I contend that reality TV has gone too far. I have accepted the realm of reality TV, crazy as it can be, but now I feel like reality TV has turned into the best way to exploit people. The show that was my final nail in the reality TV show coffin is Bridalplasty on E!. Now I don’t have full cable, I only really watch TV online and on Netflix, but over the holidays I was visiting mine and my boyfriend’s family and got my fair share of cable TV watching. Luckily I learned that I am not missing much from not having cable at home. While flipping through the channels one afternoon I came across Bridalplasty and thought I’d watch for a few minutes. I was so incredibly appalled by what I saw. Not only was it disgusting that women were competing for plastic surgery for their wedding, but that the show was basically exploited these poor women who obviously lack self esteem to the point they’d be willing to compete plastic surgery on a reality show. I couldn’t stand watching the show and quickly changed the channel.

The other show that bothered me during my vacation watching TV time was Teen Mom. Now I know this show is not new, but I haven’t had the chance to watch any of it. What bothered me the most is that the show fails to really show the hardship of being a teenage mother. The show focuses on the teenager and their lives and does not highlight the difficulty of caring for a child. I also feels like the show glamorizes teenage pregnancy, instead of showing how much of problem it is. Its almost like teens will get a message that if they get pregnant they could be on MTV. I feel that its distasteful on MTV’s part to produce a show like this and allowing these girls to gain popularity.

Now I am not a reality TV “hater”, I enjoy many reality shows. I will not argue that some of my favorite shows are great television, but they are entertaining and harmless.  I may not have the best taste in reality shows but I really don’t have tolerance for shows that glamorize a public problem or exploit people who are weak. I am starting to fear the future of television shows.