Does some reality TV encourage criminal behavior?
Today The New York Times has a piece about VH1 cancelling showings of Megan Wants a Millionaire in the wake of Ryan Jenkins, a contestant on Megan, being charged by police of murdering his former wife, Jasmine Fiore.
The article by Brian Stelter is a well-reported piece that raises questions “about the casting practices of reality television, particularly the sometimes tawdry shows broadcast by VH1.” That is, the casting process seems either lax or pretty laissez faire about including someone with a criminal record, as Jenkins had.
Here’s my broader question: Does some reality TV, in the minds of some of its contestants, encourage bad or even criminal behavior? Did, for example, Jenkins’ prominence on Megan lead him to think he could get away with heinous acts? I’m not suggesting that appearing on, say, Rock of Love is going to put anyone in the mood for murder. But we all know that shows like this benefit from casting people with explosive tempers and generally aggressive behavior traits. Does reality TV’s tantalizing promise of anyone-can-be-a-star, in everything from Celebrity Rehab to various editions of The Real World, to name-your-favorite-get-drunk-and-plot-to-win series, either show by example or suggest by implication that amoral or lawless behavior is not merely okay but a way to profit, and become famous?
The easiest form of mind control is repetition. It’s not just about reality TV encouraging lawlessness, it’s about an oligarchy dumbing down the population and keeping them greedy so they’ll continue to consume. Put down your Monster energy drinks and take a look at life in a South African diamond pit and then see how you feel about sitting on your ass and watching Brett Michaels.
in what universe does preaching about oligarchies and South African diamond mines have an effect on the audience most likely reading your response. This is obviously an attempt to make yourself sound smarter and better then anyone else…and it failed.
This also has NOTHING to do with the issue at hand. The government, despite your conspiracy theory desires, is not in the casting room at VH1 et all encouraging them to be as trashy as possible. The reality is that most people are poorly educated and just don’t care, and it has less to do with Bret Michaels then it has to do with people like you looking down on them and insulting them instead of trying to bring them in to the conversation and respect their opinions.
Couldn’t have put it better myself!
I think what johnnyallenshaw is trying to say is that people need to step away from “reality tv” and live in the real world and worry about real problems like the diamond mines or breast cancer instead of seeing a bunch of rich housewives backstab each other or skanky girls fighting each other to date a hasbeen rocker.
jaeth -
johnnyallen actually makes a fair point, and you don’t get it (proving, ironically, that indeed, he is smarter than you). The oligarchy to which he refers is the producers at VH1. Try not being so literal-minded and hot-headed; you might get more out of life. And why should the opinions of idiots be “respected?”
Jaeth, you’re accusations are just as ludicrous as the ones you are trying to rebuke. Lift up Brett Michaels? In what universe does that make any sense… hint, not ours.
Jaeth, what are you talking about. You think johnnyallenshaw said that to sound smart? You obviously have no idea what goes on in South Africa diamond minds so we her in the US can sit around on our asses looking at the Ice on our fingers and necks. The United States is one of the riches countries that spend the least amount of money on education for a reason. Dumb down the people you control so they don’t ask any questions. You think the people behind the curtain in our media are not politically affiliated? This is not a conspiracy theory this is a fact. With a little research, you can educate yourself on these facts. Fact we love drama, the shows on TV that have little to no drama fail. If you drive by an accident, the traffic moves so slowly because everybody wants to see the drama. Everybody is content in his or her naive little bubble including you. Stop watching your reality shows educate yourself instead. See who the owner of the network you support is. Then see what their affiliations are. See whom they support and who supports them. See how many they have been sued for falsifying information then see how many times they have won under the first amendment. If you don’t know, what the first amendment is then you made my point for me.
see my comment below where i elaborated on my opinion in general.
jezoebel: i know what he is saying i think he is just choosing to say it in one of the most obnoxious ways possible
Not literal minded: unless you are him you cannot know that. but, giving you the benefit of the doubt that you may actually be able to read his mind and know that, i stand by what i said. it is very pretentious and overly dramatic to claim that vh1 is an oligarchy in our country. also, the opinions of EVERYONE should be respected, as long as they present them in a respectful way, who are YOU to decide who is an idiot and who cannot be heard?
Terry: did i say lift up brett michaels? or did i say to include people who may watch these shows in a conversation instead of simply mocking them?
Wub: you made buckets of assumptions about me. You assume that I enjoy these reality shows, you assume that I am unaware of the reality of the intertwining of the media and the government, and you assume I live in a tiny ignorant bubble and stop to watch accidents and don’t know anything about world events. I didn’t say that the African diamond mines were not IMPORTANT, I said they were irrelevant to this discussion. It sucks over there, that is true, it sucks less here, that is also true. The sad reality of life is that most of it is brutal and harsh and violent. We are the only species on the planet that would think and act about heinous acts taking place in other parts of the world. This is our blessing and our curse. There are people working to take advantage and make money off of suffering all over the world, for the most part it is what makes the world go round. Wealth seems to eliminate a person’s ability to be compassionate and empathic. I believe that instead of ripping on Americans and the people who watch these shows, it MIGHT be more constructive to get off your pretentious world events soapbox and TALK to these people and do so in a way that doesn’t imply that they are just barely a step above Billy Joe Hillbilly. Why don’t you stop making judgements about people based on what you read in your non-profit blogs and go out and actually do something about it.
Burn
you people are discusting. Johnny is absolutely correct and i agree that the 10 year old kids that watch and want to be like the money-hungry filth of life will be tapped in the head forever. I’m so sick of turning on the tv and seeing these mind-altering untrue and completly scripted “reality” shows that show exactly how to ESCAPE from reality. IM PISSED
Afreakingmen.
people and their government conspiracy theories.
yes the government sometimes has too much control in different aspects of society.
but the VH1 castings are probably the least of their worries when it comes to people they need to control.
Hmmm. Al Quada terrorist cell vs. the casting of Megan Wants a Millionaire 43093.
protecting the country from a potential terrorist attack or controlling who gets megan as a trophy wife.
i wonder which the government would think is a more important concern.
Johnnyallenshaw: Couldn’t agree more with you.
Last time I checked it was Bret Michaels with one t not two.
Wow, this is the most ridiculous topic ever.
yes indeed.
Not only do shows like those on VH1 benefit from terribly behaved contestants, they encourage the behavior. Watch the literal sociopaths in this montage from Videogum:
http://videogum.com/archives/reality-tv/im-not-here-to-make-friends-2009_078022.html
Scheming, manipulation, misanthropy, etc. are seen as the path to winning these games. It’s not hard to envision contestants, and even viewers, making the jump between the games and reality, especially when the game is purported AS reality.
LOL That is the recipe for LIFE people. To get ahead in business you have to scheme, manipulate and mastermind. At least that’s what society rewards.
Good, honest and decent don’t get ahead in the world. So why would a reality show cast someone with those traits? So the big bad boys and girls can make fun of them and trash their self-esteem even further?
I don’t watch reality tv. I watched the first season of Survivor…and Big Brother…ages ago…and never went back. Why? Because I always felt entertainment should be more than watching a classed up version of Jerry Springer.
I’ll take this is a validation of my decision to boycott MTV*/VH1.
how helpful, i’m sure their ratings are feeling that pain
to Jaeth…boycotting shows such as these is the first step to getting this trash off T.V. I work in cable advertising and unfortunately shows like Rock of Love (and other VH1 reality fare) garner among the highest ratings among 18-34 years olds. Often these are the most impressionable members of society. Boycott trash, ratings go down, advertisers pull money, trashy shows go away.
Max are you on angel dust or something? What in the world you want MTV and VH1 cancelled for? What do they have to do with a crazy man? Just because this guy went ballistic, doesn’t mean all the contestants on VH1 and MTV are ballistic and crazy too? Geesh! Both MTv and vh1 still have great videos and shows that I enjoy as well as everybody else. Don’t judge this situation to condemn vh1 and mtv. One thing has nothing to do with another
VH1 has made millions off these shows by rewarding the villains. They encourage amoral sociopathic behavior cuz their ratings soar…. Look at Tiffany “New York” Pollard, for instance, from Flavor of Love. She was showered with 6 -count em- 6 reality shows as a reward for some of the most morally reprehensible behavior I’ve ever witnessed on television. She has NO talent whatsoever, and yet every season, VH1 finds some new way to exploit her notoriety… And don’t get me started on Megan… I’m still trying to tune out the noise of all those feminists spinning around in their graves. Something tells me the only reason she’s crying lately (if at all) is because her show got cancelled; not because it just as easily couldve been her mutilated body stuffed in that suitcase and dumped like trash. Does she still wanna be a trophy wife now? Knowing that those deep pockets could be attached to a cold hearted sociopath who sees women as objects he can control with his cash?
Will THAT reality ever hit her??????
Sadly, no. Megan will just get another reality show. Flav and Brett got, what three a piece?
It is sad, isn’t it? You would think this would have her on her knees thanking her lucky stars it wasn’t her…for most it would be an eye-opener….this man sees women as dispensible property. He was able to not only choke the life out of Jasmine, but didn’t bat an eyelash about smashing her teeth out and chopping off her fingers, hoping her family would spend eternity agonizing over what happened to their loved one and wondering where on earth she is….? His heart is cold….
My favorite reality show – Food Network and Biography!! Educational and informative. I do have to say once in a while I do have a guilty pleasure of watching the others, but it just reminds me how materialist and self-centered people are.
Realty TV is definitely a symptom of a greater problem with society in that you don’t have to have talent to be front and center in the media spotlight. Essentially, all you have to do is behave badly, you’ll get noticed, you’ll be a STAR. This Jenkins’ case touches so many issues, chief among them, abuse against women and why some women continuously go back to their abusers. I hesitate to guess what this society will do next.
@johnnyallenshaw: RIGHT ON! What he said. I also wonder if some of the popular CSI and medical shows that display explicit views of violent injuries have some kind of manipulative/negative effect on people, as well, perhaps preparing the masses for seeing and being more numb to massive bloodshed of some kind? Just wondering…
I think this incident may put the nail in the coffin as far as reality shows go. I hope so….VH1 is getting so trashy. Can you just go back to playing music again? Sheesh
Are you kidding? Remember the Jenny Jones show when that guy killed the other guy that brought him on the show to reveal a crush? Maybe Megan wants a Millionaire will go away but there will be plenty of loosely scripted “reality” fare to follow in its timeslot. These shows have become a gold mine, and while I agree the contenstants/cast are talentless wannabe’s that have been sent to these shows by their “agents”, it’s great mindless entertainment but should in no way be considered “reality”. These shows will not go away, remember when the 1st reality shows came out and we thought they’d be short lived? Nope, they just got worse.
I am an avid watcher of Megan Wants a Millionaire, and I want to see the rest of the show!
Me too! Now we could pretend that we are watching it for educational purposes to learn about the psychology of murderers and how to recognize a potential murderer and protect ourselves from them or prevent them from killing. Then we won’t have to feel guilty for watching the show just because it’s fun.
Im sure VH1 will release it on DVD and make more money of this tragedy.
ME TOO! I’m sad I can’t watch it anymore
While you can debate that Vh1 had an effect in this case you can’t say that the guy wouldn’t have done it anyway… I love the the trashy show because they ARE a break from reality … Although Megan is immoral and manipulative, well she is great television
Wow…good priorities.
Priorities? Like I value reality TV over life? Don’t be stupid. I’m just not delusional enough to think that my not watching a show is going to help change the world. I understand pulling the show to spare the feelings of the victims’ family but am not deluded enough to think that we can stop murder by stopping reality shows. It’s like when they blamed heavy metal music — some people out there are just sick; it’s not the fault of the medium.
I want to see the rest of the show also and I read they aren’t going to show I Love Money 3 because that clown was on that show too. Its not only “reality shows”, its wants on tv period. CSI, Criminal Minds, Law &Order, how do you think he got the ideas to pull out her teeth and cut off her fingers to hide her identity. And they reported that they checked the serial number on her fake boobs to verify her identity. They say that on crime shows so now they are reporting everything on the news also. Turn off the tv and read a book but know that human behavior is not going to change, we are self-destructive. Its all about what sells.
Fugitive murder suspects should not be given celeb status during an investigation. It floods the jury pool with all his deranged “fans” who think he’s too cute and charming to commit this crime….and I’m pretty sure the victim’s family would see that as a middle finger in their face…..
Until they catch the guy, VH1 should be showing this so that everyone can recognize the guy.
Yeah, I’m sure thats the way to catch the guy, not the news at 11 or anything like that. im sure the demographic this show is aimed at will rush into action to catch this guy in Canada! His face is everywhere all over the news on CTV in Canada, not showing the show. Arrrggghh.
To be honest, me too. I hate myself for watching these shows but to be honest, I find them funny and the dumbness of the show allows me to spend one hour in complete nonsense shaking off the problems of a stressful day. Now this doesn’t make me dumb. I am an educated individual looking for a break. Even Anderson Cooper admits to liking reality TV such as the Real Housewives series. He says the same thing, just a way to realx.
It’s cheaper for networks to program reality TV than it is to put a scripted show on their schedules. If a reality show bombs, the investment is lesser than a scripted show, plus you can cast anyone with any type of lame plot device. For example, the casting of the folks on “Big Brother” has been huge news lately, due to one of the houseguest’s imploding. The fact that this person had been brutally rape and that the person who committed the crime was executed should’ve been a huge “red flag” to the producers to not cast this individual. Then you have “Jon & Kate plus Eight” who seem to be making money off the backs of their children. Kate’s a control freak and Jon’s a man acting like a teenager. The victims are their kids, who will be caught in the middle of their parent’s messed up relationship. Shows like “Rock of Love” are abominations, because they make young women look like acoholic ho’s who will do anything just to be on TV. Then, we wonder why are society is so messed up. If you put crap on TV, it just perpetuates crap in our world. When the Evel D*cks get away with bad behavior, it just sends a signal to everyone else that it’s a free-for-all in being an @ss and treating people like dirt.
Thank you. I was starting to think I was the only one who felt that way about reality tv. I watched Jon and Kate from the first season. My 4 yr old and I watched that show every week. And after hearing all that’s happened, that was it for me. I cancelled my cable. Though he’s only 4, my son getting to the point where he can start understanding what is going on. Why would I want to expose him to all that non-sense? Instead, we are doing more together, and spending more time together. Jon and Kate became so consumed with the show, that their family fell apart. I’m not about to let TV ruin my family too.
I think the real problem here is that people no longer have to EARN the right to have a national spotlight. Talent means nothing anymore!
Look at how Omarosa is now supposed to be a “celebrity” since being the bad apple with an attitude on The Apprentice.
you forgot about the girl on Bridzillas. She had a record and was on probation when she was arrested for what transpired on the show. This will continue to happen as long as “reality” shows recruit trashy, badly behaved contestants for their shows because it is “good for ratings.” Just another reason I avoid reality shows like the plague.
I’m afraid that in spite of this, reality TV will keep going strong. It’s taken over the culture like rock music & hiphop.
LOL @ “taken over the culture like rock music”…jean? that was like 50 years ago!
Is this the “twinkie defense” for the 21st century?
Is reality TV “smart” TV? No. Do they reward negative, border-line criminal behaviour? Of course. But leading (in part or in whole) a man to commit a premeditated, brutal murder? A stretch. Why don’t we start taking responsibility for our own actions? Blaming society, blaming television, blaming the victim? When does it stop? This guy had a choice – murder his ex-wife or not. HIS action. HIS fault. HIS responsibility. Why give him even the sliver of the benefit of the doubt by saying “oh well he was on a reality tv show”.
Co-sign!
That’s right. He was charged with assault a couple of years ago, before he was on TV. It’s not a new thing for these personality types who devalue the lives of others to want to be famous. Manson thought he could be a rock star. That was way before reality TV.
Karen, I don’t think that the article is saying that what he did is excusable by the fact that he was on reality TV. Rather, the article is questioning the trend that reality TV shows seem to reward people who exhibit this type of behavior. It sets a bad precedent that it is ok to be a complete jerk, alcoholic, and manipulative person. It can even net you millions of dollar. His actions were his own and he has full responsibility for them. VH1 should stop making these red flag people rich and famous.
Well said Karen! Reality t.v. didn’t turn this guy into a criminal but it is a little disheartning that they didn’t notice his record or care. But, again, I agree, why give anyone such a ridiculous invalid excuse for their behaviour. If he killed his ex-wife, there is a lot more there then this! If he did it, his problems are much deeper than a reality show. No excuses should be given. I am tired of a culture where people are given excuses to harm decent individuals.
this sucks I really liked this show and ILM3 so that means we miss out .. not cool . .VH1 and 51 minds productions really need to do their homework before they put people on air if they felt pulling the show was the best way to go.
Yeah I agree- how dare VH1 cancel this intelligent reality television show to respect the life of a woman who was tragically murdered and mutilated buy her ex husband and not give him ratings. Now I can’t watch the dumbest person alive, Megan, strut around in a bikini being a horrendous b*tch. So unfair!
seriously? Show some respect. Human life or the loss of it is more important than idiot Megan becoming a trophy wife. THINK PEOPLE.
Yeah I agree- how dare VH1 cancel this intelligent reality television show to respect the life of a woman who was tragically murdered and mutilated buy her ex husband and not give him ratings. Now I can’t watch the dumbest person alive, Megan, strut around in a bikini being a horrendous b*tch. So unfair!
seriously? Show some respect. Human life or the loss of it is more important than idiot Megan becoming a trophy wife. Please use your brain!!
I don’t think anyone is saying they shouldn’t have pulled the show. They enjoyed the show and wish that it had not become necessary to pull the show. I guess you think that no one should enjoy “Towering Inferno” because O.J. was in it and everyone who enjoys “Baretta” is supporting Robert Blake.