In my life, I focus on reducing drama. I don’t fight with my coworkers. My friends and I actually like each other. And life with the husband is pretty amazing.
Honestly, the majority of the drama in my life right now only goes on in my head. Like most people, my thoughts can shift from happy to anxious in seconds.
But for some reason, I really enjoy a good dramatic reality TV show.
I know, I could be spending my free time reading more or learning a new skill, but a few times I week I love to disconnect from reality by connecting to reality TV.
My personal favs are the Real Housewives of Orange County, New York, Beverly Hills and New Jersey along with the Bachelor or Bachelorette.
And then there is my husband and my super guilty summer pleasure- Bachelor in Paradise. So ridiculous and so amazing at the same time.
So what draws so many good natured people to the inflated egos that make up reality TV?
Honestly, I have no clue, but I’m sure I could find plenty of studies on the topic if I spend a night researching it instead of wondering if Ashley will ever stop crying and let Jared have some peace???
Shout out to my fellow Bachelor in Paradise watchers!
But all kidding aside, I think reality TV can be a bit of a healthy outlet. In movies and many TV dramas, it seems things just “happen to people”. It’s hard to see people’s role in the drama they face.
The writers are smart. They know we like to see good people thrown into challenging circumstances by no fault of their own, and then not only overcoming the situations, but be better for it.
Totally different situation in reality TV.
You see all the little crappy things people do to mess up their situations and hurt their relationships.
In every single episode of Real Housewives, I see how people put a massive amount of energy into getting an apology. Then generally, once they hear the words they “needed so much”, the sorry doesn’t cut it and they are still upset.
Sure it’s interesting to watch people with a crazy amount of money getting upset about little things. Or watching beautiful people repeatedly hurt their chances at love through trying to manipulate situations.
But when I am in the right head space, I can see how I do those things too, just sans the LandRover and the amazing abs.
I know there are times when I struggle to accept an apology, or assume that I know how people are going to react to a situation before they even have a chance.
I also know how I can see something from my own one-sided point of view. Trying to reinforce my viewpoint instead of listening to someone else rarely ends with stronger since of understanding.
As crazy as it is to do reality TV, it must be interesting to watch yourself back. Some people must gain insights into how to handle situations better. Others seem to become more rooted in their beliefs and make the same mistakes over and over.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying out for the Real Housewives of Sacramento anytime soon, but I am happy to learn from these reality stars mistakes.
After all, is that how we most effectively learn- will being entertained?
Perhaps the next time I get a judgmental look when I reference situation that took place between Bethenny Frankel and Luann de Lesseps on Real Housewives of New York I’ll explain it’s part of my self-improvement training.
Or maybe I’ll follow advice that few Housewives do and keep that little thought to myself J
