My Reality TV Conundrum

I hate reality TV. As a genre, and on principle.

I suppose I still blame the genre for the death of my TV-writing career. Specifically, I blame Survivor. That show premiered in 2000; my last writing job was in 1999. As my agent and I were hustling for work during the 2000 staffing season (June and July), all anybody could talk about was Survivor. Nobody was looking for one-hour drama writers. The networks were cutting their "scripted" show budgets to the bone so they could add lots and lots of reality shows in midseason when all the "scripted" shows they'd foolishly ordered tanked. I stuck it out for another year, then threw in the towel and moved back to Nashville, vowing that I would never, ever, EVER watch a reality show.

Except...

Sometime later I stumbled across a show called The Amazing Race. And wow, was it ever. That thing was every bit as exciting as some of my favorite one-hour shows. It had real drama -- conflict, romance, humor, interesting characters -- and what I liked best, real situations and real world locales. Not that staged crap like on Survivor. Despite my best efforts, I was hooked.

But I swore to myself, that would be the only one. No more. Ever.

Until...

Clean Sweep on TLC. I didn't care for Trading Spaces, didn't like the concept and the designers were too out-there. But Clean Sweep was it. No more reality shows.

Then came What Not to Wear, also on TLC. Me, watching something about clothes! Preposterous! But I liked the "real person" aspect of the show, despite the fact that they took their real people to New York to shop. Again, I promised myself this would be my last reality show. Three was plenty.

Sigh.

Project Runway did me in. I watched a little at the end of the first season, enough to know who Jay and Wendy Pepper and Austin Scarlett were. When season two premiered, I paid more attention -- to the point of mumbling about those idiot judges keeping that lunatic Santino around forever. Now we're deep into season three, and God help me, I am totally hooked. Addicted. It's Appointment Television. And I've even got somebody new to yell at the TV screen about every time those idiot judges don't get rid of him -- Jeffrey. He's rude to the point of being cruel, overly full of himself, and half the time I hate his designs. The couture gown last week I just didn't get (yellow and black plaid?), and this week's outfit was tacky. If he survives next week and Uli or Laura get cut (Michael is a shoo-in for the top three, he's brilliant), I'll be majorly disappointed.

I still hate the whole genre of reality TV on principle. And you will never, ever catch me watching Survivor.

American Idol, now, that's a different story...

EDITED TO ADD: I started writing this on 8/28, but posted it on 9/14. Blogger kept the first date. Don't know what will happen after I re-post...