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The "reality television" invasion is here to stay Life is truly stranger than fiction By Janetta Rance Staff Writer
European television came up with the concept of taking ordinary people and turning them into stars by putting them in unusual situations. “Big Brother,” which locked a group of people in a small house with cameras running 24 hours a day, was created in Holland. The ever so popular “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” was produced by Celador Productions in England back in 1998. U.S television stations bought some of the European formats, (other stations came up with their own) and thus spawned the modern day Blob that just keeps growing and growing and devouring every network in its path. Currently, almost all of the major networks have some type of reality series. CBS is home to “Big Brother” and the well-known “Survivor,” where contestants are on a secluded island and must try to survive. ABC aired “Making of the Band” late last March. The series depicted, well you probably guessed it, the making of a band. In “The Mole,” another European import which premiered in January, contestants try to complete tasks while struggling to figure out who the spy/imposter is. FOX has aired several reality series; from a show that placed a group of couples on an island and tempted them with a group of singles, appropriately named “Temptation Island,” to the latest installment, “Boot Camp.” A group of men and women with no prior military experience are placed in boot camp to see who will survive. Let's not forget “American High,” which also premiered on FOX but after a couple of episodes and pitifully low ratings fell by the wayside. “American High” is currently airing on PBS instead. The WB took a stab at reality TV with what seems to be a girl version of “Making of the Band” called “Pop Stars.” When “Pop Stars” premiered, the WB network reported receiving the largest audience they had ever garnered in a Friday primetime slot. Even UPN has jumped on the bandwagon, unleashing “Chains of Love.” Premiering on Friday, April 17, the first episode has a stuntman chained to four women for four days. The women must complete mental and physical tasks while competing for his love. If you think that reality series’ are going to slowly disappear, don't fool yourselves. They are extremely popular.
CBS is currently taking applications for “Survivor III,” which is set to air this fall. “Survivor I” brought in 6,000 applications and “Survivor II” drew in 49,000. Producers expect as many as 100,000 applications for “Survivor III.” They also had an open call for “Big Brother II.” ABC is also casting for “The Mole II.” Applications are available on their Web site. Rebekah Cowing, administrative director for the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Art and Sciences (NATAS). Cowing says that this “reality show phenomenon,” is just a way in which television is changing and progressing. “Everything has to change sometime. The challenge is to come up with new ideas which is hard to do when everything has been done,” said Cowing. She added that the reality-based series’ have become the trend in the last few years regardless of who the initial trendsetter was. Michael Niederman, acting chair of the Television department at Columbia said that the growing trend of reality shows for some networks may be attributed to the Screen Actors Guild's upcoming strike. “Reality shows don't need writers or actors,” he said. Niederman said that the popularity of reality shows has become part of our culture. People have become interested and fascinated with this type of programming. Niederman adds that reality shows have been around for years in other parts of the world and that in America they have just recently moved from a subculture into the mainstream. “Survivor” is having such great success because “it came at the right time and the right place,” said Neiderman. He feels that no other group will be remembered like the first Survivor group and that the people will never be forgotten as the first crew of that type of show.
The good news is, there is still some refuge for those who despise the invasion of reality shows. You can log on to Web sites like www.survivorsucks.com and www.realworldblows.com and talk about how much you hate these shows. People submit everything from drawings and poems to spoofs and skits mocking the different shows. “Reality shows are such a waste of time, no story line, no plot, just a bunch of stupid people doing stupid things in stupid places,” said Oscar Valdez, a sophomore journalism major. The Columbia Chronicle would like to hear your opinion on this topic. Note: If your browser does not support multiple windows, click here. Back to top | Home The Columbia Chronicle is a student produced publication of Columbia College Chicago and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of Columbia College administrators, faculty or students. |
April 23, 2001
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