Really Reality?
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Just flipping on your TV will open your eyes to the plethora of Reality TV Series on our stations these days… but just how real are these shows? According to a recent study, the average sized woman in the United States is approximately 160 pounds and wears size 14 clothing. Last time I checked, you don’t see these average women on TV. Nope, these “reality” TV series are cluttered with women who are all about a size 2…on a “fat” day. In an effort to put the ‘reality’ back into reality TV some television stations have taken a new approach to these reality series. Shows are now receiving names such as Dance Your Ass Off, More to Love, and The Biggest Loser. These television series aim to show the lives of real people, not size 0 or size 2 celebrities.
So how effective is this approach? Is it successful in putting the ‘reality’ back into reality TV, or is it offending its target audience by so blatantly telling them they need to dance their asses off, literally.
Dance Your Ass Off is a reality TV series that appears on the Oxygen channel. The show is a weight-loss reality series in which full-figured contestants compete to be the best dancers and lose the most weight. The winners will be determined in the final episodes by a dance-off and a weigh-in to see who will take home the prize. While the show’s name is a cute play on words to encourage the contestants to get out there, dance, and have a good time, it also humorously points out that the main goal of the show is weight-loss.
More to Love is a new reality dating series in which Luke Conley, a 26 –year old man standing a confident 6’3” tall and weighing in at just over 300 pounds, will search for love among 20 full-figured women. The creator of More to Love is also responsible for creating the Fox hit series, The Bachelor. The title, More to Love, suggests that while he is looking for something more in his life, namely love, it also directly highlights the physical appearances of the show’s cast members.
This new strategy to put the lives of real people back on the television screen has a number of people questioning their approach. While yes, these new shows star a cast of what is considered to be average size people according to US studies, it is done in a humorous, almost mocking manner. There is a fine line between portraying real people on TV and giving people what they want to see.
To find out more about reality TV series and to view a complete least of all reality TV shows visit the Reality TV World website.
What do you think about this reality TV strategy?
Contributed by Carrie Friedrich