Poll: Sexed-up TV reality shows are the biggest turn-off

By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Staff Writer

Matt Kennedy Gould of "Joe Schmo"

While love and money don't mix, according to our poll, which more than 200 people filled out online, one reader took our categories to task: "While I found your article on reality television a good discussion of the ethics surrounding the production of these shows, I was highly disappointed in the groupings of the Offend-O-Meter poll," writes Randi Creamer via e-mail.

"... Remember that participants on these shows are volunteers. In most cases, participants are fully aware of the types of situations they will find themselves in. The entertainment partially comes from the variety of choices taken by each contestant.

"Sadly, these shows rarely allow for reflection on these choices (the 'Survivor' recap shows are one exception). ... "I am (most) offended by a premise that purposefully deceives contestants: 'Joe Schmo,' 'Joe Millionaire,' 'Boy Meets Boy,' 'For Love or Money'," wrote Creamer — though he said participants' discomfort with their deceptions in "For Love or Money" lowered the offense.

Creamer's second-most-offensive category: Shows that encourage people to behave their worst ("Paradise Hotel," "Temptation Island," "The Family").

For all who responded: Thanks for playing. Your lovely parting gift awaits you on PBS, where "Frontier House" joins the public TV network's cultural-reality shows "1900 House" and "Manor House" as the least-offensive subgenre.