Summary

Reality television, dominating the tube right now, is about people getting insulted, humbled or even humiliated. It is also cheap to produce. Behind the boom in reality television is in large part money. They are also the highest rated show on television and all of the exposing something. These shows also erase the boundaries between the public and the private and the voyeuristic appeal is high. These shows are made up of the real behavior of people in real environments. In some shows the embarrassment or disappointment is part of the process. But there are other shows where demeaning the participants are the whole point of the exercise. Reality television is manifestly unreal, like a sport and is also like an unscripted drama. These shows are so good that they hold half of America's top ten rankings too.