**TL;DR Reality TV provides the most entertainment.** Reality TV, in all its rubbishness, is quite possibly the most entertaining form of TV. It is fair to say that not much brain power is required while viewing and because of that it becomes an easy watch. Shows such as Big Brother and Love Island attract many followers, however it is reported that only [39% of people watch reality TV] (https://www.onepoll.com/the-reality-tv-habit/) but why when it’s so entertaining? Reality TV shows are most popular within the population of those aged 16-30 years and recently have become increasingly more popular. They offer detailed insights into the lives of others, and are more often than not focussed on the drama and downfalls of those involved – which undeniably provides further entertainment. Reality TV offers an escape from, ironically, our own realities, more often than not in a humorous, light hearted manner and in the future I encourage people to watch the likes of Love Island, First Dates and (a personal favourite) Don’t tell the bride.

(This is mostly about dating reality shows, not game shows like the Great British Baking show) While *sometimes* amusing at first, the charm of reality TV wears off after a few minutes for me. After that, it becomes glaringly obvious that pretty much every single word is scripted, which then makes it just seem like a poorly written fictional show. I'm all for enjoying "bad" things ironically (like The Room) but most reality shows lack any unique substance and are so predictable that it's just plain bad. I have a hard time even using it as an escape because I get so discouraged when I see these *real* people doing such stupid stuff (like meeting each other for the first time at the altar). With purely fictional shows I could laugh at it more easily, but knowing that these real people are participating in such an unnatural thing (even just having a reality show follow you around like KUWTK is unnatural) and potentially ruining their lives makes me wince with stress. Now, I won't say that that they provide absolutely no entertainment - I've definitely laughed at my fair share of clips, but considering all of the TV out there that is actually "quality", reality TV is at the bottom of the heap.

**TL:DR: Reality TV is wonderful for the audience, but deeply exploitative and dehumanising to its participants** I watched an entire, glorious season of [Marriage at First Sight, Australia](https://www.channel4.com/programmes/married-at-first-sight-australia) - hilarious, obscene, intimate, absurd and massively enhanced by plastic surgeons. I also felt in some profound way that nobody should really be able to alienate their right to privacy to that extent.

**TL;DR - Undoubtedly, reality television has had a large impact on entertainment, and it's undeniably entertaining. But there is nothing real about it; these shows rely on novelty and drama, which can mislead the audience into making them believe it's actually real.** Reality TV is good nor bad generally. Its popularity, revenue, and growth into different subgenres, including cooking competitions, celebrity lives, and professional career contests, have left an impact on entertainment. Whether it's your preference or not, saying it's poor entertainment would be an unfair statement since these shows keep impacting the modern trend and mainstream society. But the problem with reality television is how simulated it is. It's not "reality" in any way, and many of these TV shows are soft-scripted or are informally directed by the behind-the-scenes crew. The contestants and cast are measured by how much attention they get or how good they look. The worst part of all is that these shows are misleading and make us believe they're actually real. Gordon Ramsey is undoubtedly an all-star chef, but he [receives frequent criticism](https://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-jacques-pepin-gordon-ramsay-20140715-story.html) for his reality shows because they're not actual reality and being a chef isn't as chaotic as he makes it out to be. The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and all their copies aren't real love, it's just a bunch of better-than-average looking adults placed in extravagant booshie locations that will have a [11%-31% success rate on their relationship](https://sites.middlebury.edu/bachelorgenderimages/finding-romance/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20only%20two%2Dthirds,versus%20the%20bachelor%20at%2011%25.). These shows are totally entertaining, but they're almost no different than a scripted drama other than making us believe they're somehow real and spontaneous. Many of the cast and contestants of these shows get a lot of clout and attention afterward through social media and somehow use it to springboard their careers like the Kardashians and Paris Hilton. It certainly gets you a lot of popularity and attention even in politics because, as we all know [Donald Trump was a reality TV star who owes much of his political success to his TV show The Apprentice.](https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/poll-trump-surges-past-hillary-biden-sanders-and-gore-here-are-some-reasons-why-david/)