Teenagers love to gossip about what other people are doing, saying or wearing, whom they are dating or what trouble they have got themselves into. Perhaps that is why reality TV shows have become so popular with young people in the UK. Celebrities clamour[喧闹] to take part in them, celebrity ‘wannabes[模仿者]apply to appear on them in their thousands, and journalists feed off them to fill their front pages. Theres something for everyone from fly-onthe-wall[隐秘拍摄的] documentaries in hairdressing salons to talent shows and popularity contests involving dancing newsreaders[新闻广播员] and bug-eating pop stars.
What kind of reality TV shows do young viewers like best?
Talent Shows
Some of the most talked about shows include the talent shows The X Factor, Britains Got Talent and Strictly Come Dancing.
Popularity Contests
In Big Brother, a group of contestants live together in a specially-built house for weeks, under the watchful eye of dozens of cameras. One by one, contestants are voted out. A similar format underpins[支撑] Im A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, which sees celebrity contestants facing often gruesome[可怕的] challenges while camping in the Australian jungle.
Fly-on-the-wall documentaries
People watching is central to shows like Airport, based at London Heathrow[伦敦希思罗机场], The Lock Up (filmed in a police station) and The Salon. The award winning The Only Way Is Essex blends reality with fiction, placing real people in engineered situations.
Behind celebrity doors
When celebrities like model Katie Price and singer Peter Andre (from Katie and Peter) allow cameras into their homes, we enjoy an inside view of their daily lives. At Home With The Eubanks starred the family of boxer Chirs Eubank.
Family drama
Little Angels and Supernanny see real families learning to cope with difficult children, while Wife Swap sees two wives swapping[交换] homes for a fortnight with often explosive results.
Business
Securing a job with entrepreneur Lord Alan Sugar is the prize in The Apprentice while in its spin-off series. Young Apprentice, contestants aged 16 and 17 compete to win £25,000.