Reality Check, please!

I had no idea how hooked I was! I've always professed to enjoying my reality shows, but today I had to "reality check" myself. Do you know that last night I watched some 5 eliminations - all on different reality shows? Thank God there's DVR! So having watched all of these shows you can imagine that even with skipping all of the commercials I didn't get to bed til at least midnite-midnite:thirty!

What makes it bad is that as long as I'm watching the reality shows, I've gotta have a glass-o-wine in my hand. For me it's a must. It's like I used to feel as a smoker. I couldn't have a drink without wanting to smoke a cigarette. Same deal. Wow, I got it bad. The reality (lol) of the situation is I have to watch them the night that they're on, because I hate the spoilers the next day! If I haven't watched it the night before and I'm reading something on-line, inevitably some article or some headline is gonna pop up and ruin it for me....and I hate that! I think it's cause I like to be able to predict and see if I picked the right answer. Just like when I was in school...heehee....

The eliminations were all correct, too. At least I agreed with them. So, let's see. I watched Marvita get the boot on America's Next Top Model. She deserved it. She was a 40-ounce drinkin' mess! Then I saw Amanda bite the dust on American Idol, whose time had come indeed. From there, I caught up on Big Brother, which had finished recording and I roared and clapped like a rabid cheerleader when that "shystee", lying bag of lies Matt got evicted from the house. Then we back-tracked again to watch Survivor and witnessed not one, but two people leave the island; Kathy, who just gave up and told the producers she just wanted to get the heck out and Tracy, who I never really liked anyhoo. So, that was a win/win for me, too. Finally, around the 18th glass of wine, (kidding, it was only like....10), I watched Top Chef stick the turkey-baster up Valerie's butt. Sorry, kid. That blini was a mess!!

So tonite we got Celebrity Apprentice! LOL...I know, I know, I'm a hot mess. But I loves me some reality shows. I guess I've always had voyeuristic tendencies. I really just like watching people. And it's really, incredibly interesting when you get to watch them being themselves and as a bonus see what crazy things they'll do to win at all costs. I don't like all reality shows mind you, but I must admit I do watch Beauty and the Geek and Girlicious regularly. (Sigh) Ok, wait. Lemme think. What don't I like? Well, just to name a few, I don't like The Real Wives of Orange County or whatever that crap is. I don't watch The Biggest Loser, although it's a decent enough show. I gladly channel surf past The Moment of Truth! What the hell's the deal with that show? People go on there, tell their deepest secrets in front of America, ruin their family lives and for what?! A check for $100,000.00? Gimme a break! I'd be willing to bet there's probably not a lotta "reality" to that show.

Don't get me wrong, though. I do watch other things. I like some television with substance, too. I like investigative reporting programs, too; 20/20, Dateline, 48 Hours, etc. And of course, I love me some sit-coms, but they're becoming more and more extinct as the reality shows take over. So I suppose I'm not the only one who eats those shows up. They're selling like joints at a Snoop Dogg concert! Every time you turn around there's another reality show coming out. Remember when Being Bobby Brown was on?! OMG! Talk about a hot mess!! That was the best, most awful, tragically entertaining show on TV. I would never miss it!! I can only hope Whitney has not barred those folks from releasing it on DVD. When they do, I am so there!

It's going to be very difficult to turn away from the television for an extended period of time to focus on my writing......pray for me. But my reality check is the knowledge that these reality shows aren't gonna give me the book that I wanna write. I need to be creating my own reality or shall I say the realities of the characters that I'm gonna be writing about. That's the real reality, but dang, there's gotta be a way to watch America's Funniest Home Videos, too!! That series shines a light on the humor in our everyday lives, and those are the best reality showings of all.