If you’ve ever taken a quick peek at my Facebook profile information, you’ll see that I’m a fan of Survivor. I’ve been one since Season One, when the whole concept of ‘alliances’ was created by that guy who used to walk around the camp naked, just to annoy his fellow competitors. And he won, too – the first ever Reality TV millionaire, wasn’t he?
Anyway, I got my Mum hooked too. We used to discuss the different personalities, the different strategies, and how the variety of challenges and the pressures intrinsic to the game would mean that, even though they might not want to, the competitors would fail to truly mask the side of their personality that they would normally hide. We would debate the role of the TV producers, and their choices in what footage to show, and what to cut, and all-in-all have a very pleasant time of it.
I guess we weren’t the only ones who enjoyed the format, as Reality TV took off in a major way. And Mum and I followed – more regularly than I’d like to admit to myself now! I wasn’t into the ‘Big Brother’ side of things (although I liked the romance of ‘The Farmer wants a Wife’ and I sat through an episode or two of ‘The Bachelor’,) I was more into the ‘improvement’ ones, such as ‘The Block’, ‘The Renovators’, and ‘Top Design’ – and I guess ‘The Biggest Loser’ could also fall into that category, too… And I also tried taking up dance again after the second season of ‘So you think you can dance’. Then I realised that I was pregnant with Mr 3, so stopped. Plus I realised that I’d probably never be as good again as I was in my memories…
Now I have to point out that I was NOT a religious watcher of these. (Except perhaps The Renovators.) I laughed through some episodes of ‘The Apprentice’, ‘America’s Next Top Model’, ‘Wife Swap’ and ‘Super-Nanny’ whenever I happened to watch them, but never bothered with any of the kitchen / cooking ones (although I watched ‘My Restaurant Rules’ – the Brisbane girl was an ex-student) and I never watched ‘Dancing with the Stars’, ‘Australia’s Got Talent’, or ‘The X Factor’. That being said, I’m not sure about this ‘The Voice’ that’s being so heavily promoted on Channel 9. I like that it seems more ‘real’ than the media-image-heavy other talent shows. (Funny, now that I’m a marketer myself!) But still…
So anyway, Mum’s still an avid fan. She monopolised the 7pm timeslot for Biggest Loser a few weeks back, when she stayed with us while I taught for the week, and The Big Bang Theory had to be taped (which is what I do anyway, to watch it sans ads) but I feel as though I’m kinda over it now. As is everyone else, it seems. The shows are getting trashier and trashier -‘Please Marry my Boy’ – SERIOUSLY??!!! and I’m over that style of TV. I wonder what will be next? If I review my TV habits in a decade, what will I have watched? Interesting to ponder…
Have a lovely day, all!
