Reality TV isn't real, folks

The death this week of GTA resident Richard Code in the Muskoka wilderness is tragic because the poor man gleaned what outdoor skills he had from reality TV - Survivorman, to be precise. Officials said he died from hypothermia.

Is it really possible large numbers of people watch the glut of reality TV shows - The Bachelor and Bachlorette, Big Brother, The Amazing Race, Survivor and Survivorman - and believe what they are seeing? I thought everybody knew they weren't real, these highly produced and manipulated shows - the furthest thing from reality. How can a show be called Survivorman when he's got, at the very least, a video crew with him? In the case of Code, it's so regrettable (and sympathy is extended to his family), but as for others out there who think there's value (other than camp) in reality TV: get a grip.

Do swooning viewers really believe those fantasy dates on mate-for-life shows spring from the imaginative brains of the latest Mr. or Miss Right? "I want to spend the rest of my life with him/her," say bubble-brained contestants in endless promos. Oh please, it is to gag.

Even the thought people are busy shaping their life values or "learning" social and survivor skills from reality TV is a terrifying thought.

Now, where's my soulmate?

Comments

[PR]

"Survivorman" doesn't have a video crew with him. He has strategically placed video cameras around him, but he's all alone out there. Watch an episode, and you'll see how he sets it up.

[R]

Perhaps before trashing a television show you should look into your facts. Survivorman does not have a camera crew with him. That fact is quite apparent if you watch the show - which it seems you haven't.

This post just reeks of trying to cash in on a current news story.

[Jim M]

According to the undisputed Wikipedia page, Survivorman did have a support team monitoring him from a safe, nearby distance. Nearby enough to save him, if necessary, apparently. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorman