Comments:

1. I don't really see it going away for a long time (for better or for worse -- ?)
   
   This is largely because it is such a wildly broad 'genre'; it really has been used -- in one way or another -- to appeal to just about everyone. Whether it is music (American Idol,) romance (The Bachelor,) scandal (Big Brother,) or out-doors and adventure (Survivorman,*) there's just no themeatic limit to what can be sold as 'reality TV.' Things that cannot be limited tend to stick.
   
   
   
   *Survivorman is a Canadian program filmed by Lee Stroud, which is genuinly quite good. If anyone is into outdoor survival, &c., it is quite enjoyable.      by Uriel
   
2. Survivorman is one of the most useful shows on TV. That and Man vs Wild and I don't care if Bear has gone to hotels and not actually lived through it on the show like Les does, the demonstrations and information are all I really care about.
   
   Canadian programming is some of the best.
   
   I watch Holmes on Homes, Divine Design (embarrassed to say, but she is really good at what she does), Survivorman, and I used to watch Opening Soon which was a show about a new restaurant and the process the owners go through. There are a few others I can't remember, but I always notice the little Canada broadcasting logo at the bottom right hand side when the credits roll.
   
   Oh the other recent show is "Worlds Most Green Homes" about sweet ass green environmentally friendly homes.
   http://www.hgtv.ca/ontv/titledetails...titleid=115716
   
   Take note; I watch a shitload of tv. I'm not proud of it, but I do it for educational purposes mostly. Except for the occasional "I Love Money" show.
   
   The show on Nat Geo Man Made NYC bridges was pretty fascinating yesterday. Must see.      by Sensei
   
3. Holmes on Homes is a great show. The summer before I started university I was working for a renovations company; and the house I was working on was one that another contractor had went in previously and (essentially) ripped the home owner off. I watched a lot of the show during that project (mainly because I was sort of new and didn't want to screw anything up, and because it was 'very real' to me at that point.)
   
   
   I am a really bad TV watcher. I don't keep track of when any of the shows I like are on. When I do turn it on, it's really hit or miss (more often than not, it's a miss,) so I just tend to watch shows on DVD if they're good.      by Uriel
   
4. you're right about canadian programming, esp. reality tv. there's this great programme about these dope dealers living in a trailer park. only on reality tv could you have such homoerotic overtones.      by pingpong_fiasco
   
5. My son's favorite cartoon, Max and Ruby is made in Canada. Man you guys can do everything right. I do have a tough time eating true maple syrup though. It just doesn't have that genisaycou (I couldn't find a correct spelling for that word) that high fructose corn syrup versions have.      by Sensei
   
6. Quote:

   Originally Posted by Sensei My son's favorite cartoon, Max and Ruby is made in Canada. Man you guys can do everything right. I do have a tough time eating true maple syrup though. It just doesn't have that genisaycou (I couldn't find a correct spelling for that word) that high fructose corn syrup versions have.

   You're a true product of American education: it's je ne sais quoi.      by pingpong_fiasco
   
7. Lol...You know how long I searched online to find that? About an hour and I couldn't figure out how to search for it either. French phrases, common french sayings, french word for "something special"...I just couldn't find it. So I had to just go with that ridiculousness above.
   
   LOL very funny...Tre bien.      by Sensei
   
8. de rien, mon ami      by pingpong_fiasco
   
9. I think reality tv would be more interesting if they started making tv game shows where the contestants could actually die if they made the wrong choices.
   
   Or maybe make a Judge Judy type of show that only deals with people destined to be executed, and then show them being killed. But not all pussy style like they do now with lethal injections. I wouldn't mind watching criminals getting shot in the face, electrocuted, hung, or drowned.
   
   Or maybe have a half hour show featuring contestants being "tortured" in harmless ways. They could get cash prizes for enduring things like being waterboarded for over two minutes, or being tazered repeatedly.
   
   Or something like fighting championships where the only way to win is by killing your opponent.
   
   We've got plenty of people in America, and nobody is going to cry if some of them get wasted for our entertainment. Then again, these ideas would probably work better in China where they really do have a surplus.      by Frith