Greed, deception the main ingredients for reality TV

Over the last ten years reality television has successfully captured what its audience wants to see. But at what cost?

It̢۪s paid by a select few who are just tricked or actually crazy enough to be on these shows. Someone gets some spit in their face, or their head slammed into a wall, but it doesn̢۪t matter. That is where the ratings are.

Reality television shows can usually be sorted into two different categories: those looking for love or those looking for money.

Love and money are at the heart of what drives America. Reality television has then turned into a chance to exploit people̢۪s desires for these things and see just how far they can be pushed.

When it began, it wasn’t always about the money. These two ideas, however met in 2003 with the show “Joe Millionaire.â€Â

An average Joe construction worker was brought on the show to tell women he was a millionaire. Ah, good, they were setting up the season finale for us at the start.

The season ended with Joe Millionaire explaining he is not worth millions, he is just a construction worker. Well, at least love wins this battle as the winner of “Joe’sâ€Â heart decides to stay with him despite his lack of money. Ironically, as a reward they are granted one million dollars.

This opened everyone̢۪s eyes to deceit̢۪s power to fill couch seats.

From this, it evolved to producers realizing all they need to do is get someone with some real money and see what shameful antics people will do to win a person’s “love.â€Â

It was then artist Flavor Flav who received his own reality show and around the same time, Poison lead singer Bret Michaels got his own.

Every season ends with a winner, but by the time the reunion shows come around, Flav, or Michaels, say they just weren’t “feeling it,â€Â anymore.

Each of them is now in their third season of trying to find love, with the contestants really looking for fame and maybe some cash too.

Although I love these shows as much as the next twenty-year-old college kid, this is just too much.

But to my great pleasure, a show called “I Love Moneyâ€Â actually knows how it is. They take failed contestants from all these dating shows and tell them what they want to hear: “who wants some money?â€Â They’ve cut the bad excuse of finding love to get to the root of what these reality stars really want: money.

This is the latest in the twisted evolution of reality television. Here, the audience gets to see what humiliating games people are willing to play and whose lives they are willing to ruin just to get their hands on some money. They cut the love out to keep it real.

In the end it is all about one thing, the root of all evil: money. People will do anything to get their hands on it; even try and convince others they̢۪re falling in love.