Reality TV often depicts some sort of crazy argument or someone demanding an empty chair to do a solo. Whether it’s “Dance Moms,” “Love Island,” “Master Chef,” or another Bravo show, these series have been a noteworthy source of entertainment for decades.

“Love Island” USA Season 7 had over 18 billion minutes of streaming time. 18 billion. There’s no doubt these shows have a hold on our society, but besides the obvious factor of drama, what   makes them so appealing?

Let’s see what students at Liberty have to say: 

“You get to see what other people’s lives are like,” freshman Taylor Thain said.

There’s just something different about seeing something and knowing people are really doing these things in their everyday lives. The authenticity of it brings a clear appeal. 

Sometimes other kinds of shows can be similar to our own lives, but choosing something like “The Kardashians” or another absurd show can give us a break from our troubles. We won’t often be reminded about our own problems while watching, seeing as most people can’t relate to living in a 60 million dollar mansion. 

Junior Lydia Orton agreed with the authentic aspect as well. 

“It’s intense, and there’s people cheating on each other or getting married so it feels real and not scripted,” Orton said.

It feels engaging to be watching something unbelievable without your friend interrupting to remind you, “that’s fake,” because it’s not. There’s not (supposed to be) a planned ending. 

Also, when you’re watching people throwing pillows and yelling at each other, it gets harder to have worries about your own life. Why be thinking about the midterm tomorrow when you could be defending your favorite soloist in “Dance Moms?”

So it’s clear there’s more to it than drama.

“Reality TV shows people how bad their life could be, so it’s a good outlet to get away from their real life,” Orton added.

By seeing the real lives other people live, it can help us feel gratitude for the seemingly small aspects of our lives we may be taking for granted. We may not realize how great our lives are when we aren’t experiencing the catastrophes we see on reality TV.     

However, it seems like the chaos as a distraction isn’t the only perspective.

Freshman Landon O’Keefe had a different take. “People love to watch the drama but they feel innocent because they aren’t actually taking part in the terrible actions,” O’Keefe stated. 

These kinds of shows can give us the effect of being completely innocent while still getting the intake of crazy things going on. Even with a seemingly boring lifestyle, people can keep up with the things going on in the world and see other people’s experiences through reality TV.

Whether it’s guilty pleasure, pure giggles, or comfort that these shows bring us, it doesn’t look like people will give up reality TV anytime soon.