In order to get a feel of what you guys absolutely can't get enough of in pop culture, we're going to be polling you from time to time. A week ago, I asked you which scripted primetime soap was your all-time fave. Now it's time for the reality dramas or docusoaps as many industry trades like to refer to them.
Whether we love them or hate them, cheaper, easier to produce reality sudsers are here to say. I have to admit, while I detested the genre that was allegedly "killing" my precious scripted soaps for so long, there are now several reality soaps, contests and sitcoms (we'll get to the latter two, i.e. Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, Survivor, in the coming days) which now have places of honor on my DVR. I've realized deriving guilty pleasure from the exploits of the Kardashians isn't a betrayal to Sue Ellen Ewing. Like JR proved, a boy can have his classy wife, while enjoying the occasional trashy mistress!
Smart, well-written dramas like Mad Men, General Hospital, True Blood and Glee prove there's still room for all. Heck, there's even going to be a docusoap spinoff from a scripted soap this summer with Showtime's The Real L Word (premiering June 20). So what do you guys think?
Which is the best reality soap of all-time?
Comments
12 February 2010
5 weeks 6 days
I really loved "Flavor of Love 1 and 2," as well as "I Love New York 1 and 2"....
I think that "The Real World" wins, though....hands down!!! I miss how great these shows used to be before they became so focused on the vapid glorification of silly caricatures like Heidi Montag and Snooki!! I liked it when it was about REGULAR folks, not wannabe celebrities. So, why do I still watch these shows RELIGIOUSLY, even though they are kinda disgusting?? Guess I'm a hypocrite. Sue me.
16 August 2007
2 hours 31 min
Not a big fan of Real World by itself, but I loved Road Rules and am a HUGE fan of the Real World/Road Rules series and any of their spinoffs such as Inferno or Gauntlet. LOVE them
25 December 2008
9 weeks 8 hours
The real world definitely before they ran out of cool towns, then it got sucky.
I do love So you think you can dance as well because those kids are really freakishly talented and it isn't trashy. I love my trash but sometimes enough is enough.
16 March 2008
3 weeks 5 days
You got to give it to THE REAL WORLD. They’ve been at it the longest and they can still bring the drama. Plus, I was so happy that they FINALLY, after all these years, did a season in my beloved hometown Washington, DC. Granted it wasn’t the most exciting season but even Real World’s not too dramatic makes better television than most of the other reality stuff out there. No matter the city or the cast, there’s just a certain high quality of production and editing that I’ve come to expect from Real World and they tend to always deliver.
This upcoming season where they return to New Orleans looks like a fun hot mess.
For the record, my favorite season will always be San Francisco. God bless you Pedro Zamora.
22 January 2008
1 day 3 hours
What is so telling is that the Real World, pretty much the modern forerunner of reality series, was created by daytime soap people. The late Mary-Ellis Bunim, who co-created the franchise with Jonathan Murray, produced for Search for Tomorrow, As The World Turns, Santa Barbara and Loving. They initially planned to pitch a scripted soap for MTV, which deemed that project to expensive, a new genre was born!
4 August 2008
1 year 12 weeks
Um none of the above.
haven't you seen the serial drama reality show Paradise Hotel! It came out back in 2003 but it will always be the most drama-full reality show ever!
3 March 2009
5 weeks 6 days
Real World definately! It had so many great seasons like NY, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Hawaii, etc. Seeing that picture of the first cast takes me back!!!
Though they should have cancelled the show a long time ago, probably about 10 years ago lol.
I also loved I Love New York (where is season 3??) and Flavor Of Love.
Now I love RuPaul's Drag Race on Logo and VH1!!!!
15 July 2008
5 weeks 6 days
Of those listed, totally with Real World. I just finished watching Fresh Meat 2 and it still doesnt get old. The challenges keep getting harder and harder and I loved to watch the good guys finally win one.
3 February 2008
5 weeks 17 hours
I had to go with The Real World b/c it was the forerunner of almost all other reality shows and was quite groundbreaking in it's day. Those first few seasons with Julie vs. Eric, Puck vs. Rachel and Pedro's HIV playing out for all the world to see was captivating. I also enjoyed Starting Over, which was the daily show produced by the same people as The Real World in which women worked out their problems such as anxiety, finding a child given up for adoption and working out family issues.
My current favorite reality "soaps" are Oxygen's Tori & Dean, History Channel's Ice Road Truckers, Bravo's Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D List, VH-1's The OCD Project and Dad Camp, A&E's Intervention... admittedly I have eclectic tastes! What even happened to Airline, A&E's show about the employees of Southwest Airlines, anyway? That was a fun one and made me feel SO much better about my own job, lol!
8 May 2008
8 weeks 1 day
Anyone don't love Jersey Shore with Snooki?
4 May 2009
5 weeks 6 days
Real World but only until it hit like Season 5 or 6.
After that it turned into crap.
But let me tell you kids.....New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami,....bomb kids....
30 April 2009
7 hours 28 min
I voted in the poll..but I have to add that the "all time" nod should go to The Real World. It is the first reality show...and a true reality show. Survivor and all of the other shows where you win a game and win a prize is a dramatized game show. JMO.
When The Real World began, it was all about life, humanity, being young and introduced to things that you never saw before. There were no forced stereotypes..and since viewers were new to the concept, there was more honesty. Now...all shows, Real World included, focus on creating stereotypes, and the people are trying to be memorable..so there is no more honesty.
Is it entertaining...yes. But RW is the granddaddy of them all because the natural stereotypes that emerged from the RW became forced stereotypes for other shows, and even RW in later years. Big shoes to fill if you ask me.
3 March 2009
5 weeks 6 days
Oh Intervention and Kathy Griffin's D-List are on my favorites also!
I'd include Ghost Adventures and Pyschic Kids but I don't think they would count lol.
14 December 2008
14 weeks 2 days
Real Housewives of New York is really the only one of these that I watch regularly, though I love the few episodes of New Jesery I've seen. I alos loved the one season reality soap, Cheerleader Nation, too bad it's over.
Another reality show I love is Wife Swap, but that doesn't really qualify as a soap.