Why Watch Reality?

Ok, I've never been a big fan of "Reality TV." It took years before I ever watched American Idol, Survivor or The Amazing Race (TAR). I've since become of fan of these shows, but they seem to offer something different. TAR at least offers viewers the opportunity to see places around the world they might otherwise not see and certainly has wet my appetite to someday visit some of the areas (and cooled by interest in others). AI offers singing. Survivor is more borderline. I like the interaction of the contestants, but I do get annoyed with the editing and some of the manipulation of the producers. Still, at least they players are in a completely abnormal situation that I would never experience, so it holds some interest for me.

What I don't understand is the popularity of other shows like The Bachelor/Bachelorette (and similar), Big Brother, Jon and Kate, etc. These are people being placed in generally normal situations, dating, living with roommates, raising kids, what is so interesting about that? Ok, I admit I've not watched these shows more than glances in passing, but I just fail to see the attraction. Why watch a show about raising kids when I'm busy raising my own kids? Yeah, I don't have 8 of them (thankfully), but I don't see what's at all interesting about seeing a family getting everything handed to them (free beach vacations, camping equipment, playhouses) and yet claiming to "struggle." You want to see struggle? Try raising two young kids while working full time, having no relatives around to help and having to pay for child care that calls you home from work when they are sick. Kate has never struggled like that.

What's so interesting about dating and living with roommates? I've done both and granted they have not been in these compact scenarios, but I still don't quite see the interest. I know some would say that BB is not that much different from Survivor (at least in terms of throwing a bunch of strangers together) and I see validity to that claim. Maybe it just because of the surroundings in a foreign land (island or jungle) and their limited provisions that adds to my interest. Or maybe if Survivor was on 3 days a week like BB, I'd get sick of it too. Who knows.

I have limited time to watch TV, so I do pick and choose what to watch. With so many other good shows and stories out there, its hard to watch "reality" (otherwise known as 'manipulative') TV. Yeah, I can't wait for TAR and Survivor to start.