Reality Shows are Unhealthy

Farmington sixth grader Ryan Weinberg is one of the winners of an annual essay contest sponsored by the Farmington Rotary Club in collaboration with West Woods Upper Elementary School. Read her essay, "Reality Shows are Unhealthy" below. 

By Ryan Weinberg

You see them everywhere. Wherever you go you see TV producers trying to make money off of reality shows. Some people will do anything for fame, and the people on the shows are so naive!  I bet they have no idea how much people are making fun of them. I’m surprised they haven’t figured that out. They’re setting horrible examples and developing poor health for themselves too.

One example is Honey Boo Boo Child. Alana’s (Honey Boo Boo’s) mom is a bad role model because she teaches her bad manners such as eating road kill and having a burping contest.  Also when Alana has a pageant her mom gives her something called “special juice” which is a mixture of Red Bull, Mountain Dew, and sugar.  In many cases when adults have 8-10 or more Red Bulls in one day they can have a heart attack.  Alana is only a child and that increases her chance of a heart attack because of her body weight.  Not only is Alana’s mom a bad role model, but Alana’s viewers are learning from her to have unhealthy behavior too. She’s not the only one who’s a bad role model.

            A lot of kids I know watch Jersey Shore. Teenagers try to copy the people on this show. It is bad to mimic these reality stars because much of what they do is illegal and they don’t get arrested.  They reason they don’t get arrested because is because they have to stay on the show.  So when kids who watch Jersey Shore try to mimic the “cool” characters, they DO get arrested.  These kids don’t have the show to protect them from the legal consequences of their bad behavior. Jersey Shore characters are horrible role models.  The kids on the program are 21 or 22, but they are not in college. If teenagers see that, they might think “Oh I don’t have to go to college. I can take a short cut to fame.” But that won’t work for most people. Most likely if you don’t go to college you’ll have to work hard at low-wage jobs.  Also, the producers create fake drama for the reality stars to act out. They always end up fighting, which leads viewers think the drama is real.  Then in their own lives, they might be quicker to fight with others for little or no reason, too.  This is likely to happen because 70% of teens think that reality shows are real.

            On the show Dance Moms, mothers fight with the dance instructor, Abby Miller, about how much attention their children should get.  Meanwhile, the kids are trying to practice two dances they have to learn in one week. If they forget their dance routine, they’re immediately off the team. That sure is plenty of stress by itself, but the kids also have to do their school work in-between practicing dance routines. I honestly think that the moms are fighting for the camera.  Viewers may begin to think that you can make a living by fighting with someone. The moms are bad role models because the kids start to get too competitive as they watch their moms fight. 

Over all, almost every reality show is fake and unhealthy. These shows don’t make us better people, nor do they entertain us in a healthy way. So why do we watch these shows?  “For entertainment when we are bored,” most people would say.  Maybe if we stop watching them they’ll go off the air, and people won’t try to act like the silly people on these ridiculous shows!