has in a big way. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/35 "2014-04-09T01:25:04Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > Storage Wars. I liked the first season, even if it was staged and Dave was a jerk. It’s gotten more and more moronic and EVERYONE’S a jerk. None of whom can act. I haven’t watched it in ages, and from the promos, I’m not missing anything. It’s getting really bad this season, with Barry gone to do his own show. They’re trying to weave a storyline where we’re supposed to be sympathetic to Jerrod/Brandi, which is a big stretch, and the guys they’ve brought in to try and fill Dave’s “Villain” quotient just aren’t that good. The last round of the Texas version was still watchable though, so I still have some hope for it. **Worst Cooks in America** has gotten more and more disappointing. Although it might be more a matter of wearing out the novelty. I mean, it’s been going on for several seasons now and they show the auditions, why are contestants still surprised about challenges that have been present in every season. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/36 "2014-04-09T02:39:09Z")
I didn’t’ watch it until just a couple of years ago, and I didn’t last long: THe Bachelor. Can anyone make a case for the entertainment value of having desperately uninteresting people repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and FUCKING REPEAT the same few sentences about their (incredibly stupid and totally unbelievable) feelings {(conjured out of completey fantastical situations having nothing to do with the real world) and devastating decisions? Who finds this fascinating? I got to the point where I really wanted to do violence to the producers and editors…who is the fucking audience for this insane amount of utterly banal, lifeless, colorless, meaningless goo? Is it against the rules to have a personality, to ponder something other than these rigidly repetitive tiny notions? Good god… Having said that, I started watching when the dentist bachelorette was crushing on the Massive Asshole in SUCH a pathetic way while Mr. Adorable waited patiently, all of which I enjoyed. She and Mr. Adorable are still together and their chemistry was instantly obvious and their dates were painfully real out the gate, in that she didn’t wanna go on them cuz she was too busy whining over Massive Asshole. So they hung out quietly together watching TV and eating pizza, or something equally mundane. I knew right then they were going to be together. Plus he’s fucking adorable, AND an actual being, vs. some weird robo-model-boy-macho-jockhead-clue-free-snore with a whole lotta nuthin’ going on. Then I watched that stunningly manipulative and extremely pretty model chick be wildly obvious and totally successful at ending up the last woman standing. She was awful, he was a damned moron and it was a fun demonstration of the ridiculous sad dynamic between a pretty big chunk of the human race trying to mate. Those two seasons were fun. But after that, it was just wrist-cutting time. I hear that this last season the Bachelor himself was actually a big fuckwad and it was pretty fun. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/37 "2014-04-09T20:42:56Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > I started watching those hoarder shows (I’m not going to look up their precise names) because of genuine interest in the underlying disorder that causes a person to become a hoarder. My mom was and my brother is borderline. > > I couldn’t continue watching them because I now actively dislike them. Hoarding is a sad, frustrating mental illness. Rather than gain an insight into how to help folks like this, I found it obvious that it’s almost impossible to help them and it became too depressing to watch. Disgusting, too. Absolutely this. Plus after a couple years of the “hoarding specialists” like Dr. Tonya-Harding-look-alike not actually helping anyone get better, they need to change their business cards, or try some different approaches. And you can only look in horror at so many gross houses before you just don’t want to see any more. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/38 "2014-04-09T23:13:31Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > = > > - Almost no injuries Dancing With the Stars is actually injuring people? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/39 "2014-04-09T23:43:22Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Triple D If I saw a show on the guide with that title, I would set up my DVR for it, and would be very, very, very disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571/40 "2014-04-10T00:44:14Z")
Real World. Everybody knows what they are supposed to do, they know its a stepping-stone to acting, and they blow the drama up huge. Not at all the same show that it was the first five seasons. Any show with “Wives” in the title. I’d like to see more about you, and your daily life, and how, for example, you handle being a famous sports star’s wife. I don’t care about your deadly drama with the other players’ wives, as you can see its manufactured from twenty miles away. Or if you’re the wife of an old mobster, I’d like to see how you deal with the infamy, rather than dealing with the other wives. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reality-shows-that-have-become-unwatchable/685571.md?page=3)