Are Reality TV Dating Shows Good for Actual Relationships?

by Howie Decker @HowardTheDeck on June 6, 2016

in Gaming

In today’s modern world, forming and maintaining a healthy and functional romantic relationship based on mutual love and respect is becoming increasingly tricky. People of all genders are becoming disillusioned with relationships and prefer to focus on their career or anything else. This is why reality TV-type dating shows are so successful among a myriad of different demographics.

People just love watching other people fight and struggle to find true love on TV. There’s something so exciting and unique, yet oddly familiar and genuine about these kinds of shows that simply draws us in and makes us come back each week for more. We’re all on our toes about it too, discussing who we would like the bachelor to choose and whatnot. All in all, there’s no denying that reality TV dating shows are entertaining. But do these shows actually teach us something valuable about real romantic relationship, or are they doing more harm than good?

The Problem with Reality TV Dating Shows

The main issue with dating shows is that they mostly portray an inaccurate, even deformed image of how one can find love. Let’s face it, these things never happen in real life. For one, dating shows are not a good way to form an accurate impression about the singles scene in your area. Even though such a show might be shot in a certain location, it’s by no means a showcase of local singles.

On top of that, such shows generally lack diversity. Even though, especially in the last couple of years, all TV shows have tried to be more inclusive, reality TV dating will never show you the cultural intricacies that sometimes go behind real-life dating. Because these shows are mostly American or European products, they only show a very Westernized form of dating to their audience. But that’s not how the real world works. For example, Asian dating is naturally very different from the Western tradition we’re used to.

Let’s Look at the Bright Side Too

However, reality TV dating shows are not all bad. There are some shows out there that do teach us valuable lessons about romantic connections and how to find love, even though they might not be the most accurate or universal experiences in the world. A good dating show can teach you that love is a wonderful thing, and you should never give up on it, even in the direst of times.

On top of that, these types of shows also promote how love can sometimes be a struggle, and that only because it sometimes gets hard doesn’t mean that you have to get scared and leave. So, there is surely a bright side to these kinds of shows too. You just have to be clever enough to spot it.

@eclectik June 10, 2017 at 4:31 am

I’d like a reality dating show with 80s cartoon characters
…. they are past mid life crisis and looking for love
Bachelorette with The Baroness
The Bachelor with Tomax and Xamot

Paradise Island with Diana …too on the nose? oh.

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