Reality TV Show Ideas
I'm not a huge watcher of reality television, but each show tends to have a niche audience. If I'm going to watch them, I prefer those that require the contestants to create something each week. I don't watch it, but take the premise behind the show "Project Runway": it gives fashion designers a challenge each week to create something a specific realm of fashion. A panel of judges later evaluates what they did and they decide upon a winner and loser. Another show called "Hell's Kitchen" evaluates contestants based not only on how good the food they prepare is, but by how well they manage a team of cooks in a kitchen.
For no particular reason except to brainstorm, here are some ideas for themes that could be used for reality television shows. Like the examples above, the ideas are designed to reward those who are more creative, and/or can execute plans well.
(If any of these already exist, my bad. Again, I don't watch a lot of TV.)
1. Music - each week, the musicians are given a challenge about a song they have to compose. Genres range from commercial jingles to pop songs. They're rated and eliminated based on the results.
2. User interface design - Give user interface experts/software developers a challenge each week and if they can create something usable by ordinary human beings. We all bitch about how Microsoft Office keeps changing and no one can find their favorite commands in the menus anymore, so this might actually have mainstream appeal.
3. Helping the Homeless - give people with very few resources in the US a challenge to help homeless people in creative and new ways.
4. Environmentalism - focusing on a single community each week, have contestants come up with ways to tackle environmental issues affecting the area.
5. Urban planning - Again, pick a new city each week, and give contestants a problem they have to solve.
6. Advertising - each week, young advertisers are given a consumer product for which they have to create an ad campaign. (There's product placement potential here, why has no one done this yet?)
I realize that a few of these ideas have convergent solutions, meaning it's likely that more than one contestant might arrive at the same solution. In those cases, differentiate and judge them based on their attention to detail.
Reality television is very passive in its offerings, and that might be because of the audience to which it's supposed to cater. But it also has the ability to make people say "Hey, I could do that! Why don't I?" Think of the inspiration that "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" offers to viewers each week.
Got any ideas of your own?
For no particular reason except to brainstorm, here are some ideas for themes that could be used for reality television shows. Like the examples above, the ideas are designed to reward those who are more creative, and/or can execute plans well.
(If any of these already exist, my bad. Again, I don't watch a lot of TV.)
1. Music - each week, the musicians are given a challenge about a song they have to compose. Genres range from commercial jingles to pop songs. They're rated and eliminated based on the results.
2. User interface design - Give user interface experts/software developers a challenge each week and if they can create something usable by ordinary human beings. We all bitch about how Microsoft Office keeps changing and no one can find their favorite commands in the menus anymore, so this might actually have mainstream appeal.
3. Helping the Homeless - give people with very few resources in the US a challenge to help homeless people in creative and new ways.
4. Environmentalism - focusing on a single community each week, have contestants come up with ways to tackle environmental issues affecting the area.
5. Urban planning - Again, pick a new city each week, and give contestants a problem they have to solve.
6. Advertising - each week, young advertisers are given a consumer product for which they have to create an ad campaign. (There's product placement potential here, why has no one done this yet?)
I realize that a few of these ideas have convergent solutions, meaning it's likely that more than one contestant might arrive at the same solution. In those cases, differentiate and judge them based on their attention to detail.
Reality television is very passive in its offerings, and that might be because of the audience to which it's supposed to cater. But it also has the ability to make people say "Hey, I could do that! Why don't I?" Think of the inspiration that "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" offers to viewers each week.
Got any ideas of your own?