Published: March 04, 2009 08:29 am      

Reality shows fuel late-night TV fix

Reality shows are everywhere. There is at least one on every network. If you haven’t seen a reality show then you must be living in a bubble.

Most of my evenings consist of collapsing in my recliner after running and watching the tube. For the most part, I enjoy old TV shows and old movies — not a big shocker to my co-workers or anyone who knows me. I usually get out my first season DVD of “The Donna Reed Show,” from 1958, and watch that for about an hour at night (I am really looking forward to season two by way, which comes out in May.) Then my TV goes into cardiac arrest — reality TV comes on.

For some odd and unknown reason, reality TV sucks you in no matter how stupid it may be. If my TV remote had a speed dial button there would be one for The Learning Channel. For better or worse, I am addicted to several shows on that network.

My parents and I have become big fans of “Little People Big World.” I don’t dare call them between 7 and 8 p.m. on Mondays because that is Roloff time. Heaven forbid my house would ever burn down during that time. The show focuses on Matt and Amy Roloff, who are dwarfs, and their four children, Zach, Jeremy, Molly and Jacob. The family lives on a farm in Oregon. Matt usually drives Amy crazy with his wild and crazy ideas. Matt had his farm helpers build a trebuchet to launch his farm’s pumpkins into space. Now, that was a sight.

And, you would never know it, but Jeremy and Zach are twins. It is hard to believe since Zach is little like his parents. This is a fantastic, family show. There aren’t too many of them around anymore.

What is around for kids to watch anymore?

There certainly aren’t that many family sitcoms like there were when I was growing up in the 1980s. I could sit down after doing homework and watch “Growing Pains,” “Family Ties,” “The Wonder Years,” etc.

Well, back to reality. I also have been sucked into “Jon and Kate Plus 8.” This couple, and heaven help them when their children get to be teenagers, have twins girls and sextuplets. Yes, I said sextuplets. There is so much drama — I have to laugh sometimes. This show would be a great birth control method to show to teenagers in a health class.

And then there is the mother of all reality shows, “18 Kids and Counting.” The Duggar family has 18 children; I am not kidding. I sit in awe every Tuesday night when I watch this family.

I get tired doing laundry for myself so I can’t even imagine what they must go through. My washer and dryer would probably have a stroke just seeing all that dirty laundry lined up from the Duggars. The Duggars oldest son, Joshua, just got married and I have to wonder, “Do they really miss him?”

And of course, there is stupid reality TV. If you want to sit on your couch comatose for an hour and be thankful for the life you have, then you should check out “Keeping up with the Kardashians” — talk about drama and excessive hormones.

If you ever want to check out a great chick fight, this show is for you. I hate to admit it, but I do like watching this show. From time to time, I do enjoy going brain dead for an hour. The funniest part of the show is Olympic decathlete Bruce Jenner.

You wonder how in the world he got mixed up with these people in the first place.

The list of reality TV can go on and on from “Scott Baio is 46 and Pregnant” to “The Bachelor.”

I am counting down the days until the new season of “Dancing with the Stars.” I am extremely envious of people who are that limber. I can’t even do a forward roll let alone the splits. And if I tried the latter, I think surgery may have to be involved.



Angie Bicker is the lifestyles editor with the Clinton Herald. She has been with the Herald since 2001.