Re: 10,000 bc

Reality TV remains with us because they discovered that the uninformed masses (the Sheeple) are happily duped by it and will sit and watch it religiously, mindlessly failing to realise the exact same scenarios are being played out over and over in each different programme. It's big business. Huge business in fact because they are reaping $millions through telephone calls with most shows that incorporate viewer voting. People are supremely dumb, totally trusting of authority and institutions and as a result they are taken advantage of like the saps they are. If that seems harsh to you, then you are likely part of the Sheeple.

Give me any Reality TV show and I will highlight the same old tired scenarios that they all use. There are always the following:

- The eye candy - the beautiful men and women put there for no other reason than to be sexy.

- The confrontational stooge - put there to shake things up, initiate arguments and generate "exciting" TV. Ideally to cause rifts in the wider group.

- The token gay guy - compulsory in every show because the gay community is a huge force and when money is involved every demographic must be brought into the fold.

- The token old man/woman - as above, essential to pull in the votes of the older generation

- The entertaining idiot - A total no-hoper in whatever the reality show is about, simply put there to "make a show" and generate entertainment. Think Chico in X-factor and all the other nutters deliberately kept in till semi-finals, pushing out really gifted singers along the way. Think John Seargent in Strictly, the dorks kept in The Apprentice (you can literally feel the frustration of Alan Sugar in being forced by the show producers to not fire them!) and so on. Yes, we must have entertainment darlings !

In terms of scenarios it's the same story. There is always:

- The walk off by the person who creates the most shock in doing so. e.g. in X-Factor having a judge walk-off, in 10000BC having leader Steve walk out, in I'm A Celeb last season Jimmy Bullard (absolute cert to win) first to be "voted out" (cough cough). Honestly this scenario gets so old. Bookies make fortunes from the Sheeple here.

- The fake romance - 2 celebs pretend to have a romance, all pre-arranged before they went in. Gets all the chat shows and newspapers talking, great for business.

- The faked "accident" - stooged hiccups for pure entertainment value. Great British Bake-Off is a HUGE faker for this. Contestants "accidentally" (cough cough) tipping their entire tray of buns on the floor, flinging dough around the room and so on. But the Sheeple love it, they lap it up like it's for real the poor saps.


In the end you have to realise that the term Reality TV, is a contradiction in terms. It can NEVER EVER be real. Why? Because every contestant is covered by 100s of cameras and microphones every waking second of every day, 24x7. People do NOT act real when they know cameras are always on them. They are ALWAYS acting. They are there purely for the reason of trying to be entertaining and thereby secure TV careers and move themselves ever closer to the "A-List".

This is dumb TV aimed at keeping people dumb and, if possible, relieving them from their money. It is staggering how many of these Sheeple actually believe their votes make any difference to the outcomes. Every Reality voting show has controls in place to ensure the producers can keep in whoever they want. That's why you can't vote out the token "Entertaining Idiot" until the show is finally ready to let them go. It's crooked, but that's because our rulers are crooked, so we live in a crooked world.

Need more examples?

Take Me Out -

Can be taken for pure entertainment value so long as you realise the entire thing is scripted (imo). The girls can turn off their lights any time thus ensuring that the entertaining girls and hot eye-candy stay in the show week on week. There's frequently a stooge there to suffer a blackout and so on.

The Apprentice -

First 2 seasons of this were brilliant. They WERE genuine reality TV. Then the producers took hold and Sugar imo lost his power to sack whoever he wanted. Now the show is an utter dumbed down farce, gone the same way as all reality TV.

The Voice -

imo all contestants that they want in latter stages are known from the outset. Judges just press the button as they are told to. Contestants from past pop groups rarely make it through despite being good singers. They are just there to add interest.

X-Factor -

Sigh. So old now. The sob story contestant that always gets through. The stooges who can't sing and slate the judges for TV impact. The "Entertaining Idiots" kept in even tho they can't sing at all. Judges walking off. Pretend fights between judges. All tired and old. Hence the show went off to the USA to start over there.

Bear Grylls - Mission Survive -

New show, same tired recipe. Staged inter-group fighting. Staged difficulty with problem solving e.g. pulling fish out of a glorified puddle, had to be sabotaged by Jamelia otherwise it would all be too easy. Trying to throw heavy ropes over a high tree ?? We've all known for countless years that you start with a light cord that is tied to a heavier cord. Difficulty making fire with a dedicated fire lighter/striker? Really ?? It's just so insulting.

TOWIE & Big Brother

If you watch these there is little hope. Sadly, the nation is rapidly turning into a mass of mindless zombies who believe all this stuff and who can't think for themselves.

Unreality TV is here to stay.

More's the pity!

Re: 10,000 bc

How much reality TV do you have to watch to know so much about the programmes, you forgot Ex On The Beach

I think I must be part of the Sheeple cause I watch Strictly and The Voice and I've even watched BB.

I definitely couldn't listen to the horror on the news all the time,
and factual documentaries are great but for a while. I enjoy a bit of escapism in the form of 'reality' we know it's anything but.

Re: 10,000 bc

I was about to make a similar remark, that a lot of 'research' must have gone into this. My entire knowledge of reality shows is from the newspaper reports.

(Unless you count 'Jillaroo School' a documentary following girls who wanted jobs on cattle and sheep stations, but it did involve a lot of bull & sheep)

Re: 10,000 bc

Bruce I have to ask, what does Jilaroo mean, is it someone who works on one of the stations?

With the reality shows its probably ok if you watch them for research purposes.

Anyway it's a formula that works, the media companies need good viewing figures and they provide that. It's like any business, you sell what works.

Sitcoms used to be very popular with viewers but now they don't do so well and nothing like the numbers who watched them in the 70s and 80s.

There are major changes in the industry with less people watching TV because they are communicating more on their phones and iPads and on social media etc.

People are short of time as so many carry on working when they get home using their computer.

The days of putting your feet up in front of the telly are gone really unless you're retired.

So things change and reality TV is the current trend but it will no doubt be replaced by something else,

Re: 10,000 bc

O
It's the female version of a Jackaroo which is basically a station/stock hand learning his trade handing cattle, sheep, mustering, fencing and all the jobs needed in animal farming.

Because of the massive wages offered in the mining industry station owners are desperately short of skilled labour and females are being drafted in to replace the men.

With the drop in commodity prices they might not be needed much longer as some mines wind down and others cut back.

I watched the first couple of episodes but I am in foreign parts for a month so I will have to catch the rest in iView when I get back.

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/jillaroo-school/