Reality TV programs have become increasingly popular nowadays. Some people even obsessed with reality TV programs where they cannot even miss one episode of the program each week. Some examples of reality TV include ¡°Family Feud¡±, ¡°American Idol¡±, and the most recently ¡°Britain¡¯s Got Talents¡±. Besides that, reality TV shows come in a wide range of variety including survival, lifestyle, dating, and work. In 2002, a survey was conducted by TGI Latina Study for 7 countries in North and South America. 20.7% of the respondents admit that they watch reality TV frequently. Why reality TV is becoming so popular with audiences these days?

In my opinion, the stories presented in the reality TV shows are real by real people, not the actors. Audiences and participants can gain real and unusual experiences from these reality TV shows. An example to illustrate this is the experience of having different wives each week in the reality TV program named ¡°Wife Swap¡±. In the program ¡°Texas ranch House¡±, a participant can feel the life of being a cowboy to run an abandoned ranch. In the program ¡°Survivor¡±, the participants have to learn survival skills on an isolated island. These are also some TV programs dedicated specially to satisfy the bizarre taste of audience who are interested in ghost hunting, black magic and voodoo religion.

The voyeuristic and inquisitive nature of people has contributed to the high reality TV broadcasting rate around the world. People would like to know what is going on with other people, including the stories behind the scenes. For example, in love reality TV shows, the audiences can have a peek into the private lives of a newly established couple. These can satisfied the thirst of the crowd for things happened in other people lives.

It is important to note that guilty pleasure phenomenon among the audiences also contributed to the popularity of reality TV shows. Some audiences would like to watch others to do silly business or what happens when the participants are felling miserable because of losing in a game. The audiences may take delight on the misfortune of others when they fail in a particular mission or if they are kicked out during the final rounds of the competition. For instance, a photographer may produce a work which is unrelated to the theme or title required by the organizer. Organizers may even purposely choose some unqualified singers into preliminary rounds so that the audiences will have a chance to enjoy a light moment of the embarrassing experience of the singer. These elements are found to be entertaining although it is regard as obscene many years ago.

In addition to that, some interesting elements have made the reality TV shows to be extremely addictive to audiences. Suspense is created in the game show where drama, lightning, and music suspense are added to attract the attention of audiences. The unexpected and unpredictable outcomes of sports games, competitions, and game shows have attracted a large crowd of audiences who are eager to know the winner of the game. Some creative premises such as a deserted island, and house aged 100 years old carried out in unpredictable ways with rules and regulations have added the fantastical element for the taste of the audiences.

Competitions in the reality TV are a chance for ordinary people to become famous. This is the reason why so many participants are applying to join various reality TV shows. Ordinary people are put into extraordinary situations where the participants may feel that they are a focus under the limelight on an international podium. Susan Boyle, who got a second in the final round of ¡°Britain¡¯s Got Talents¡±, is able to get a multimillion contract for studio sound recording although she did not have the privilege sing in front of the Queen.

The prizes offered by game shows and competitions such as ¡°Wheel of Fortune¡±, ¡°Press Your Luck¡±, and ¡°Who Wants to Be a Millionaire¡± have become a factor that promotes the popularity of reality TV shows. Money impetus by reality TV shows has generated a large, loyal fan base who is infatuated with the concept of personal wealth. Audiences may share vicarious joy with participants when they win.

Finally, the cheap production of reality shows has provided the motivation for the producers to work for it. Producers can choose their desired participants from a bunch of no-names where the participants do not necessary to have professional acting skills. This provides a cheap labor for the reality TV shows. Low cost of production accompanying with high broadcasting rate gives a large profit margin for producers.

In conclusion, reality TV programs are a popular choice of many audiences around the world. The trend may become more significant in the future.