So when Moonves was approached, separately but concurrently, about making American iterations of Big Brother and Robinson, he was immediately intrigued. As if to confirm the accusations of broadsheet columnists worldwide, reality TV really did sometimes cater to the lowest common denominator. Not unlike people confined to captivity, reality television began to divide into two factions. On the other hand there are what might be called observational reality shows — reality shows that follow ordinary people, for real, without any competitive dimension. (It doesn’t help that the men and women most likely to consent to being reality TV stars are not the most dignified or refined.)

Source: National Post June 18, 2019 12:56 UTC