Reality Show Junkie: When Did I Start Watching That?

With the overflow of reality shows on television today, many of us swore and swore again that we would not watch "that show" or begin to fathom being a Reality Show Junkie! Needless to say, I fell into the trap of a few of these shows. Now when I started watching them and became hooked is a matter of opinion. If I were to take a few guesses: Maybe I became hooked during the off-season of my favorite television shows or possibly in the midst of my "there's nothing on television mood." Who knows?

As for the shows I became a junkie for---let's being with "America's Next Top Model." Week after week, Tyra Banks narrows down the group of tall, beautiful women for the opportunity to become the next big supermodel in America (or should I say Television Land?). Whether we see these women past the show's airing leaves much to be desired. Some make it to become better known names than they were before the show and some fall by the wayside. But truth be told, the show will draw one in because of the desire to see who will be the last woman standing for the title.

In the show "Bridezillas", the audience is faced with various women from different backgrounds in the planning stages of their weddings to their wedding days. WEtv describes the show as, "the show where brides go from sweet to certifiable", which is the exact truth. I cannot say how they manage to chose the women they do to be a part of this show, but their personalities alone would run me away from being a bridesmaid in any of their weddings. From the blatant disrespect for their fiancé's to their family and friends, it's a wonder these relationships make it past the wedding day.

I'm also a junkie for the "Biggest Loser". When I first heard the show's title, I was a bit perturbed. How can anyone call someone a flat out "loser"??? So my curiosity got the best of me and I tuned in and found out that the "loser" title consisted of the contestant dropping these enormous amounts of weight. Needless to say, I continued to tune in until the total combined weight loss for the contestants topped over 400 pounds and then some. The show's catchy theme song says, "What have you done today to make you feel proud?" One can't help but have the feeling of accomplishment for those contestants who last through the long haul of the vigorous workouts, making it through the mental strategies of playing the game, and standing tall at the end to obtain the title. Yes, this show will draw you in if you let it.

Lastly, there's the "Mole"; the show in which someone on the list of contestants is placed there to sabotage the game. However, the other contestants do not know who this person is and throughout the season, they are trying to discover the secret. Within the show, the contestants face various challenges, earning money for the pot of cash to be collected in the final episode. The main challenge for them is to play the game with the hopes of winning and narrowing down the choice of who the "mole" is with quizzes. If the contestant scores low on the quiz and takes the most amount of time, he/she is eliminated. If a regular contestant makes it to the end and outwits the "mole", he/she is the winner. If the "mole" wins, he/she fooled everyone well and played a great game. Just the idea of deciphering this crazy maze of events, will make anyone who likes a challenge tune in.

There has to be a reality show out there for everyone. Unfortunately, they have taken away the opportunity for regular sitcoms to have their stance in the television world. Although I am a reality show watcher, I prefer the days of the "Cosby Show", "Roseanne", and the like. Those days are truly missed. Because in the "reality" of it all, reality television shows definitely take away the aspects of all the great shows I grew up watching. Yes, I maybe a junkie for some of the shows, but I think the list will grow no longer.