Reality TV, Anyone?

I am not into reality tv...and I think I'm in the minority. So many people are captivated by the different reality shows out there. Survivor, Big Brother, Amazing Race, American Idol, America's Next Top Model, and of course, The Bachelor(ette). I better not get started on The Bachelor...I could wax away on how silly I think that show is (not to mention immoral and shallow). But maybe I'll save that for another day and instead just blab away on the other shows that don't offend my delicate sensibilities! ;)

I read somewhere that Survivor is in its 20th season on the tube - I watched the first season of Survivor and thought it was somewhat interesting; however, the novelty soon wore off and it was my first and last season of Survivor watching. Apparently there are enough viewers out there in North America to keep producers happy! But to be honest, I won't be sad when Survivor's torch finally goes out (if it ever does).

As far as reality goes, these shows don't particularly reflect any version of reality that I know. But, I can see how people get interested and caught up in the competitive spirit of the programs. The Amazing Race involves lots of interesting challenges and world-wide travel, and I enjoyed watching the few times I checked it out. I think it would be fun to be a part of the show and try to be the first to crack a bunch of clues in a desperate effort to come in first place in a mad race around the world.

I've never seen Big Brother, but I assume it also has some type of competition involving a bunch of poor saps stabbing each other in the back to try and win a moment in the spotlight. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here.

I do appreciate the vocal skills sometimes displayed on American Idol - some of the contestants have serious talent! And some of the seriously-not-so-talented can provide a good laugh. I'm still not a follower, mainly because I just have other things I'd rather be doing.

All of these shows (excluding the bachelor), while perhaps a waste of time (what tv show isn't though, really), are ok in my books. I prefer to waste my time surfing the net, and escaping into a great book, but every now and then I love sitting down and just vegging in front of the tv (usually when there's an enormous pile of laundry that I should be working on). My show of choice is House...my PVR is scheduled to record every new episode, just in case I miss it. Oh, and I also enjoy the HGTV/Food Network versions of reality tv (house renos and Iron Chef).

Whatever you enjoy doing in your spare time - hope you have plenty of it this week!

Penny