Reality TV Sleaze

I've had a drought recently in shows I really like to watch, so when the new season of MTV's "The Real World" began, I was very excited. I was going to be out when the show premiered, so Bert set the VCR to record it, and off we went.

When we returned home, I could hardly wait to watch the show. I thought back to last season and how much I enjoyed the Philadelphia cast. I put on my jammies and snuggled under the covers. Bert rewound the tape and pressed play.

You would think the reality show that started all reality shows would be the creme de la creme. Not so much.

I am not entirely sure why the producers want to make it plainly obvious that this particular show is anything but reality. For those of us that watch reality TV, we've heard all the speculation and accusation that there is very little reality to it at all. Usually, though, shows that make it big in the ratings add just the right amount of drama i.e. catfights, hook-ups, etc. to make it possibly believable.

At least I hope some of "The Real World: Austin" premiere was made up.

Consider this: you've just moved into a house with 6 strangers. You know your every move is going to be recorded for the next few months. You're going to be on television. Your grandmother is going to see what happened. Wouldn't you try and act like a decent human being?

Furthermore, would you try and get in arguments with your new roomies before you even hit the 48-hour mark? Doubtful. I was about to rip my hair out at one particular scenario of this show. Here's the condensed version: Johanna (Jo) and Nehemiah had already bonded by hour 24. Jo asked Nehemiah to not let her drink too much. When the whole gang hits the bar that night, Jo gets too intoxicated and Nehemiah brings her over a glass of water. He doesn't make a big deal out of it whatsoever. Jo goes ballistic and throws a fit. Nehemiah tries to walk away, but Jo keeps trying to grab him. She's acting insane. Nehemiah then leaves the bar because he doesn't want to deal with Jo's craziness. In her intoxication, Jo tells the others that Nehemiah got in a fight with some guy. How she came up with this, I have no idea. Wes and Danny try and go find Nehemiah. On the way, some guy punches Danny and his eye becomes swollen shut. Why Danny got punched, I have no idea. All I know is that people tend to terrorize "Real World" cast. Anyway, Danny gets home and sees Nehemiah. He tells him it's all his fault he got punched in the eye.

What? I just wanted to jump in the TV and start yelling at Danny.

That's what I'm talking about...who acts like that? And especially, who acts like that on television?

I'm not sure, but you can believe I'll catch every episode. Why? Because everything else is re-runs! I'm beginning to feel a little sorry for actors, with the plethora of reality shows popping up daily. It's no wonder there are so many out of work actors. Really, though, is "The Real World" any more reality than "Sex and the City"? I guess we'll never really know.

In the meantime, you may want to catch the show Tuesday nights on MTV. There is a huge upside to tuning in: your life will seem completely together after you watch one episode of this show, no matter what is going on. Nothing like a little free therapy on cable TV.