Reality TV: The Final Frontiers

BUMP is a web series that follows women facing unwanted pregnancies. The catch? At the end of the episode, viewers decide whether or not their reasons should warrant an abortion. Pretty heavy. But wait- -it's just another mock-reality show. The women are all actresses portraying situational pregnancies. The reality portion comes in when the viewers are included and encouraged to participate.

Social experiment taken to a new extreme? Or an outrageous ploy to grab attention in a world where viewers are so desensitized?

Let's back track to 2000 when Survivor, arguably one of the first major reality shows, was inescapable on television screens across America. The popularity of the extreme game show brought an onslaught of reality shows: dating games, pranks on celebrities, fist pumping and testosterone filled Italians down the shore, etc. Seemingly ordinary people are being shot to stardom left and right; the reality star-making-machine is a force to be reckoned with.

Reality (and I used that word loosely, since several shows these days are anything but reality based) programming is a dime a dozen now. Anyone can have a show, essentially. While I won't deny being addicted to a multitude of said shows, I just have to wonder: will the trend ever stop? More importantly, what lines haven't been crossed yet? Nothing seems to be too over-the-top yet. It's going to take more extreme measures to keep the heart of reality television beating before viewers start getting bored.

But the idea of the public voting whether or not a woman has enough reason to abort a baby for the sake of television entertainment just seems....a little creepy and strange to me. Creators say the point is to "humanize" the very controversial topic. I see it more as a ploy for attention, and a subject a little too sensitive to be used for mockumentaries.

I'll sit this one out and stick to Jersey Shore, thank you very much.