Celebreality

While many often try to get their shot at fame by going on Reality TV, celebrities realistically get hired for money to let cameras enter their homes/environments and document their "everyday lives. The celebrities are obviously already famous so one must wonder, "Are they going broke and desperately need the money? Is it for attention? What's the deal?" There are several reasons both explained and unexplained as to why celebrities agree to appear on reality television. Celebreality shows, in my own definition, is essentially --- a show documenting a mediocre famous person or persons' lives which is usually portrayed as "normal" and "real."

Yet, episodes of Nick and Jessica going on weekly getaways AKA vacations paid for by the production crew (MTV), is not really what one would consider an ordinary occurrence. Nick Lachey (of 98 Degrees fame- "I Do (Cherish you)," & "The Hardest Thing") and Jessica Simpson (of her father's employment "I Think I'm in Love with You" & "With you") are prime examples of how television can ruin a marriage. Did anyone notice when "Newlyweds" premiered in 2003 both their albums were coming out? Jessica came out with a bunch of singles, toured, promoted her album on the show, performed at the VMAs, and her and Nick hosted Saturday Night Live as a couple.

Um, hello, Jess clearly knew no one was buying her obnoxious over-singing albums. She had to promote herself somehow. She put on the Dumbo act, her father booked the appearances, and she did whatever she could on "Newlyweds" to hype a new single. I was probably 15 or 16 watching Newlyweds in my room and I'm watching her film the music video for "These Boots are Made for Walkin." And I'm thinking in my head "How much more exploitation and trashier is this girl going to get to make it to the top?" It was basically like MTV was promoting the show as a documentary style 30-minute look into the life of a famous, glamorous "celbrity." Whether or not anyone considers Jessica Simpson a celeb is up for debate. Personally, she's done. Dead to America. Go eat some more of Regina George's chocolate weight loss bars and travel the world with whatever desperate boyfriend you have going for you.

After a while, both America and Nick were getting sick of Jess' obnoxiously unintelligent & over the top personality. She is very good looking, or was, I will totally agree with that. But she just needs to give it up. Her singing is mediocre. Live, in concert, she belts out tunes like a broken radio losing reception. Just because you have your own show doesn't mean the world's fascinated with you. Basically, to sum up the idea of "Celebreality" --- It's just when famous people are financially not in a good place and need a promoting tactic to get their faces seen, voices heard, artistic work made available to the public. You get the idea. The reason the public is so interested in celebrity reality shows is because they are curious to know about what actually goes on in a celebrity's life. But after 3 or 4 seasons; America's interested in a new, cooler, funnier celebrity show like "Kendra" and "Holly's World."

There are multiple other examples of shows like "Newlyweds" which have helped and/or destroyed a celebrity's career. I simply chose to discuss "Newlyweds" because it's a prime example of how these celebrity shows may bring in money, but ultimately when the show's over and the cameras stop rolling these celebrities have nothing. No visual medium to get them seen and talked about. They have to rely on the public's likability at that point. But usually after a celebrity's reality show ends, he or she becomes a hot mess train wreck.