Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

If there's one thing that this era is known for, it would be the prevalence of reality tv shows. I don't think there is a single network that doesn't have a reality show on the list of its programs. We have heard of The Amazing Race, Survivor, American Idol, Girls Next Door, Big Brother, Dancing with the Stars, Extreme Makeover, The Bachelor, The Apprentice, Hell's Kitchen, Iron Chef America, Super Nanny, The Biggest Loser, Pimp My Ride, Making the Band, Project Runway, The Simple Life, Newly Weds, The Barkers, The Osbournes, and Hogan Knows Best, just to name a few of the more popular ones. Surely there are more of these shows that are produced locally in different countries all over the world. But despite the tough competition among them, newer shows still keep popping up. The next thing you know is that there's a new reality show that people are crazy about.

So what is it about reality tv? Why do viewers never tire of watching reality shows, season after season after season? Most of these programs have been running for a number of seasons or years already. American Idol for instance, will be on its 6th season. Usually for the reality contests, the same mechanics happen year after year, yet they continue to stay and remain successful.  I guess ultimately, it is important that the viewers treat each season is unique from the previous one primarily due to the fact that each time there are new faces and new personalities that come into play. Although each time too, there emerges someone that the viewers come to love and those who they come to hate. I guess it is the dynamics that we see in relationships among these people that we love to watch. We enjoy seeing how people react to different situations, be the most pleasant or the worst of scenarios. Some just can't handle pressure, while others handle it very well and stay calm even in the most adverse situations. It is also interesting to find out how a man would go to any lengths in order to achieve his goal, that is to win. Some people will do just about anything in order to win and lose their integrity in the process but there are also others who try to do both.

Celebrity reality shows on the other hand are also as equally interesting to watch.  I guess everyone will always have that "paparazzi complex" among us. I think it would be hypocritical to try deny that each one of us have this curiosity for celebrities. I'm sure it was fun watching the sassy Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie do some dirty chores in The Simple Life. I bet eveyone had a good laugh at Jessica Simpson asking her ex-husband Nick Lachey, whether tuna is fish or chicken. Surely we all thought that she's so dumb and probably felt lucky that we have a lot more common sense than her.

Ultimately we love reality tv because we love to watch other people's realities and hope to see fragments of ours in them.