Many students at the University admit to guilty pleasures. Some may confess to their secret crush on Justin Timberlake, their love for statistical analysis or their habit of AIM stalking everyone they have ever talked to online.
One of the most common subjects one can hear a student discussing is his or her obsession with a certain reality show. With the increased popularity of reality television in recent years, it seems there are enough shows to cover every possible interest for every type of person. But is there such a thing as too much reality?
Second-year College student Emily Frost said she thinks there is no point to reality television.
"It doesn't actually show the reality of anyone," Frost said.
On the other hand, there are students who take pleasure in watching shows based on reality.
Third-year College student Stephanie Adickman said she is a fervent advocate for reality television shows, even if she is not a fan of all of them herself.
"I don't particularly like all the reality shows, but I think there is one for everyone out there," Adickman said.
An example Adickman gave is "The Littlest Bachelor," which she said might be geared toward an audience of "smaller people."
The reality shows Adickman enjoys include some shown on MTV, such as "Laguna Beach." Adickman said her devotion to "Laguna Beach" has actually taken her attention away from other, non-reality based television programs.
"I am a strong supporter of 'Laguna Beach,'" she said. "I stopped watching 'The O.C.' because of it. Why watch a made-up show when I can watch it in real life instead?"
Yet Adickman admitted there are some reality shows which she does not find as entertaining because they do not actually seem to be "real."
"What bothers me about MTV reality shows is they tend to be out of sequence -- they are trying to take random clips and make it into a connected story," she said. "That makes it hard to believe the show is real."
Despite her skepticism about the authenticity of the shows, Adickman is said she is planning on trying out for MTV's "The Real World" this Saturday in Richmond.
"I don't actually want to be in 'The Real World,' I just want to see how far I can get," she said. "Plus I think it would be fun."
When asked if she would go through with the show if accepted, Adickman said "maybe."
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