Your children are watching it, my students are watching it. Heck, you and I are watching it. It’s reality TV. Is it, contrary to its title, total escapism, or does it have something to teach?
It was the dancing on “So You Think You Can Dance” that got me hooked. But it wasn’t just the dancing; it was the fact that, as an audience member, I really felt I was getting to know the participants.
That may be the most “unreal” part of reality television. Of course, we are not getting to know anyone.
Even Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey weren’t knowable — to us, or to each other. The ultimate exhibition of that fact was the ill-fated “Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?” where one of several female contestants actually married a millionaire — a stranger — by the end of the show.
Not surprisingly, the marriage was annulled instantly, and many questioned whether Rick Rockwell was even a millionaire to begin with. So if we can’t trust the premises or the personalities of these shows, how can they be educational? Is illusion the new reality?
Personalities can be faked, but the talent or strength of the contestants can’t, and that’s the “real” in the reality.
All those “American Idols” are good singers, and every one of the finalists on “So You Think You Can Dance?” can shake, leap, twirl and do a split. The young chefs being cursed by Gordon Ramsay in “Hell’s Kitchen” can cook quail and foie gras, with garnish.
So, although it’s not entirely real, it’s not entirely illusion. And we have a stake in the outcome. For some shows, we do the actual voting. Other times it’s Donald Trump or Chef Ramsay making the decision. But we agree or disagree, are delighted or horrified by who makes it to the end. We feel qualified to have an opinion.
The winners are not always plastic and perfect. This season, the self-deprecating “Last Comic Standing” has cerebral palsy — a source of dozens of his funniest jokes. The winner of “So You Think You Can Dance,” in addition to being a terrific dancer, has a face nearly as goofy as Jim Carrey’s. No one could call Taylor Hicks a heartthrob. They’re real — like us, only better at what they do.
Appreciating the talents of the singers, dancers, comics, cooks and daredevils on the shows has instructive value. We love to make fun of incompetence — from lawmakers to entire federal agencies. (Occasionally, they even deserve our scorn.)
We bemoan the loss of craft, that pride in building something by hand, in cooking something from products not purchased in a supermarket. Yet, can it be lost if we recognize skill when we see it? We still have powers to discriminate between the mediocre and the outstanding.
I’m a teacher, so maybe I see educational value in everything. But reality TV, which I initially scorned, has made me think that all those young faces glued to the screen are learning something about how to excel. Perhaps they will be inspired to emulate great craftsmanship, to follow a talent they love passionately.
Or maybe this is just one, long justification for my addiction to “So You Think You Can Dance!”
Erica Jacobs teaches at Oakton High School and George Mason University. E-mail her at [email protected].
