Reality TV

For both reality television and game shows, it is sometimes easy to forget their true purpose.  They don’t advance a story or theme, they don’t usually prove a meaningful point, and they don’t allow a layered plot to gradually unfold.  Their purpose isn’t even to give people the chance to win money.  No, their purpose is simply pure entertainment.  And this is exactly what reality TV is more successful at providing.

Now, in both mediums, we can see people doing ridiculous, unrealistic, funny, sad, pathetic, skillful, or occasionally distasteful things, and with similar stakes (usually money).  There is so much variation within both genres that this becomes irrelevant (there are no set rules for what can happen in game shows or reality shows).  The important distinction is in the audience’s attitude towards each. 

In viewing game shows, we constantly measure the contestants against ourselves—think about it, have you ever watched Jeopardy without answering the questions in your head as it goes on?  It’s part of the point of watching.  But because of this, there’s a constant feeling of jealousy or frustration—you could be answering these questions for money (“Come on, I knew it was Alexander Hamilton!”), yet you have to watch someone else try.

With reality shows, that pressure is gone.  Here, you watch people do things you don’t have the chance to do (or wouldn’t want to): American Idol contestants sing, people on Survivor eat bugs, teams on The Amazing Race cart dead pigs across a beach, while you sit on your couch and be entertained by their talent and/or wacky antics.  There’s no pressure.  No jealousy.  Just the expectation that they entertain you, and they always do.  Reality TV provides more effective escapism than game shows, and therefore more effective entertainment.

vs. 

Green Baron

Game Shows

Most everyone has seen or at least heard of Jeopardy. Wheel of Fortune comes up in movies, books, and television shows all the time. The winner of the 2009 Best Picture Academy Award (Slumdog Millionaire) followed a game show contestant and his troubles.

Game shows have become a large part of popular culture today. Perhaps it is not only because of the way they so easily pull you in, but because you can actually get smarter just by watching them. Many game shows, such as Jeopardy, Family Feud, and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? ask the contestants trivia questions about history, science, literature, and current events. It can be such an elating feeling when Alex Trebek asks a question, and the answer you shout out is the correct one.

In fact, many students even have the opportunity to reproduce that same feeling in actual live competition. “It’s Academic” is the High School version of a game show, which appears on live television. It is the longest continuously-running quiz show on television, and it has continued to provide fun and opportunity to teens who know their stuff.

Game shows also provide opportunity in the form of name recognition and typically generous compensation. People are given the chance to use their smarts and luck to get further in this world. In the case of “It’s Academic,” not only does winning give you name recognition, but it doesn’t look to bad on college applications, either.

In all, game shows show up in every day life for good reason- they test your knowledge and are in general, fun.