Reality TV - Is it Real?

Over the last few years I have developed a taste for reality TV.  My reality TV turnoffs:  singing, dancing, bug eating, pretending to know how to sing or dance and Donald Trump.  I detest games or competition.  For years I have worn two badges of honor:  I have never seen an episode of Survivor or American Idol.  This meant so much more when those were the two reality shows and the topics of major conversations at work the next day.  To a group of people discussing the top 10 finalists,  I could smugly say, "Why, I have actually never even seen an episode."  Jaws would drop.
I developed a taste for a different type of reality TV.  I would kid my friends that I like to watch Documentaries.  This is not an untruth.  If you peruse my Netflix List, you will find just about every type of documentary on there.  Elephants in Kenya, Consumer Debt, Eating Disorders, Black people's hair ("Hair" Chris Rock made it - you should watch it!) everything is on there.  BUT, I speak of another type of documentary.  In this one "Bethany Gets Married", or we learn about the REAL kids of the OC - Laguna Beach's Kristen and LC.  Friends mock me.  Nielsen would hate me.  I LLLOOOOOVVVVVEEEEEEEE the sub genre of reality TV called "Documentary".  See - I didn't make that up people.  Check wikipedia.
I have greatly trimmed my DVR record list.  I have said goodbye to all of the housewives. I might give the girls in Beverly Hills another go, but the rest are out.  No dating or weightloss shows are being recorded (my two concessions to the "no contest" rule).  When the Brown family moved to Las Vegas, they moved off my DVR.  I don't know if Sarah has found herself, because she has been deleted from my DVR.  I hope Ryan and Tatum get their issues fixed, but I won't know since I quit watching. I don't know if Joan ever bought her own house, or if she is still living with Melissa.
I think I was initially drawn in by the opportunity to see how other folks live. I also love to read memoirs.  I think I like to get inside the heads of people and see what make them be them.  Memoirs do this in a big way - reality TV in a much smaller way.  Especially since it is debatable if some of those folks even have brains.  I was obsessed with the Real Housewives of NYC.  Or basically any reality show about NYC, because I was allowed to peak into the lives of how people that DON"T make toothpaste for a living live.  I live in a shoebox, they live in brownstones.  Then things just went too crazy.  The documentaries became way too un-believable.
One show that I have gone the distance with is Gene Simmons Family Jewels. ** I need to put this disclaimer out there before I go any further.  Gene Simmons is my sexy/ugly.  Sexy/ugly is defined as someone who is not conventionally good-looking (or any kind of good-looking in some cases), but possesses an appealing personality, style, or talent, and is thus considered sexually attractive.  I don't know why, but I am drawn to him.** Anyway, I digress.
GSFJ has always been cute and funny. I always thought "what a great family" - the kids are so well adjusted.  Gene plays this whole ROCK STAR PERSONA, but at home he is just a regular guy.  Granted, a guy that will do anything to make a nickle, including driving camping in an RV with an erectile dysfunction advert on the side so he could fulfil Sofie's dream of going camping AND earn $25grand. He and Shannon Tweed, his girlfriend, have been together for 28 years.  Obviously, something is working here.
This season, the wheels fell off the bus.  I won't get into the whole gory mess, but in summary, both kids packed off to college, Shannon decided she needed to re-evaluate how she wanted to spend the rest of her life and she wasn't sure it was playing second fiddle to this ROCK STAR PERSONA.
I normally have a pretty good BS detector when it comes to these shows.  Especially with Gene and his well placed cans of Diet Dr Pepper.  I watched the entire 6th season completely fascinated.  As a former reality show junkie, I can say that I have never seen more honest and raw emotions on a RTV shows.  This is Gene Simmons - Dr Love.  Dr. Love starts seeing a therapist.  Probably 10-15% of each episode take place in her office.  Dr. Love cries.  Dr. Love gets tough love from his kids.  This is not the same show that began 6 seasons ago to continue to proliferate generations of KISS fans.  KISS fans do not want to see their leader in therapy!  They want spitting blood!  They do not want to see their leader wiping tears away!  They want fire breathing!
It's not just Gene.  You can visibly see the discomfort from Sofie when pressed to discuss her feelings in front of the camera.  You can sense the anger in Nic - he sees in himself how much he is like his father and that bothers him.  All hearts go out to Shannon.  She is on an emotional rollercoaster but knows the best thing is to get away and give Gene space.  Of course the season finale left us all hanging - will she?  or won't she?.  I guess we will have to wait and see.  I just thought GSFJ deserved a shout out for some of the most honest reality TV I have ever seen.  And I still haven't figured out how Gene is going to get money off this one unless it is kickbacks from the authors of the books that sit on the shelves next to his therapist.

Of course, the Kardashian klan never disappoint. **Clarifying statement:  ONLY The Kardashians, not any of their crazy spin off shows about taking Miami or New York** The Kardashian show is different.  Each episode is like a moral lesson neatly tied up in a bow with a couple of crazy story lines thrown in.  Today Kendall and Kylie steal their Dad's credit card and so they have to go volunteer (this really means "visit") a homeless shelter where they have an eye opening experience, exchange text phone numbers with a couple of kids they meet and go home to more fully appreciate the meals that their chef prepares for them.  Side story - Kris has bladder leakage issues that the girls badger her and humiliate her until she goes to get it checked out at the doctor.  Of course, she ends up scoring a huge endorsement deal with a pantie liner company for "women of a certain age".  Last week Kim got psoriasis all over her body.  Thems gurls are keepin it real!
I may have divorced most of my reality family but the Tweed-Simmons family and Kardashian ne Jenner troops have made the cut and will remain on my DVR list with a much shorter list of favs like Rachel Zoe and Katy Griffin.  Oh, and Jersey Shore in Florence begins airing this week!

Now my new badge of honor is being able to say I have never seen one episode of ANY series of Law an Order.  :-)