Why Has Miami Become Reality Show Central?

First it was Los Angeles. At one point, it was New York. Then Atlanta got in on the fun. Soon New Jersey became the hot spot. Now, it seems Miami is enjoying newfound fame in Reality TV Land. The hot and steamy climate of Miami, Florida has most recently been deemed the ultimate backdrop for the sizzling action on TV's hottest reality programs. The city is certainly no stranger to celebrities, or reality shows for that matter. VH1's "Brooke Knows Best", Miami Social, Miami Ink, and even Top Chef have all taken part in the fun and sun. But the latest rash of popular reality shows is hitting audiences harder than ever. What is it about South Beach that is now attracting so many reality TV cameras?

Behaving Badly

Los Angeles apparently had enough of its Bad Girls, and sent them packing for Miami. Not a bad choice in Reality TV Land. With plenty of sandy beaches and nightclubs to explore, members of Oxygen's "The Bad Girls Club (Season 5)" will have plenty to keep their hands full. This is the one reality show that really takes people out onto the Miami streets. The girls are not celebrities and are actually encouraged to mingle with the locals (although mingling often ends in fisticuffs.) There is a certain raw accessibility that seems to go along with the filming of "The Bad Girls Club" that only a Miami setting can accommodate.

Your Shore or Mine...?

Only in Reality TV world can you move an entire shore onto another one. Such is the case with those eight crazy kids from up north (not all of them are actually from New Jersey.) Snooki and her crew shifted their "Jersey Shore" shenanigans to Miami. And what better place? With a fresh new tricked-out crib (minus the mildewy look and complete with a "smooshing" room) and some new fresh meat to play with-these kids seem more at home in the Sunshine State than they do in Jersey.

A-List Action

In August of 2009, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian decided to "take" Miami. Despite some significant life changes (a baby and a wedding, respectively)-the pair is still going strong. People watching "Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami" will see the side of Miami that many people never get a chance to enjoy: pure, unadulterated luxury. While the Bad Girls are plowing around in rented limos, cabs, and jeeps, those Kardashians are flexing Hummers and Maybachs. The Bad Girls may be partying at Club Mia. But VH1's Scott Disick is apparently the "head man in charge" over there. Even the show's theme song (LMFAO's "I'm in Miami, B*tch") is as much an anthem for the city's sexy, tropical environment as it is for the Kardashian lifestyle. (Ironically, LMFAO is responsible for the catchy ditty, "Get Crazy", the theme from MTV's "Jersey Shore.")

Sports + Sex = Hot, Hot, Hot

The media has been filled with reports on Miami's newest NBA dream team line up. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh have had their faces plastered on every entertainment website known to man. Is it really a coincidence that one of the hottest reality shows, VH1's "Basketball Wives" would take place in the thick of all the action? The ladies on the show have given viewers an intimate peek of what it's really like behind the VIP ropes of the NBA. What's more, VH1 may have retired its "[Celebrity] of Love" series for the time being. But that doesn't mean that the concept has died. Finding yet another way to blend sports and sex, VH1 introduced to us, "Ochocinco: Ultimate Catch." Chad Ochocinco Johnson combed through 85 women, whittling them down until he was left with just one lucky lady, whom he chose in the season finale, taking place in---Miami, of course. Do the two ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after? According to "Basketball Wives" star Evelyn Lozada: Child, Please!

SOURCES:

www.oxygen.com
www.mediatakeout.com
www.vh1.com
www.mtv.com