Someone Please Stop Reality TV

People used to spend hours in front of the television escaping reality and entering a scripted world with actors and sets. Recent trends have turned anything from a talent search (American Idol) to finding love (The Bachelor, Bachelorette, etc.) into hit reality television shows. People can't get enough of the real life exploits of other people. Now, the highest tradition in beauty pageants has fallen to the reality craze. After losing interest from major U.S. networks, the Miss America pageant fell into the hands of CMT. Where the idea came from that the pageant would fit nicely with CMT's programming I'm still uncertain, but nonetheless it is the new home of America's most beautiful. In the days leading to the actual pageant, the channel will air a seven-episode reality TV show, Finding Miss America. The show, once a ratings powerhouse, was dropped by ABC after it attracted only 9.8 million viewers in 2004.