Reality TV.... Don't Believe Everything You See!

Reality TV has become a very popular genre since its beginnings with shows such as Big Brother and Survivor. Many reality shows work towards displaying the real life events of groups and individuals, in hopes of getting a large audience and high ratings. Religion is seen in shows including 19 Kids and Counting, All-American Muslim and Trading Spouses. In particular, there is one moment in Trading Spouses, a show in which wives are swapped between families for a week, that no one will ever forget. Marguerite Perrin, a devoted fundamentalist Christian, had stayed with a family who did not follow Christianity and that studied astrology. When she had returned home would be one of the most memorable moments in reality TV.

Caption for video clips: The first clip shows the last scene of the two part episode when Marguerite returns home. The second clip shows an moment in which Marguerite is in the presence of a gay psychic Christian on a radio talk show. The last clip shows different clips of Marguerite and the way she displays herself. Reality TV can be very one-sided is displaying what will bring in the highest ratings. (Bare with me on the clips. They all serve a purpose. The first could only be a direct link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOpva_iit-8

Reality TV can be seen to display Lynch’s characteristics, in that many shows are used as a source to portray the practices of the everyday life Christian, such as those in 19 Kids and Counting. However, the clip above showed a completely different view in displaying Christians on TV that could be viewed as harmful to the religion. But how much of what we see on reality TV can be true? Remember, creators and producers of shows go through hours of editing in hopes that they will achieve the highest ratings on television. Even though shows might be considered reality, at times, a lot of it is scripted. In the case of the actors or characters on the show, such as Marguerite, some are just trying to get their 15 seconds of fame. What I am trying to get at here is that reality TV can be harmful or harmless to certain topics, such as Christianity, based on how one views a show. 19 Kids and Counting can show Christian ideals in everyday practices, while Trading Spouses can make Christians look like extremists or weirdos. In the end, both examples are shows looking for ratings and you shouldn’t believe everything you see; even if its reality TV.