Reality TV shows: Where does one stop? In current society the "Reality TV shows" are no more reality then Sesame Street. Directors have started staging scenes, editing certain exchanges between people and choosing extreme members of society as their average "reality".
Popular shows like Jersey Shore, Keeping Up with the Kardashians or Real Housewives use fake girls who are paid to create drama so the producers have something worth while to film. Real Housewives does not even use wives, some are girlfriends, fiances or just friends. Already the Kardashians daily budget is in no sense a reality for the majority of their viewers, it would be a dream! Also, Americans trying to remain financially stable cannot just take a summer off, like the members of Jersey Shore do.
On another side of Reality TV shows, there are the white-trash southern shows, that show just how class-less Americans can be. Popular shows like Honey Boo Boo follow around poor, uneducated people doing anything to try to keep the cameras on them. These shows portray the absolute extreme loss of class in television, as in Honey Boo Boo they have competitions that involve not eating vegetables and others that involve farting wars.  Duck Dynasty is another example of an extreme southern Reality TV show.
However, though hundreds of Reality programs are basically a detriment to society, one type, competition shows, at least give viewers inspiration or new knowledge. Biggest Loser, American Idol or Amazing race all give viewers a sense of excitement, hope
and inspiration.
Altogether, the majority of Reality TV is a detriment to society. There are too many terribly nonintellectual shows to say otherwise. Reality TV is not reality.