Term Paper 3

 Taylor Rich 

MCOM-1003

Professor Reppert

October 19, 2020

Term Paper #3

Since reality television shows have surfaced in 1990, the genre has faced much criticism even while increasing in popularity. Criticisms mainly focus on the use of the word “reality”, while the actual shows’ display only a fragment of reality and revolve around a staged storyline. Many people believe that reality television is deceptive and are intended to exploit people and tend to make celebrities out of “untalented” people who do not deserve fame. But while the genre faces criticism, it also generates a lot of views and popularity. “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” has been one of the most popular reality television shows since it aired in 2007, but has also faced the most criticism. The Kardashian family is no stranger to drama, but their show has drawn negative attention and criticism of the claim that they bought their way to fame, yet no one can stop watching their show. The impact of reality television is commonly seen in a negative light, because for many people, reality television is the lowest form of entertainment, and is classified as an insult to our intelligence, but yet all of America continues to watch.

  Although I am not a fanatic about reality television shows, I am guilty of sitting down and dedicating a part of my day to occasionally laugh at the drastic differences in the realities between me and the stars. For me, reality television is an unintentionally funny genre of entertainment. For others, there is an appeal I don’t understand but have made an effort to analyze. As I previously mentioned, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” is one of the most popular and most critiqued reality television shows on air. “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” is structured in a manner to follow the Kardashian sisters and exploit their lives. From professional to personal aspects, every moment of their glamorous lives is documented on camera. From the constant drama and craziness in their lives, comes an extreme exaggeration that the Kardashian’s are anything but ‘normal’. By displaying their extravagant vacations, houses, and parties, it can easily be seen that the Kardashian’s are ‘perfect’. Among the exploitation of their luxurious lifestyles, the show does not filter drama, keeping the audience hooked. With dramatic music, one-on-one interviews, and unfiltered fights between family members, the ridiculous nature of the show captures the attention of viewers more than anything. According to the Statista website, the largest percentage of age groups watching shows like KUWTK generally stem from the ages 18-34. 

The Kardashians have a large platform outside of their show as well. From makeup products to clothing lines, modeling pictures to instagram photos, and famous boyfriends to cute babies- the Kardashians are constantly appearing on social media platforms. This large platform, which stretches to each family member, benefits the popularity of the reality tv show. While there is marketing for “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”, the Kardashian sisters are self-sufficient in generating their popularity, and are no stranger to publicity. 

While “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” is a dramatic interpretation of what reality television is like, there are various versions and different structures that are applied to this specific genre. For example, when the reality tv show “Duck Dynasty” aired in 2012, the norm for reality television was changed. When this Christian-based family from Louisiana entered into the public eye, long beards and duck calls were suddenly in thousands of American households on a weekly basis. While KUWTK focuses on the dramatic side of the American high class life, Duck Dynasty introduced a relatable and funny family to laugh with. 

Duck Dynasty follows the Robertson family and their successful business Duck Commander, which is mainly known for selling duck calls. Rather than focus on drama, this show mainly focuses on funny moments happening within the family and the ‘average’ American lifestyle they live on. From clips of family dinners, church services, and hunting trips, the Robertson’s showed America a glimpse inside a regular Southern Louisiana household. While the Robertson’s are more relatable than the Kardashian’s in a traditional American household aspect, Duck Dynasty was centered around a Southern way of living and generally attracted the southern part of America more than anything. I know for me, my local Walmart in Central Texas was always displaying merchandise and selling the newest product from Duck Commander. While this was normal to see in a Texas Walmart, I can only imagine the strangeness of walking into a New York Walmart for example and seeing hunting gear and duck calls stacked along the shelves for the first time, advertised by men with beards holding guns. 

Even though Keeping Up With the Kardashian’s and Duck Dynasty are two different versions of reality television, each show displays a unique structure of reality television that appeals to Americans. Whether it is a high class family who live in LA or a family-run duck call business in Louisiana, reality television remains a highly viewed genre of television in America.

Knowing that Americans will watch anything, if I were to create a reality television show, I would structure my reality show about my time in college. All of my friends and teammates would be included and I would prefer that the film structure would be identical to “The Office”. I would want one-on-one interviews of each person reacting to whatever event is happening, as well as random and awkward reactions while looking directly at the camera, breaking the fourth wall. Rather than focus on the dramatic aspect, I would want a comical effect to follow my time in college. Although it may not be the most interesting show, my knowledge about reality television has led me to believe that people will watch anything you put in front of them. 

Reality television has a variety of different aspects and specific structures, allowing either a realistic or idealistic sense of reality, intriguing viewers to watch obsessively. Whether it’s a high-class or middle-class family or a dramatic or comical show, reality television appeals to a broad audience across America through either a commonality or distinction between the  people who watch and the stars.