I know it sounds like this should be in the TV and movies forum but I didn't want to discuss the shows so much but as to why anyone would want to go on a reality TV show or even a documentary.

I flipped onto Maury Povich this afternoon and there was a woman telling her husband that their baby wasn't his but was, in fact, his brothers. And two girls who wanted to come clean totheir mother that they didn't actually work in the job she thought they did but were prostitutes instead. What the? How is that even vaguely something that you put on there to the world?

A documentary kind of show just last night about how two men are ruining their lives by masturbating too much. I'm sure their lives got so much better after doing that. I just read the description of that one, could bear to actually change over to it.

The debt shows where people go on and admit just how much more they are spending than what they are earning.

Can it be just to get help that would be just as available in private. And why would a TV show host be the best person to 'help' these people?

Big Brother, Survivor and so on contestants are after a quick windfall and maybe their fifteen minutes of fame but still could it be worth it for having a camera on you every minute and your character and life at the mercy of a facelss editor?

It is a bit like the people who appear on Jerry Springer. If I were one of those people I should want to conceal my shortcomings or odd/poor behaviour, not tell the world about it all.

I often wonder if the people who go on Jerry Springer are nuts. If I had any of their shortcomings I would not want to tell ANYONE about them, let alone the whole world. I still find it hard to believe there are people like that in the world.

And what about the people who have their homes filmed on "How Clean Is Your House"? Do people actually live in homes that are that dirty?

Copago, I agree with you. What the?

And what about the latest show -'Embarrassing Illnesses' (I think that's the correct name). I mean, if it's embarrassing and it makes you feel awkward how can you go on tv and discuss your 'discharge', expose your body parts and haemorrhoids to the world in close-up multicolour technicolour?

I think the word 'money' maybe comes into this somewhere...

'Embarrassing Illnesses' ... Oh dear, I don't think I would ever be that hard up for money, Lily

The other one is when people have had an accident and they let news camera in their hospital room. Surely they would need permission to be there? and surely there are better times to be in front of the camera?

I never have understood why in the world people would want to go on TV and say and do the things that they do. I would never even dream of it. When I was younger we would sometimes watch Jerry Springer, but since I have quit watching it years ago, I know that it has gotten a lot worse. Now girls will flash the cameras to get Jerry Beads! Oh my!

I don't want to name particular programmes and / or participants here, not because of any desire to protect or defend the adults involved, but because of children who feature in the programmes. Those, for example, where supernannies arrive in to help mummy and daddy to impose some discipline. Others were children have been in young offenders' centre, boot camps etc. Some where children with various forms of special needs from Attention Deficit Syndrome or obesity and so on have been included.

I hope that at some point some of these kids take a legal case against parents, television companies or whoever ..and win! I'm sick of hearing about intrusion into the lives of celebrities and anachoranistic royals all of whom are adults. I would have been very adamant that as youngsters Princes William and Harry had a perfect right to privacy - as adults they, and many other so-called celebrities cannot have it both ways. Yet, these people have expensive and hard-headed lawyers and PR people to speak for them. Who speaks for kids who appear on television as themselves but are too young and / or have special needs that preclude them from making an informed decision about their willingness to be on?

Gee, well said. I am very uncomfortable with these shows myself.
I hate it when a teacher blindly insists on applying the same rules to everyone and confronts a student in front of their peers. I don't think they need mollycoddling but rather, a tad bit of sensitivity would suffice.

These shows are similar.

Having been an au pair myself for a summer, I can say that I actually did do a few things with my two boys there...as they'd been passed on from nanny to nanny and their upwardly mobile parents were the cause of many of their troubles. For example they had them only frequent kids from their faith, and asked me to make sure I enforced this policy! I staunchly refused to be an active part of that beyond driving them to the club or something.

I think I gave the boys a bit of freedom to breathe that they lacked. We danced around and played a lot together.

If I'd been filmed or the parents filmed with their kids, it would have made a funny show.

The few times I've watched a Springer broadcast or some similar program, I've marveled, at first -[ how could anyone be so shameless/ perverted/ ignorant/ or whatever was applicable.] Eventually I became downright suspicious. I have been in the south most of my life and nowhere have I seen people that filthy, ill spoken or trashy. I'm inclined to believe at least some of these people were sent over from Central Casting. If it were true that this many degenerates live in my beloved southland - this would be a pit, indeed and all the reasonable folk would've escaped long ago.

The television shows such as Jerry Springer and Maury all contain people that just want their face to be on television. Some girls in the Jerry Springer audience flash the audience for Jerry Beads and a chance to strip on Jerry's own pole.

At times, I am disgusted by the behavior shown, but at other times, I am interested and even paying attention. It is a deep, dark secrey, but I love reality shows like Survivor and Big Brother. I cannot help it, I am part of the MTV generation!

I can never understand why people go on "You Are What You Eat". Overweight people, who are unhappy with being overweight, strip down to their undies and are filmed from the most unflattering angles possible. They then spend 8 weeks being harangued by a demented woman if they so much as eat a biscuit. Their bowel movements are discussed and the results examined. Surely it's easier to go to a slimming club? I also think Gilliam McKeith isn't a good role model - she looks about ten years older than she really is and is painfully skinny, as well as being more than a tad obsessive.

I can't understand why people go on "How To Look Good Naked" either. It's a great show with a very positive message, but I don't get how women who won't undress in front of their husbands have the nerve to go on TV stripped to their underwear.

I won't miss an episode of either show!

I'm a very private person and I can't ever imagine a circumstance where it would be preferable to air my "dirty laundry" in front of millions of viewers rather than resolving an issues in a one on one basis.

The fact that so many people watch these types of shows dictates that they will be around for a while to come.

Why do people want to go on TV as themselves?

I think in many cases a one word answer will suffice - GREED!

haha ppl who watch these shows are the reason they are on,ever heard of scripts?

i enjoy watching reality tv shows, but i would never go on one. i do wayyy too many embarrassing things that i dont want the whole country seeing..

I have to admit to loving "Survivor", however can't stand Big Brother. I see "Survivor" as a bit of a personal challenge (or at least it would be for me - I am well aware that that is not how many of the contestants view it, however), but having my behaviour under scrutiny 24/7 by Big Brother doesn't appeal. It wouldn't appeal to a television audience either, though. I'm pretty dull.

Jerry Springer (along with Maury Povich) is referred to in our house as "Trailer Trash TV" - very apt, I think, considering the people who appear on these shows.

How dense are some of these people? I hate to break in to you, buddy, No man goes on Jerry for a makeover. Period. If you had sex with someone you shouldn't, or have a child you think is yours, and your other half takes you on Maury or Jerry, dude, it sure as shootin' ain't to get a makeover.

I could see a certain amount of satisfaction in appearing on these shows if you've been wronged by your cheating spouse - there's no better way to tell the entire world what a low-life they are then to expose their cheating ways on what is now international telly. As a woman, however, I would not want to appear on international television and admit that my morals are so loose I have no idea who my baby's daddy is, but I've narrowed it down to 9 possibles. Call me old-fashioned, but that's just not something I would want to be public knowledge.

As for calling much of this stuff "Reality TV" - it makes me wonder just how real it actually is. It all gets heavily edited before going to air - let's face it, 24hrs just doesn't fit in 30 mins - and if you don't like someone on one of these shows, that's probably how the show's producers want you to feel. We are manipulated into liking or disliking some "characters" more than others by the material that is selectively shown to us. A temper tantrum by the "goody-goody favourite" housemate will be glossed over (if shown at all) and the house horror will have something minor blown all out of proportion. They choose what they show us - let's not forget that. When you dial up and vote for a winner, think about the fact that it may have all been carefully orchestrated to get you to vote that way.

I don't want this to come out the wrong way, as in a stereotyping of all involved, but here goes. The few times I have seen bits of a show along the "Jerry Springer" line, one thing has always stood out. Listen to the way the people talk and the language they use. Most of them don't seem to have more than a 7th grade education, any morals whatsoever, and have lived their lives off the taxes we all pay to the government. As ecnalubma inferred, the Trailer Parks must all be empty when these people are filming and that includes the members of the audience.

Both of you have that exactly right! I haven't watched Springer for years. I was shocked at what Maury's show has become! Didn't it used to be a 'normal' talk show?

Who thinks Dr Phil is in the same realm as Jerry and Maury? I caught part on an episode yesterday in the meal room (not my choice, I must add) and yes, people go to him for help, but I'm developing the opinion that if you are on Dr Phil then you need more help than 45 minutes of sensationalistic, hyped-up television head-shrinking can do.

Maybe I could have my own TV show dishing out advice to people. Although, I must admit, I'd need a lot of "guests". My advice would be short, sweet, and to the point. Husband cheating? Dump him! Don't know who your baby's daddy is, but narrowed it down to an even dozen suspects? Pay for your own DNA testing, and get a job.

I can see the trailers (and the bodyguards) circling now......!

In a world of nine billion people there are quite a few so desperate to be noticed and perhaps remembered at all they'll do anything for their fifteen minutes of fame, and of course the show will do almost anything to stay high in the ratings. Perhaps it's a kind of fear of oblivion while one is still alive?

I'm also a very private person and can't relate to that exhibitionist streak in some. Oh, I'm a chatterbox on forums but my private life and history is in the category of, 'I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you;) I like some reality shows but don't bother with talk shows after some I've seen. It's almost a competition to be more outrageous than the last. Sad.

Theres one answer for your question. $$$$$$! Some more than others but take it from me, a friend of mine is this season's
"Bachelor" and he is gettin PAAAAAID

Check my profile...I don't like reality TV LOL
It must be that 15 minutes of fame Andy Warhol was talking about.

I don't like reality t.v. and going on t.v. being myself would be very, very boring for the audience.

Well this does remind me of many years ago I was almost on CNN, or perhaps I actually was.. not being the one looking through the camera I can't be sure.
Israeli maternity wards are three to a room though they are spacious and you can put a curtain round your bed for privacy. Well there I was in my hospital gown in bed, curtains open, fortunately well enough rested, when without any warning at all in comes a CNN team with camera wanting to give a brief interview to the Arab(Palestinian) lady in the centre bed. There was much curiosity why she wanted a Jewish hospital (turned out her local one didn't have the treatment for her complication) and how she was enjoying her stay etc etc. She seemed unsurprised and unperturbed by the attention. It was done quite nicely and not too noisily or brightly and her father or husband not sure which, handed out candies to the rest of the room, but hey, someone could have told me!