How to Enjoy Reality Shows

I have a friend who is quite hooked with reality shows. At first, she joined the rest of the herd with the American Idol craze. She got quite involved when she rooted for Clay Aiken, who got into the finale but lost to Reuben Studdard. She religiously watched ever season, until she discovered Chris Daughtry and vowed that for her, Daughtry was really her idol until the end. Obviously, she got very hurt when Chris was sent home. She wore black the following day of Chris' departure from the show, and candidly put a sign near her desk that read "Don't talk to me. I'm still upset".

Along with American Idol, she was also engrossed with Dancing with the Stars, America's Got Talent, Celebrity Duets, and Rock Star. She would always choose her contestant and patiently voted, with all optimism that her favorite would end up winning the contest. Unfortunately, she would always end up sad and upset. She would cry, would not able to sleep and would feel bothered for days.

After Daughtry lost, she actually told me that she has been really contemplating on not watching these reality shows anymore, lest she would feel so affected again. She felt she was bringing the bad luck to whoever contestant she would like. So, she has stopped watching American Idol, although she is now rooting for Joey Fatone on Dancing with the Stars!

I though it would be wise not to really feel so involved with these shows, to avoid anxiety and extreme sadness. Here are a few tips I came up with:

1. Simply enjoy the show. Many of these reality shows showcase talents of people in singing, dancing, acting, modeling, and other skills. The best thing is to appreciate what they have, and be quite objective about it. There are many other contestants who also have something to show. They may earn the respect of the judges and of the other viewers too. The realistic attitude is to be aware that different people have different tastes and judgment. You might share the same sentiments with some people, but most definitely, there are others who would feel otherwise. In the same way, you might not agree with how others feel about "your contestant" and "their contestant". Just be cool about it. This is television entertainment. It is not supposed to stress you.

2. Remind yourself that the winner is chosen by voting. Although there are judges who are supposed to be experts on their areas, the usual scheme in choosing the winner is by a tally of the viewers' votes.Some people might be more diligent in voting. There are those who won't mind spending through text messaging. Others might even be campaigning with their family and friends to help out with the voting. Plus, this is showbiz. We don't know what happens with the producers around.

3. Don't get too emotionally involved. If you get offended when you read comments on message boards and forums, then simply avoid these venues. There are people on these boards that are also one-sided and are just too involved with their own favorites. And most importantly, there are those who clearly intend to annoy others by "trashing" or insulting other contestants. Usually, there are endless bickering on these venues, so if you get too upset and anxious just by reading--and cannot ignore them-- simply turn your computer off.

You could be a fan and just enjoy it. Go ahead, follow these reality shows because it's fun and you have the right to appreciate these little things. But bear in mind that these people are part (or trying to be part) of the entertainment business because that is what they really want to do --entertain you, and not to cause undue stress in your life.