I am a reality TV snob.
Don’t get me wrong. I watch it. I have been with ‘American Idol’ since the very beginning, and converted to “Dancing with the Stars” the year that Emmett Smith took home the mirror ball trophy.
But I only watch reality TV shows that are competitions. And I’m talking talent competitions…not competitions for love like “The Bachelor,” or for basic survival like, well, “Survivor.” You definitely won’t catch me listening to idiots sitting on the couch talking trash on “Big Brother,” “The Housewives of New York City,” or “The Hills.”
But yesterday I read an article listing the salaries of some of these reality TV stars, and I’m starting to think they are way smarter than they appear.
“The Housewives of New York City” ladies, for example, are reportedly making $30,000 per episode. When Jon and Kate Gosselin were still speaking — and “Jon and Kate + 8″ was on the air — they pulled in $75,000 a show. Even the girls on “The Hills” get $90-100,000 per episode.
Heck, even the worst celebrity dancer on “Dancing with the Stars” — the one who gets voted off first, the one we feel bad for — is guaranteed $125,000 for simply showing up.
How many times have I sat on the couch and shook my head at the news of the antics of these reality TV stars? Turns out, they were just living up to their high price tag.
Remind me again — why do we call it reality TV?
Your blog is great.
To me, watching people dance is like watching cars go around and around in a circle. I just don’t understand the entertainment value.