VIDEO: Our Montage of Why People Are/Aren't Here on Reality TV
John Rich
We already know that people aren't on reality TV to make friends. Per recent episodes of The Glee Project and Food Network Star, they still aren't. But for the video below, we thought we'd take a look into the other reasons why people say they are and aren't appearing on unscripted television. These things range from "for me" (Celebrity Rehab), "for the deaf kids" (Celebrity Apprentice) and, as heard on America's Got Talent, "to tell people that if you don't get in your own way, your dreams are yours for the havin'" (whatever that means!). Obviously, people on unscripted TV are constantly being interviewed about themselves, but this compulsive need to declare one's purpose suggests a greater struggle for meaning. After all, you get the feeling that in the vast majority of these instances "...to be on TV" would sufficiently end any sentence that begins, "I'm here..."
Watch our "I'm Here/Not Here To..." montage: