A friend of mine recently suggested I watch Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” where aspiring chefs test their culinary abilities under the “guidance” of (notorious) world-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay.

A rather odd suggestion coming from this particular friend so I asked him why it was worth watching. Is it the joy of seeing the contestants pursue their goal of making that fantastic lamb platter a success? Is it for the genuine camaraderie or sincere relationships developed between contestants? Yes, I know I am reaching but I had to ask.

But no, his response was not surprising: “It’s great, he just yells all the time and spits out the food.”

I knew it.

It seems that what started out as a cool new way of programming, a way to allow the viewer to live through the real-life characters of reality TV has turned into a way for us to get kicks out of seeing people suffer.

Take American Idol (and the Canadian version) as examples. Arguably the best parts of the entire season’s run are the initial “audition” episodes where wannabe singers try to woo the snarky Simon and his sidekicks Randy and Paula with their “abilities.” For every one great singer, four brutal ones are shown.

It’s so good watching someone be so bad, but I guess we just can’t help it. Simon ripping into someone for their disastrous rendition of Alicia Keys’ “Fallen” has become must-see TV, or at least it’s hyped up to be.

How else can the staggering success of defunct Idol contestant/horrific singer/well-meaning guy William Hung be explained? His appearances on talk shows, concerts, record sales? Is it because millions of people genuinely like his voice, or is it because it’s fun to see how far he can make it before realising why people are really cheering him on? I’ll let you decide.

Fear Factor, at the beginning of its run, used to be about pushing one’s self and challenging them to overcome their limitations. Now, each episode tries to one-up the one before it by seeing what newer more disgusting concoctions the contestants can be fed (legally) before they yak. Bonus points if they all throw up.

Then again, maybe I’m just being cynical; maybe not all shows try to exploit the misery of its participants, and maybe people really do watch for other reasons. Maybe A&E’s new reality series “Intervention” is well-meaning, truly designed to allow worried family and friends to finally get help for an unwilling loved one.

But is televising the extremely personal, graphic and disturbing vices of the people featured the right way to rid them of what ails them? Should millions of people at home be privy to the hellish struggle of a person living with anorexia? A drug addiction? Self mutilation? Will cameras in their faces help or hurt them if some were unwilling to be helped in the first place?

What is fair game and what is too personal/graphic/serious?

And possibly the scariest question: If we have come this far, what’s next?






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