It baffles my mind to see the kinds of ridiculous things Hollywood comes up with these days just to make money. It also baffles me that people are actually eating up the stuff that Hollywood dishes out. Whether it involves exploiting “strange” individuals or recording superficial drama, the American public seems to be enthralled by these kinds of pointless shows.

First let me comment on those shows that wrongfully exploit people. Take Hoarding: Buried Alive, Sister Wives and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo for example. These series rely on the abnormal quality of people’s lives – it’s what makes them compelling. Viewers can pass judgment or even make fun of these people for their “different” lifestyles without feeling any remorse because “hey, it’s just a TV show.” So basically producers are making money off of other people’s oddities. It’s disappointing that society can classify this as entertainment.

Then there are shows that are simply comprised of drama and nothing else – shows like Real Housewives, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and Jershey Shore. There is no plot, no benefit, and no point. What does it matter that a few people – who you’ve never met and probably never will – have a catfight or get pregnant or due crazy things? It doesn’t matter – so why do people enjoy it? Maybe because their lives are more interesting than your own? I have no idea. But at least in my opinion, this is not what I would call good television.

Finally, there are shows that are just plain ridiculous. A new show called Splash ­follows a bunch of celebrities as they learn how to dive. What is that? I mean sure, it might be entertaining is the celebrities fail and end up belly flopping, but other than that I see no other redeeming quality. Hollywood must be desperate if that’s the best they can come up with. The show Dance Moms  is also pretty absurd. It both exploits people and delights in drama. I just feel bad for those kids – they’re so young and already their lives are filled with unreasonable commotion.

The show that I despise the most though is Toddlers in Tiaras. I can’t even begin to express how frustrated that show makes me. Those moms desperately need a reality check and need to reorganize their priorities. I could probably fill a whole post with everything that is wrong with that show, but I won’t bore you with that now.

To conclude, I think much of today’s reality TV has gone downhill. I don’t think television networks deserve to be making a profit from the kinds of shows I mentioned.  They’re a waste of time and probably contribute to turning viewers brains into mush or the decline of family values. I think Hollywood’s time and efforts could be put to much better use than letting the world know that Honey Boo Boo drinks Redbull and Mountain Dew to get ready for a pageant.