SIMONE VIRZI, STAFF WRITER:
I know some people will try to argue that reality shows are stupid, but come on! There has got to be like 90 percent of the population that watches at least one reality show. They are entertaining, addicting, and I have no problem admitting I watch them.
Last semester I had on an episode of “Project Runway,” and my mom asked me what crap I was watching this time. She sat on the couch and was hooked for the rest of Season 8. She and I were both crossing our fingers for Mondo, a designer with an original perspective.
On the season finale, the judges were split between Mondo and this girl Gretchen, who puts rags on models. Judges Heidi Klum and Jessica Simpson (who was guest-starring) chose Mondo while fashion designer Michael Kors and “Marie Claire” editor Nina Garcia preferred Gretchen. My mom and I were both horrified when she won. I was shopping with my mom when she saw a Michael Kors bag. She refused to purchase it because he helped Gretchen win “Project Runway.” If my mom got obsessed with the show, I’m pretty sure reality shows can be addicting.
Hate on “Jersey Shore” all you want; I will continue to religiously watch every episode at least once. No, it is not a brainless show, it‘s hysterical. It’s “Jersey Shore,” baby! I will admit, Ronnie and Sammi’s relationship is sickening and they should have permanently ended things in Miami, but the rest of the show is so entertaining
it is impossible not to watch. Vinny and Pauly D are always up to something, and Snooki is too funny. What isn’t to love? And if you insist “Jersey Shore” is stupid, it’s probably because you’re jealous cameras don’t follow you as you get wasted and go to the club.
“Cake Boss” on TLC is also an entertaining show. Buddy, the guy in charge, is a chubby Italian with a hot head. Oh yeah, and his shop is in Jersey. Every week he makes show-stopping cakes that really push the limits of cake-making. I don’t even want to know how much he charges his customers. The cameras also capture the drama in the bakery, whether something
goes wrong with the cakes or Buddy’s sisters are arguing. Not only is the show humorous, you get to watch as he makes beautiful pieces of art out of cake.
Just from these three reality shows alone, you could learn about fashion, guidos, and the business of cakes, which would make you a well-rounded individual. But if none of these shows excite you, there are so many more out there you may come to love. After all, it’s an easy way to get your mind off you own life for an hour while being entertained by someone getting
paid to have a camera in their face.
Michael Bellmore, Staff Writer:
I’m pretty sure that reality shows were invented by the devil to make people stupid. I don’t have any solid proof just yet — I still need to prove the existence of metaphysical
beings — but if, for argument’s sake, we all assume that the devil is in fact real, it’s only logical to connect his dark work with the meteoric rise of reality television.
Yesterday I watched four minutes of “Jersey Shore.” Guido #1 and Guido #2 were preparing to return home from a slimy club. In a vain attempt to reinforce their heterosexuality, they circled the club like a pair of tattoo’d sharks, sniffing out tramp stamps like blood in the water. A handful of young ladies volunteered to go home with these goopy-haired predators because,
like, there totally would be a jacuzzi there and like there are cameras and stuff ohmagawd. Volunteering to go home with Guido #1 and Guido #2 meant also that these women were volunteering themselves to be ridiculed not only by every sane person watching, but by the troglodytes that brought them there for sex. These women were, as G #1 and G #2 would say, grenades.
I’m not going to define what a grenade is, because the sad truth is you probably already know. You may be asking why I’d take issue with the ridicule of ridiculous people. I don’t. I understand why one would want to watch and laugh at horrible people. My issue is this: that time could be spent doing more productive things — it could be spent consuming more worthwhile media.
For example, you could staple your testicles (or any other sensitive organs) to your inner thigh. You could watch the TV guide channel.
You could log into YouTube and watch videos of mountain lions attacking children. Or here’s a novel idea — you could watch a show that was written by talented writers, acted by talented actors, and otherwise put together by talented individuals. Or you can keep watching the drivel networks pump out because good television costs too much.
Also, while I’m at it, if I see one more show about people baking things, I’m going to have an aneurysm. “Cake Boss,” “Cupcake Wars,” “Last Cake Standing,” “DC Cupcakes,” “Food Network Challenge,” “Ace of Cakes,” “Amazing Wedding Cakes” — how many f***ing baking shows do we need in this country? Does anybody remember documentaries? Documentaries used to exist. Half of these shows are on TLC, which used to be called the learning channel. They used to broadcast documentaries. Now they bake cakes and give make-overs and try on bridal gowns. If you like cakes, go bake one. Save the airwaves for something that won’t give you cavities.
