I admit I was a reality show junkie; it was one of my few guilty pleasures. Like so many people I was shocked and saddened by the suicide of Taylor Armstrong’s husband Russell Armstrong. While I don’t think the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reality show killed him, I do think it added a lot of stress to an already stressed situation. Realty Television suddenly doesn’t seem so fun to watch anymore. I suspect many others may feel the same way. I sincerely hope that Bravo TV handles the situation with the respect and dignity this situation deserves instead of using it as a ratings booster.
When watching reality television becomes more sad and stressful than fun; I suspect these shows will lose most of their audience. Most of us reality show junkies watched these shows as an escape from our own life drama, but now the drama is no longer fun to watch and the fantasy of watching other lives seems too real.
This latest curse comes after a long road of reality show roadkill. Hulk Hogan, Jessica Simpson, Travis Barker etc. Of course the most notorious reality show divorce would be Jon and Kate Gosselin. Reality television seems to be very bad for marriage and family.
After watching one of the final episodes of Kate Plus Eight, it struck me how much a reality show changes people. It was such a contrast to see old video of Kate Gosselin from the beginning of their reality show to the mean and nasty diva she is today. When I watched her interview where she insists fame hasn’t changed her; it struck me as so ludicrous that I actually laughed out loud. Obviously she needs to go back and watch some of her own episodes. She also insists her and Jon would have divorced even if their was no reality television show. I’m not so sure. While the show has enabled her and her children to live a life free of financial stress, it came at a huge cost. My guess is when those kids are interviewed as adults, they will all agree they would have rather had their family intact then all those trips, toys and adventures. There is no price tag you can put on a family.
It also occurred to me what a lonely life Kate Gosselin has set up for herself. She has severed all ties with her family and the few close friends she had just by her knife like words. While she acts like a martyr insisting she will move forward and needs “no one”, we all know its not true. I foresee many regrets for Kate one day when shes older, her kids have cut her out of their life, and the cameras are just a distant memory. Kate, I think your 15 minutes of fame is up. You have to admit it was a good run. Hopefully you invested well and got good financial advice. After all these years of alienating everyone in your life and putting your children on constant public display, I hope the money and fame was all worth it.
I think I will just say no to reality television and the public massacre of families.