If I Were a Reality Show, What Would I Be...?

As a big fan of reality competition shows, Project Runway is one of my favorites. I’ve kept up with it for years and re-watch episodes on day-long marathons. The other day I was watching a new episode and my mom said to me, “You’re really into this show lately, have you been thinking about taking up sewing?” For whatever reason I was very confused; why would I be taking up sewing? I have absolutely zero interest in learning to sew or attempting to design my own garments. But it makes sense that someone who watches fashion competitions constantly may be interested in fashion, right? Wrong!

The airwaves are littered with reality shows that deal with all kinds of professions and hobbies. There’s a show for cupcake baking, fishing, antique picking, tattoo artists, hair styling and everything in between. And while a lot of these shows may attract connoisseurs of these professions, a lot of them don’t. Not everyone who watches America’s Top Model is themselves a model or photographer and not everyone who watches Orange County Choppers rides motorcycles. This got me thinking about the uses and gratifications model of communication that we brought up on Tuesday. People watch these stories to relax and follow the narratives or sit back and be their own judge of the competitors’ work. They follow the drama between characters or marvel at the work characters do.

For me, I like Project Runway because it’s something I can put on to escape everything else. I follow the relationships between designers and see what clothes I would like to wear. I may never be a clothing designer and don’t even desire to but I’ll still tune in to the show every week. If these types of shows only attracted viewers who have a background in that field they would probably fail to make ratings; there are only so many antique pickers in the world! Lucky for reality shows, it’s pretty hit and miss as to whether they become popular or not, but they have uses and gratifications on their side. Who knows what niche hobby will be the next TV sensation!