Shows like My So-Called Life were critically acclaimed for their portrayal of what it's like to be a teenager. Dawson's Creek finally proved that high-schoolers can deal with some real struggles, and can have an IQ of more than 70. But these shows still weren't entirely realistic. It seems only logical that the next generation of television programs skips over the actors entirely and goes straight for the common man in their attempt at reality. These days the ubiquitous camcorder captures everything on film, as is revealed every time anything newsworthy happens and it's captured by amateur paparazzi.
People love to videotape everything and they love to watch videotapes of other people.
So popular, this show spawned off Road Rules , which was a less-interesting variation on the same theme. After all, if you hated all of your castmates on Real World , your best course of action would be to retire to your own bedroom and pout. However, if you hated them on Road Rules , you could drive the trailer off a cliff. People had to be a bit more cautious. Yet even these shows aren't as realistic as they could be.