I am not a big fan of reality television. There are a whole host of reasons why, but the biggest reason is probably that they have absolutely nothing to do with reality! That is a rant that I will save for another time. I have, on occasion, watched some of this “entertainment” and it is from this small sampling that I have drawn my conclusions. I recently saw an episode of the reality show “The Secret Millionaire” and on this particular show they were able to weave together some storylines which were somewhat compelling and thought provoking.
In case you are not familiar with the premise of the show, a millionaire (I am not sure how these people are selected), secretly spends a week in an inner city/poverty area under the guise that they are doing a documentary on volunteerism with the poor (thus, the cameras). They volunteer for the week in 2-3 organizations in the area and at the end of their time they reveal their identity and provide the organization with a financial gift and everybody cries.
Actually, of all the reality shows that I have had the chance to see, this one actually has some good things going for it. But it also raises some questions:
