I had never given reality television a chance until my freshman-year roommate lured me in. Within a couple days of knowing Maeve, I watched multiple long-form “The Real Housewives’ Best Moments” compilation videos.
Some compilations focused on just one city of housewives, while others were a mix of multiple. What began as indifference turned into intrigue: Why did that woman just slam her prosthetic leg on the table? Is that Bella Hadid’s mom? Whose opinion is it? With time, Maeve introduced me to new people and shows.
I was soon telling people Andy Cohen was my mentor after I found out he went to Boston University. I then applied to The Daily Free Press after finding out he had done the same. We have never been in communication, nor will he ever know of my existence, but as I became enthralled into the world of Bravo, Cohen brought reason to the madness. His reunion episodes became more necessary the more I tuned in. Like Cohen, I commented on dynamics I perceived from behind a screen, but to only myself and whoever would listen. 
This past summer I watched all 19 seasons of “Summer House” and “Vanderpump Rules,” in that order. I watched the recent seasons of both shows when they aired and decided to finally do some investigative journalism and start from the beginning to understand more of “why.”
“Summer House” focuses on a group of young adults who work in New York City and share a house in Montauk on the weekends. As seasons progress, the dynamics and the people change, but the drama persists.
“Vanderpump Rules” follows a group of young adults who worked at SUR — also known as Sexy, Unique Restaurant — as a temporary job before they made it in Hollywood. Lisa Vanderpump is the boss, in every sense of the word, and a former cast member of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” “#Scandoval,” the episode fans know to contain the craziest plot twist ever, occurred at the end of season 10. Season 11 portrays the aftermath, and the upcoming season was not expected to even be filmed because of how messy the drama was.
I could describe the basics of any drama from “Vanderpump Rules” and replace the names with any other B, C or D list celebrities, and the average person would feel just as indifferent. Reality television is probably the most immersive way to consume gossip by analyzing the preemptive and consequential behavior of all characters involved.
Celebrity gossip is pretty surface-level, and influencer gossip requires further clarity or connection with those involved. But reality star gossip is an immersive and insatiable experience. No episode goes by without some semblance of imbalance in the show’s relationships — that’s what hooked me. As easy as it is for a bystander to rationalize reality stars’ behavior, once the cameras are off, the characters still face the consequences of their actions.
The intrigue of watching reality television, though, is how involved the viewer becomes in the lives of the cast and the unraveling of their reasoning. And, in these two shows specifically, the casts really are friend groups. This was a concept that took me a while to trust because my relationships have never felt as saturated and inconsistent. The more I sat on my couch and researched, the clearer their sincerity became to me.
In the same way we people-watch or eavesdrop, reality TV sustains the innate desire to perceive others. It’s impossible to not investigate the dynamics of the couple next to you at a restaurant or listen to the tea being spilled next to you in class.
The realness of these shows is not in the relatability of these dynamics, but how organic all behavior is portrayed. Reality TV is innately rich in the simplicity of human behavior. The behavior that varies with life experience is expanded in the form of a character that viewers can analyze through interactions with the rest of their cast.
Reality stars are also financially rewarded for problematic behavior and are subject to millions of people’s opinions about the intimate details of their lives. It seems no behavior is too much or inappropriate for this workplace.
Reality television is an independent and intellectually stimulating project that I urge any sexy, unique person with access to Peacock to embrace and indulge in.
