The reason(s) why most reality shows are horrible.

First of all, I have to say that in theory I have nothing against "reality" tv, or as some would call it "competition" tv.  I have nothing against good reality shows - after all, I'm a huge fan of The Amazing Race, and I also like Survivor a lot.

In fact, as a writer, I would go as far as to say that The Amazing Race is the best show on television at the moment. It's much more interesting and much more down to earth than any other scripted tv show that I watch regularly.

I watch Amazing Race and Survivor religiously because both shows are about something else than about the supposed 'us'. These programs aren't just about boring or unlikable personalities doing superficial things that I could care less about. There's something real here.

Both The Amazing Race and Survivor are shows that are also about our planet and about nature. They take me to places where I probably won't have a chance to go to - even if I wanted to. Both shows make me think that there's more to life than I know. Neither show is that much about winning - it's more about the experience.

I can't stand shows like American Idol, Project Runway or America's Next Top Model, and the reason is because these 'shows' aren't really about anything meaningful. They don't really make me feel any better about life. Instead, these shows make me feel that the world is a superficial place and that there's no point to anything.

I mean, how can anyone honestly watch Project Runway? This reality program pretty much shows, or should I say, confirms that we live in a sick society. Why should anyone care about these high-end fashion designers?  Who can relate to these "people"? Nobody's going to buy or wear their rags anyway.

When it comes to American Idol, maybe someone gets a kick out of seeing those underdogs audition. Unfortunately, once they advance to the next round, they keep singing those songs that the original performers have already sung better. Thus the whole program becomes completely absurd.

Of course, there's really no depth to a show like America's Next Top Model either. It's all about superficiality, about how you look. It's not about your inner beauty or your ability to do things. It's yet another 'reality' show that confuses us about what's really valuable in life.

Anyway, the reason that most reality shows suck is because we pretend that a lot of these people are somehow special, when in reality there's nothing special about them. They're either too boring or they're simply insane - and there's nothing interesting about the concept of the show.

On the other hand, the reason that The Amazing Race and Survivor are so good is because when you watch the show, you don't have to pretend that the contestants are special. What we see on these shows are mostly normal human beings doing interesting things - which is what reality tv should be all about.