Top 5 Reality TV Shows

Ug. Reality TV shows. They're bothersome, the people are rude and obnoxious and the concepts are made so that the producers can get better ratings by having people go for each other's jugulars. So I'm going to focus on real reality shows, not those fake ones like The Real Housewives of Orange County or the Bachelor.

Real and important reality shows are those that actually deserve to be on television. They are quality shows, they have a purpose and people on the shows can actually benefit with more than money from them. Although there is still some bickering, backstabbing and fake reality drama, at least these shows are there to help support struggling entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams.

Project Runway. One of the greatest reality TV shows ever invented. This show is about fashion designers who want to become greats in the fashion industry. Each week they design clothes for a challenge. They have to buy their materials on a budget, sew their clothes by hand and present their clothes on a runway with the models they designed for.

Everything is important from the make-up to the hair style to the idea behind the clothes for the designer. And at the end of each episode, a designer gets kicked off the "island" as it were. But the great thing about this show is the respect that people have for each other's work. They are all trying to be designers but for the most part, they understand that the fashion industry is a difficult place to succeed in. And anyone who strives to be in it is ambitious.

On The Lot. This show hasn't premiered yet but it is the brainchild of Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett. It is bound to be a success. From what I have seen on the website, here is the rundown of the show. 10 or 12 directors are chosen to make short film every eek. And every week the person with the worst film gets kicked off the show. Whoever wins at the end of the show will win a feature film deal so that they can make their own film with distribution deal as well.

What a dream come true for a filmmaker. To get your work out there and to have a fully funded feature by the two greatest producers in film and television history is more than a once in a lifetime offer. It is unbelievably the American dream for a filmmaker. The film industry is one of the most difficult ones to break into. It's about knowing people and getting a break. This is the biggest break anyone could ever ask for; just meeting Steven Spielberg is getting on your way to the big time.

America's Next Top Model. A show about modeling doesn't sound like it would be very interesting at first but it really is. You get to be in the heart of the fashion word. All of its beauty and all of its ugliness comes through. The models can be yes, model-like but the show is about doing your best to make it in yet another industry that is really hard to break into.

And funnily enough, learning about the girl's personalities helps make the show what it is. Yes, I hate the bickering and fake fights on reality shows but on this show, the personalities make the models. Models have to have their own style and their own flavor. So knowing more about them and their tastes and their knowledge of the fashion industry makes the show more interesting. Plus you get to see their climb to the top from not knowing how to walk to performing at a huge runway show.

American Idol. I know. A lot of people think this show's name is ironic since the contestants aren't Aretha Franklin or Elvis or JFK, Jr. But the point to the show is that these singers are having their dreams come true. It's the American dream again. These people don't have to be necessarily be role models to all men, women and children. But for singers who have been trying for so many years to break into the biz, it puts tears in the eyes of their parents, friends and other struggling singers sitting on their couches at home. The difference on this show from the rest is that America actually calls in to vote for who stays and who goes.

Now I can't stand the first few weeks of the show. They go around and search for people to bee on the show, humiliating the bad singers, people who have been wanting this career all of their lives. For that I call shame on them. But after the show has begun and they judge them, it really becomes something to see people perform well and others fail. It's hard to see those people who love it fail, but it just shows us how hard the industry is and that so few talented people ever really make it.

So You Think You Can Dance. This is obviously a show for dancers. Just lie American Idol, the performers try out for the show and are either chosen to be on or told to get lost. Once on the show they have partners that they dance with. If they end up in the bottom two, each person has to "dance for their life" meaning that have to give a short solo performance so that the judges have to choose who will leave. In the end, however, America does decide who will stay.

This along with American Idol are the only shows in which everyone really loves each other and really respects each other. There is no back stage drama. There aren't any fights or backstabbing shown among contestants. And I think it's because people don't have to live in rooms together. Also the show really delves into the contestant's home lives so that they get more support from the audience rather than degradation.

So these are the shows to watch if you want quality reality programming. Even though they are reality shows at least they are helping people to achieve the goals they've been wanting for their whole lives.