CC Scott Kellum

I used to be a huge fan of reality television. Kelefa Sanneh’s article brought me back to my childhood watching reality shows like “Joe Millionaire”, “Survivor”, and “Laguna Beach”. My interest in reality TV began to fade away as I questioned how much “reality” was actually going on. Shows like “Laguna Beach” and “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” didn’t have the same appeal once I realized they were partially (or mostly?) scripted. The real life interactions and problems that one tunes into these shows for do not have the same merit once you realize that the producers have staged them. For these reasons I have moved on to a new type of reality TV. Shows like “Pawn Stars”, “Swamp People”, and “Lizard Lick Towing” give viewers a glimpse into different industries of our country. Although still often scripted, these shows provide a behind the scenes look at a profession we may overlook. I am able to forgive the scripted parts of these shows because they don’t rely on the fake premises like others do. Nowadays I’ll occasionally turn on “The Real World” or “Campus PD” to watch drunken college students make fools of themselves but thats about the extent of my affinity for reality TV.