Ep 195: Why do smart people love dumb TV?

This episode is for anyone who has asked themselves why they're so invested in what is clearly outrageous, manipulative, and phony "reality" television shows.  I watch Real Housewives every weekday on my lunch break, and as I've gone through phases of watching with both fascination and disgust, I’ve asked myself: why do smart people love dumb tv? What is it that we’re drawn to? Why do we get so sucked into the drama? Is it aspirational or escapism or something darker or is it just not that deep?  And so I decided to explore that topic with the perfect guest: Matt Marr, cohost of the Reality Gays podcast. In this episode, Matt and I talk about our history of reality tv watching (starting with the Real World in the 90s), and we talk about how we think reality TV has changed culture, why we’re so invested in the lives of these reality TV personas, and so much more. We talked for over an hour and didn’t even scratch the surface of all that we could have discussed.  FULL SHOW NOTES HERE We do have an extended cut version of this episode over on the Secret Stuff patreon page, where Matt and I talk about our shared Oklahoma roots and I'll also be releasing a personal episode over there this week about my time working in reality television in the early 2000s.  For all that bonus material, SIGN UP FOR SECRET STUFF HERE.  You can listen more of Matt on the Reality Gays podcast  Follow Matt Marr on social media   SPONSORS: Uncommon Goods // Go to UncommonGoods.com/YOU for 15% off your order   MENTIONED in this episode: Instagram Christopher Ryan Stamey - @christopherryanstamey  90 Day Fiancé on TLC  Real Housewives franchise on Bravo  RuPaul’s Drag Race on MTV  Passions Soap Opera on NBC  The Real World on MTV Duck Dynasty on A&E  Bittersweet by Susan Cain Indian Matchmaking on Netflix  Love is Blind on Netflix Married at First Sight on Lifetime  Pig Royalty on Amazon Prime Video  Nanny 911, now on Amazon Prime Video  Doggy Fizzle Televizzle on MTV  Crowned on FOX  America’s Next Top Model on UPN/The CW  Joe Millionaire on FOX The Swan on FOX  90 Day Fiancé: The Last Resort on TLC  The Golden Bachelor on ABC    If you liked this episode you may like: Ep 189: About the Hollywood Strikes and How They Affect You   SUBSCRIBE to 10 Things To Tell You so you never miss an episode! CLICK HERE for episode show notes FOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on Instagram FOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on Facebook JOIN the 10 Things To Tell You Connection Group SIGN UP for episode emails, links, and show notes JOIN the Secret Stuff Patreon BUY THE BOOK: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura Tremaine BUY THE BOOK: The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs by Laura Tremaine   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices