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The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

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Reality TV: Bad "Bachelor," Fabulous "Queer Eye"

Reality TV popped up when audiences wanted a change from very similar shows and writers’ unoriginal plot lines.
The whole point of reality TV is that it is not scripted. Without the "real" part, reality TV would be, well, really bad. Now there is a reality TV show for every taste, ranging from outdoor quests like Survivor, to marrying well with Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire, to testing limits with Fear Factor. The list goes on and on. However, the "truth" on some recent shows does not seem to depict reality, and I suspect that in some cases, it never did. Think back to the very beginning of MTV’s The Real World. How realistic is it that people get to live in a rent-free home and just party? I don’t think it’s realistic, but at least it is real.

My latest infuriation at reality TV stems from the breakup of Bob and Estella, the latest "happy" couple brought together on The Bachelor. I actually bothered to watch most of the latest season, in which bachelor Bob chose a wife-to-be from a group of twenty-five attractive women. Now, I discover that Bob asked Estella to wear her engagement ring on her right hand (a.k.a. not marry him), which is simply ridiculous. If he didn’t want to marry the girl he shouldn’t have asked her. Why would he go on TV in front of millions of people and propose only to change his little mind? As I watched the show, I found it quite cute that this couple had managed to come together on a TV show. The charm of the show stemmed from the fact that it was real, not a fake creation concocted in some studio. The breakup invalidates the point of the show. Ideally, the show should play out like this: boy meets twenty-five girls, finds one he really loves, and they get married and live happily ever after. Although this is unreal, it is still the goal of the show. Since it is real, we can’t just say, "That could only happen in a movie." Thanks, bachelor Bob, for killing the dream. His predecessors did not set a good example for him seeing as the other bachelors on The Bachelor have not stayed with their chosen women either.

Thankfully, not all reality TV has broken with reality. My personal favorite reality TV show right now happens to be Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. When I first heard the name, I thought it was a dating show, but that is Boy Meets Boy. Anyway, Queer Eye is basically a makeover for a straight male slob, performed by five gay men. I like it simply because it is humorous. The gay men joke in a light-hearted and jovial way about the straight man’s living space, the way he dresses, and the way he prepares food. The "Fab Five," as they call themselves, have an intense task to perform every episode. While they clean and redecorate his home, they take the slob man shopping for a new look. When he returns home, they give him a plan for his evening, which is most often spent on a romantic (hopefully) date with his wife or girlfriend. Once he has the plan, the "Fab Five" leaves to watch the straight man enjoy his evening. This is definitely the highlight of the show. When the straight guy goofs, the gay men watch and giggle together. It’s really quite entertaining.

So, to restore faith in reality TV, I recommend watching Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, no matter what your sexual preference. Honestly, I watch it with my boyfriend, and it’s straight-up comedy. If one of The Bachelor’s bachelors plans on actually getting married to one of the girls he can choose from, let me know and maybe I’ll tune in. Happy viewing.

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