Reality TV Junky

I'm a big fan of "How I Met Your Mother," a sitcom on that airs on CBS. There's an episode in which Barney is telling Ted that Ted needs to ditch his high school friend, Punchy. The dialogue goes:

Barney: "Seriously dude, he has got to go. You need to be like:
'You are the weakest link, goodbye'
'Bungy, the tribe has spoken'
'Please pack up your knives and go'
'Your work of art didn't work for us'
'Your time's up'
'I have to ask you to leave the mansion'
'You must leave the chateau'
'Your tour ends here'
'You've been chopped'
'You've been evicted from the Big Brother house'
'Your dessert just didn't measure up'
'Sashe away'
'Give me your jacket and leave Hell's Kitchen'
'I'm sorry, you did not get a rose'
'You have been eliminated from the race'
'You are no longer in the running to be America's Next Top Model'
'You're Fired!'... "


This scene is hilarious if you understand it's cultural reference. Barney is reciting the sign-off phrases for multiple reality TV shows. I suddenly realized just how much reality TV I'm exposed to, as I was able to identify the majority of the quotes. When did reality TV become such a dominant force in the realm of television? Just look at the number of shows that pit contestants against each other in some type of competition to realize an ultimate prize. There's really no value in watching these shows, but it's addicting! Brainless entertainment - we all have our guilty pleasures. Will our fascination with reality TV fade? Will we be over saturated by these silly battles and loose interest in watching people duke it out over designing the best filet mignon? I think reality TV will run it's course, and I wonder what will become the next big thing.