Shows like "The Soup" with Joel McHale make fun of reality shows while being on the same network as they are. There is an entire network devoted merely to showing reality shows, The actual Show Network. Activities from tattoo parlors to motorcycle places are on reality shows. Many times these shows actually interact with each other for example web sites episode of "Jon and Kate Plus 8" where Jon wanted to get a motorcycle and he went to the Motorcycle Guys where he put together his custom cycle. They'll likely delivered the cycle and made one for Kate. Being Kate she decided to ride it and then offer it to a charity, McDonald House. Meanwhile, the Motorcycle Guys, who have their own show were also featured on this one.
So many people watch this show that after the last episode when Jon and Kate decided to get these Crooked Houses for the kids, the manufacturers of the houses received a lot of business from viewers who had seen the houses and wanted them Pinoy Lambingan. On one of the older shows Jon and Kate answered emails from viewers. They get endless emails and when they go out in public as Kate is now doing on her book signing tour, fans are always there. What makes these shows so popular? Should we examine this phenomenon to see if there is anything to be learned from it? Or is it just the armchair mentality of people who once sat on their front porches and viewed those actions of their friends? Are people becoming armchair voyeurs?
When the first reality show, "The Louds" debuted the American public had never seen a show quite like it. There were no personalities and no real plots. It was basically watching the every day activities of a so - called typical American family. We saw the happy times and the angry times. The camera never stopped filming unless it was a personal privacy issue. The Loud family dissembled in this unrelenting focus on themselves. Yet this didn't stop the networks from continuing to put on similar shows. However, the furor over these shows didn't really start till the big networks got involved. Probably MTV with its Real world shows that were so loved by 16 and up may have been the culprit.
All of a sudden the lives of regular people who were not related to each other were slipped into the camera's lens. Their every sensation was examined by not only the group but themselves in personal interviews meant only for the viewers. Group mother nature and the lifestyles of some of these people created a great deal of drama. A lot of drinking went on and though these people were theoretically monitored their activities sometimes went beyond the law into a bleak area. Kids were riveted to the screen when Real world came on and couldn't wait for the next episode. But older adults were not paying a whole lot attention to these shows. It wasn’t until shows like "The Bachelor" became popular on network TV that older adults were drawn into watching them.
Networks like Bravo and TLC realized that people would watch the lives of people and possibly when "The Ozbornes" became so popular TV middle management began to think about more reality shows. The Venice Hilton and Nicole Ritchie show highlighted how low the content could go and still have people watching. Shows like "What Not to Wear" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" had more of a plot, but they still used real people in real situations.