Podcast 30

Love it or hate it, Reality TV has shaped our culture over the last 4 decades. Yes, that's 40 years. The first reality show, An American Family, hit the PBS airwaves in 1973 and even then it was filled with drama. Host Mariah Smith takes us through the long journey of how the reality tv genre has infiltrated our lives and become the place to see social and political moments play out in real-time. From racial tensions on The Real World New York, to finding a mate in record time with cameras always rolling, and like with every train wreck, we just can't look away. Is it because we want to be like the "characters" or do we loathe them? The answer is personal.