Confessions of a <b>Reality TV</b> Junkie | Sac Midtown

By Melissa Villarin, SacMidtown.com

I’ll admit it, I love reality TV. All reality TV. From MTV to TLC, Bravo to E!, reality shows are my weakness. Just the other night I watched “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” and I didn’t hate it.

I’m not really sure when this happened, but I’m going to blame MTV. “The Real World” was one of the first reality shows I remember watching. I was hooked after the first episode. I mean, how could you not get sucked in, “it’s the true story of seven strangers picked to live in a house and have their lives taped to see what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.”

From there I watched “Road Rules” and I remember enjoying a season or two of “Survivor” and of course “American Idol.” But within the last few years, my TV watching has been made up of mostly reality shows. And I think I need some help.

It’s gotten so bad, I can break down my shows into categories. There’s train wrecks, celebrities, housewives drama, dating, and sports.

One of my favorite train wrecks is “Jersey Shore.” It’s impossible to look away once you start watching. The cast members are a mess. All they do during the day is go to the gym, get a tan, and do laundry. At night, they drink and fight. It may not sound like must-see TV, but once it’s on, it’s hard to turn it off.

In addition to reality TV, I love celebrity gossip. So celebrity-based reality shows rank high on my list. I’m not sure why I care what Kendra and Hank are doing, or any of those Kardashian girls, but I find it entertaining, and get easily sucked into those marathons on E!.

Next up, housewives drama. Right now I’m watching “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” which features Adrienne Maloof. She went to a Sacramento Kings game during the first episode, which included a shot of Omri Casspi. After the show I tweeted about it and included Casspi’s handle and he replied. I guess reality TV can be used for good.

Another one I enjoy is “Basketball Wives.” This show follows around women, who are or were, married to professional basketball players. This one piqued my interest because I love basketball and I’ve often wondered what these women are thinking when they marry professional athletes. And it’s also full of drama.

Dating used to be a better category, back in the days of “Flavor of Love.” That show was probably as entertaining as it gets. 20 women, fighting over a rapper, who wears a huge clock as a necklace, and has a personality just as big. The women live in the same house and compete in challenges to win alone time with Flav. Of course, that led to many fights, and after a few episodes, I lost count. There was never a dull moment.

Finally there’s sports. My favorite show in this category is “The TO Show.” Now, say what you want about Terrell Owens, but I still kind of like him, but only because he was a 49er. This show seems real, though it could be scripted. I feel like there are glimpses of the real Terrell, not the character he plays on the field. I could be totally wrong here, but it’s still decent TV.

There are so many more shows I’m addicted to, but I won’t waste any more time listing them. I realize I have a problem. It actually hit me the night I voluntarily watched “Sarah Palin’s Alaska.” I think that’s where I’m going to draw the line. I’ve only seen one episode and I really don’t have any time to invest in a new series. I need to cut back and this could be a good first step. We’ll see how it goes. Wish me luck.

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