# What kind of reality TV do you enjoy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 5, 2012, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883 "2012-04-05T03:32:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/41 "2012-04-05T15:53:03Z")
There is no reality TV in my house other than _Survivor_. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/42 "2012-04-05T15:56:55Z")
I like some ‘jobs’ ones in small doses like NY Ink and… drawing a blank, but I don’t follow any closely. The tattoo ones just have too much drama for my tastes. Dirty Jobs is okay, but not especially compelling. I love the history ones. Especially the British ones where a family tries to live in another time. Plus, antiques roadshow. Related are the ‘scientific’ house shows like Discovery’s ‘Colony’ where they put a group of people in the situation of being survivors of a global plague. Loved the MacGyver aspects of it. Reno shows are good, but I’ve kind of got overload - Mike Holmes, This Old House, Kitchen confidential, Flip This House, Brian Baumler’s shows, etc, etc. It’s just too much. Finally, I love TAR because it rewards merit rather than ‘games playing’ like survivor. I’d love a version of Survivor where the people who are best at making fires, creating excellent shelter and getting food move on rather than those who are best at backstabbing. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/43 "2012-04-05T15:59:44Z")
A clarification - under ‘History’, do you mean documentaries? I’m totally unfamiliar with ‘Regency House’, and PBS covers an awful lot… ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/44 "2012-04-05T16:06:30Z")
I’ll admit I watch a lot of reality TV. I don’t quite get the hate for it. Yeah it’s non-scripted but producer-influenced, and heavily edited. So what? It always seems like people get mad at others for watching reality shows like _Real Housewives_ because people think we think the characters are to be emulated or we think it’s real life. Turns out that’s not how I view it at all. I tune in for the trainwrecks. I’d rather watch that show than a scripted show like _Two and a Half Men_. That’s just how I am. Out of all the types listed I didn’t choose “paranormal”, dating, jobs or the non-job competitions and hidden camera. I watch: _Jersey Shore,_ all of the _Real Housewives_, _Pawn Stars_, _American Restoration,_ _The Apprentice, Supernanny, Wife Swap_ and will watch pretty much anything on HGTV. I used to watch _The Osbornes, I’m a Celebrity…_ and _The Real World_. I’ve been watching a lot of _Kitchen Nightmares_ and the other day I caught a marathon of some show staring a woman named _Tamara_. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/45 "2012-04-05T16:25:27Z")
I prefer the competition shows because the contest gives it a base reality - some people win and some people lose. And for that reason, I want competitions where there are objective standards for winning and not just judging by celebrities or viewers. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/46 "2012-04-05T16:43:57Z")
I guess **Full Metal Jousting** qualifies as “sports competition”, eh? I don’t know where **Worst Cooks in America** fits, “self improvement” maybe. One thing I like about the structure of **Top Shot** is that it’s not just a popularity contest; even if you’re sent to elimination every week, if you make your shots, you _will_ win. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/47 "2012-04-05T16:53:14Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Cooking competitions would be job competitions. Hm, never seen Drag Race – that’s like “Top Model” for cross dressers, right? I’d call that a job competition also. Yup, that sounds right. Oh, what about the “saving your business” ones? Besides Kitchen Nightmares/Restaurant Impossible, I started watching Restaurant Stakeout (your restaurant is failing? Let’s put in security cameras and watch your staff fuck it all up) and Tabatha Takes Over (ditto for salons). ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/48 "2012-04-05T16:57:48Z")
Does **Mythbusters** count as reality TV. I’ve never really thought of it a reality show. They’re not competing for anything. They’re not documenting the cast’s personal lives. They’re not generating any fake drama, other than that inherent to the experiment they’re doing (like will this car really take off like a rocket). It’s basically a science show with a lot of explosions. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/49 "2012-04-05T17:07:16Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > A clarification - under ‘History’, do you mean documentaries? I’m totally unfamiliar with ‘Regency House’, and PBS covers an awful lot… A couple of years ago there were several “live like it’s year whatever” shows on PBS – Regency House, another set in Edwardian times, and a third, I think, on the frontier. I actually forgot about _Antiques Roadshow_ and the like, but I guess here is as good a place as any to put those. > [@joebuck20](#): > > Does **Mythbusters** count as reality TV. I’ve never really thought of it a reality show. They’re not competing for anything. They’re not documenting the cast’s personal lives. They’re not generating any fake drama, other than that inherent to the experiment they’re doing (like will this car really take off like a rocket). It’s basically a science show with a lot of explosions. Not all nonfiction TV is “reality” TV. I think _Mythbusters_, specifically, is an example of a nonfiction show that isn’t reality TV. I really should have gotten some help on the list of categories before posting the poll – damn my impetuousness. Should we tweak the list and repost the poll, or is that overkill? ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/50 "2012-04-05T17:10:22Z")
I like Survivor and The Amazing Race and you can mark me down as another who really misses The Mole. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/51 "2012-04-05T17:17:37Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > The other category? Survival shows like “Man vs. Wild” , “Dual Survival”, etc. I LOVE those shows. Og forbid I’m ever caught in a survival situation, but I’d like to think I’d know what to do. These! I guess those go in ‘Other’, but I think they deserve their own category! Also, I really enjoyed Holmes on Homes for a long time. Then it started getting a little silly and contrived. ---
**Author:** ![Keweenaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Keweenaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keweenaw)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/52 "2012-04-05T17:24:01Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I mean, are Red Sox games considered reality television too? or Jeopardy!? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/53 "2012-04-05T18:05:17Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > remember when MTV was REAL as opposed to the pale imitation it is nowadays?) Remember when MTV was all about music and didn’t sell out to become reality TV? > [@Max\_Torque](#): > > I guess **Full Metal Jousting** qualifies as “sports competition”, eh? I don’t know where **Worst Cooks in America** fits, “self improvement” maybe. > > One thing I like about the structure of **Top Shot** is that it’s not just a popularity contest; even if you’re sent to elimination every week, if you make your shots, you _will_ win. Forgot about Full Metal Jousting. I’ve caught a couple of episodes and I liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/54 "2012-04-05T18:23:47Z")
I have enjoyed **Auction Hunters** , and for some strange reason, **Bar Rescue**. I guess both of those would be under the Job category. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/55 "2012-04-05T18:26:03Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Cooking competitions would be job competitions. I checked all the competition categories except job competition, but I like _Chopped_, _Iron Chef_, etc., so maybe I should have ticked that off too. I consider them variations in game shows. _Jeopardy!_ is my favorite show of all time. I watch a fair bit of sports too. I like competitions of all sorts. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/56 "2012-04-05T18:28:02Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > \ I started watching Restaurant Stakeout (your restaurant is failing? Let’s put in security cameras and watch your staff fuck it all up)\ OOOoooh, that sounds fascinating! ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/57 "2012-04-05T18:28:51Z")
My first thought was “I hate all reality TV!” Then your list reminded me of stuff on PBS & the decorating/food shows. Not the competitions–but real people doing realish things. Yes, I know the _House Hunters_ have already picked their house; but a few of them aren’t clueless fools & _House Hunters International_ lets me snoop overseas. A category you missed: Makeovers! Best represented by _What Not To Wear_ with [Trinny & Susannah](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinny_and_Susannah), shown here on BBCamerica. (The US version is OK.) I do avoid most Reality TV. Please, let somebody write a script & hire some real actors! Since the guys on (BBCamerica’s)\* Top Gear\* have been doing their show for years, I’ll consider them pros. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/58 "2012-04-05T19:04:42Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I mean, are Red Sox games considered reality television too? In 2011, it was more Shakespearean Tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/59 "2012-04-05T20:40:33Z")
I voted ‘Other’, largely because I don’t know if other people would class the shows I’m thinking of as ‘Reality TV’ as opposed to ‘Documentary’. Let me give you some examples… Michael Palin - Around the World in 80 Days, Pacific Rim, Pole to Pole… Were these Travel-based reality shows or documentaries? In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed them. Terry Jones - The Crusades, Medieval Lives Tony Robinson - Time Team… Were these History-based reality shows? (I also voted ‘History’, based entirely on the large number of PBS shows I’ve enjoyed.) Yehudi Menuhin - The Music of Man Carl Sagan - Cosmos James Burke - Connections Anything by National Geographic The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau A&E - Biography Again, are these reality shows? I’d call them documentaries… Also, I know I’m showing my age with these, but I’d love for someone to bring them back! There was also that great series about the moon landing in the late sixties, I’d love to see that again! 😃 So, I may have just skewed your numbers for no reason… ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883/60 "2012-04-05T20:51:42Z")
I voted for “Kids” because I have seen every single episode of Toddlers & Tiaras, but to say I enjoy it is not strictly accurate. I cringe all the way through, but I watch to allay my fear that I am the worst mother in the world. It turns out that I am not. Not by a long shot. I do worry for the little girls and the occasional little boy subjected to pageant life. I liked the first few seasons of Deadliest Catch, but drifted away from it. I watch all the iterations of Top Chef, though each of the last three seasons I’ve been kind of lukewarm to it and declared I wouldn’t miss if it didn’t come back. If Chopped counts I’d put that on my list. My preference is for shows like Chopped or Pawn Stars where there isn’t a story arc I need to keep up with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-reality-tv-do-you-enjoy/617883.md?page=4)