Turn the TV Off: Reality TV Causes More Harm Than Good

There are many ways to relieve stress, such as exercising, meditating, picking up a hobby or talking to a mental health professional. Despite these championed strategies, many use unconventional methods to unwind after a long and grueling day, like binge-watching shows — specifically reality TV. 

To some, there’s no better way to unwind after slaving all day at school or work than watching drama unfold in other people’s lives and judging their situations. While these programs can occasionally create some must-see TV, at its core reality TV encourages and feeds off of toxicity amongst viewersin the name of entertainment. Fans are wasting time and energy on people they don’t know and will never meet.

Bravo — a cable network primarily dedicated to reality TV — is home to all of the Real Housewives franchises. The Real Housewives is a reality series that follows the everyday lives of a group of wealthy women. The first installment was launched in 2006 with The Real Housewives of Orange County, ever since the decades-long franchise has become a guilty pleasure for millions.

Despite its ridiculous premise, the Real Housewives has become a hit, producing pop culture moments and garnering millions of viewers every week. While it’s entertaining to watch these ladies’ drama unfold, for the stars the show can be quite traumatizing and detrimental to their mental and physical health, their social lives and business endeavors. 

Leah McSweeney, a former real housewife of New York, is suing the Bravo network alleging producers discouraged her from maintaining her sobriety and didn’t provide the right care for her mental health struggles.

With so many viewers tuning in each week with their own comments and thoughts on the personalities on the show, these women get subjected to a barrage of hate and scrutiny from fans. While it’s not unnatural for viewers of any TV show to become emotionally invested in the series they’re watching, spewing incessant hate and treating reality stars as fictional characters rather than real human beings is wrong.

Reality contestants from the hit series Love Island have been exposed to seemingly constant harassment and online bullying from fans. The dating show has a dark past as it pertains to the mental health of its contestants and hosts — with two contestants and a former host committing suicide following the series according to DailyMail UK. 

Following the latest season of the series, many cast members feared for their castmates’ lives following the hate and backlash they were receiving online. Everyone seems to be giving their two cents in almost every situation even when it doesn’t pertain to them, and cancel culture is to blame. 

Cancel culture allows people to share their opinions on others’ situations based on the notion of educating people on their wrongdoings — in actuality, they’re overstepping and unnecessarily involving themselves for no reason. It’s very hypocritical for fans to try to police how these stars act and react in situations that affect them. This can lead to boring TV, as these stars have to change the way they act to appeal to the viewer.

In a way, reality TV is doing the complete opposite of what it was designed to do. Its original purpose was to be a means of escape for viewers through entertainment by introducing them to these humorous and theatrical characters that happen to be real people. Instead, it’s caused more stress as viewers have become far too opinionated on the stars’ lives, turning reality productions into something neither the stars nor the fans signed up for.