2008 Woodie Awards
Where to look next for trash TV
Cody Boland
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: The Edge
America loves trash TV. It makes sense; after a long day of finding an excuse not to go to class, nobody is really in the mood to think. Instead, they want to waste hours of their lives watching skanky girls confess their love for washed-up musicians.
With "Rock of Love" recently ending its second season (yes, Ambre is the love of Brett Michaels' life, at least until season 3 gets picked up), we can only ask ourselves what the next mindless show is that will have people demeaning themselves for the twisted enjoyment of the rest of the us.
"Rock of Love" makes sense to me - it's fun, it's silly, it's entertainment. However, some reality shows seem to exist for no reason at all. Take, for example, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." When I first heard of this show my first thought was "Who?" For all I knew, the network decided to film a random family and see what zany antics they could come up with.
Do you know what Kim Kardashian did to be famous? Nothing at all, but that's OK because that is the great thing about reality programming: Everybody can have 15 seconds of fame before they fade into obscurity, or until they get arrested.
So forget dreck like the Kardashian family. Instead, watch some trash TV that has been airing for years. For my money, one of the best places to see some of the finest examples of trash TV is good ole Dr. Phil. Is that me admitting I have watched a show aimed at 40-year-old women? Possibly. The point is if anybody wants to see people deface themselves on national television, simply tune in to this sobfest and watch people make fools of themselves for no good reason.
Let's analyze a Dr. Phil show. Perhaps a couple comes on and complains about their marital problems. Just like any doctor would do, Dr. Phil installs a camera in the couple's house to view how they live. Turns out, the wife is a screaming maniac who flies into fits of rage randomly.
Without a single qualm about psychologist ethics, Dr. Phil shows this footage to the world and then gives his professional advice. This has to be the easiest part of the show for him, because it is always the same for everyone. "Stop it" he will tell them, then ramble on in his Southern drawl while he plugs whatever counseling service felt the need to advertise on his show.
And there you have it: As usual, Oprah was right all along. Dr. Phil is the man to see if you want VH1-quality reality. So we can all just settle with that, until Brett or Flavor Flav needs a new fling.
With "Rock of Love" recently ending its second season (yes, Ambre is the love of Brett Michaels' life, at least until season 3 gets picked up), we can only ask ourselves what the next mindless show is that will have people demeaning themselves for the twisted enjoyment of the rest of the us.
"Rock of Love" makes sense to me - it's fun, it's silly, it's entertainment. However, some reality shows seem to exist for no reason at all. Take, for example, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." When I first heard of this show my first thought was "Who?" For all I knew, the network decided to film a random family and see what zany antics they could come up with.
Do you know what Kim Kardashian did to be famous? Nothing at all, but that's OK because that is the great thing about reality programming: Everybody can have 15 seconds of fame before they fade into obscurity, or until they get arrested.
So forget dreck like the Kardashian family. Instead, watch some trash TV that has been airing for years. For my money, one of the best places to see some of the finest examples of trash TV is good ole Dr. Phil. Is that me admitting I have watched a show aimed at 40-year-old women? Possibly. The point is if anybody wants to see people deface themselves on national television, simply tune in to this sobfest and watch people make fools of themselves for no good reason.
Let's analyze a Dr. Phil show. Perhaps a couple comes on and complains about their marital problems. Just like any doctor would do, Dr. Phil installs a camera in the couple's house to view how they live. Turns out, the wife is a screaming maniac who flies into fits of rage randomly.
Without a single qualm about psychologist ethics, Dr. Phil shows this footage to the world and then gives his professional advice. This has to be the easiest part of the show for him, because it is always the same for everyone. "Stop it" he will tell them, then ramble on in his Southern drawl while he plugs whatever counseling service felt the need to advertise on his show.
And there you have it: As usual, Oprah was right all along. Dr. Phil is the man to see if you want VH1-quality reality. So we can all just settle with that, until Brett or Flavor Flav needs a new fling.
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