7 Healthy Excuses for Watching Reality TV

The very first reality show I ever watched was in 1992. I was a student at a performing arts high school and the biggest dream I had in the world was to move to New York City. When the true story of 7 strangers living The Real World on MTV debuted, I was in awe. I instantly identified with Julie, the southern girl who was hoping to make it big in the city, and I tuned in every week to find out what was happening. Watching the show felt like having a permisable glance into a new world, because of course it was all real. Wasn't it? People refer to reality TV as a guilty pleasure, but I think we can all let go of the guilt. Andy Dehnart gave a brilliant TEDx Talk about why reality TV is important. In a recent article in the New York Times, Andy says, "reality television reveals a lot about humanity. It is at once a window and a mirror, showing how real people react and interact in extraordinary situations. It also forces us to consider how we'd respond - and how we are responding to what we watch." If you are drawn to watch reality TV shows you are not alone! Here are 7 reasons why we watch reality TV. - By Dresden Shumaker

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