Get real

I think we are being flooded by so-called reality programmes on television. Almost every channel that you turn to has its own reality programmes. A few are quite good, some are so-so, others are acquired tastes, while most unfortunately left a lot to be desired.

I don't get the chance to watch that much telly. There are a few reasons for this.

One, I don't have that much time for the idiot box. Whatever time I have in front of the television is spent watching either the news or cartoons with my son. On certain occasions, I do get the chance to watch some of my favourite programmes, which by the way are not reality programmes.

Two, I don't have Astro. So, my household is not spoilt for choice when it comes to television programming. Sure, I'd love to watch the programmes on Discovery or National Geographic, but unfortunately, after doing some math, it's just not worth it. We just don't watch that much television.

Three, with the terrestrial television that we do get at home, only TV3, ntv7 and 8TV have good receptions. The other three channels are quite bad in terms of reception, especially RTM1 and RTM2. So, our choice of programming is actually limited to the number of terrestrial channels watchable.

Okay, back to the issue of reality television. I do watch some of these shows when I'm free or if there's nothing better to watch. "Survivor" during its first couple of seasons was quite okay. So was "The Apprentice" in its early years. The "Idol" franchise and all its wannabes are over-rated however.

Sometimes these shows just try too hard to be real, that they themselves become unreal. I wonder oft-times whether the feelings shown in these shows are genuine and sincere. But then again, the emotions displayed in these shows is one of the main reasons why people watch reality programmes.

I do enjoy some of these shows, but my favourite reality programme has to be the grand-daddy of them all. The original reality programme on the small screen, and yet people tend to forget about this classic.

What else, but "Candid Camera"!