Reality television is a genre of television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors. Although the genre has existed in some form or another since the early years of television, the term reality television is most commonly used to describe programs of this genre produced since 2000 in America. Reality television covers a wide range of programming formats, from game or quiz shows which resemble the frantic, often demeaning shows produced in Japan in the 1980s and 1990 to surveillance or voyeurism-focused productions such as Big Brother in America.

Reality television and all of its manifestations are a glimpse into a voyeuristic society that wishes to, in real-time viewing, peek into the neighbor's kitchen window or, the bedroom window to see how ordinary people behave in private. Such shows frequently portray a modified and highly influenced form of reality, with participants put in exotic locations or abnormal situations, sometimes coached to act in certain ways by off-screen handlers, and with events on screen sometimes manipulated through editing and other post-production techniques.
Reality television saw an explosion of global popularity starting in the early 2000s. Two reality series -Survivor and American Idol - have been the top-rated series on American television for an entire season. Survivor led the ratings in 2001-02, and Idol has topped the ratings three consecutive years (2004-05, 2005-06, and 2006-07). The shows Survivor, the Idol series, the Top Model series, the Dancing With The Stars series, The Apprentice, "Fear Factor" and Big Brother have all had a global impact, having each been successfully syndicated in dozens of countries. Another reality television series that has seen wide success is Cheaters, which has been running for 10 seasons in the US, and is syndicated in over 100 countries worldwide. The host, Joey Greco, has been listed on many TOP 10 Reality Show Moments for a stabbing incident that happened during the taping of the show (Wikipedia).

Popular culture is the system of attitudes, behavior patterns, beliefs, customs, and tastes that define the people of any society. It is the entertainment, diversions, icons, rituals, and actions that shape a society’s everyday world. It is what we do while we are awake, what we think about and how we approach the thought, and what we dream about while we are asleep. It is the way of life we inherit, practice, change, and then pass on to our descendants. Popular culture is the current mature extensions of folk culture, the culture of the people. With improved means of communication and electronic media in American culture, folk culture expanded into popular culture-the daily way of life as shaped by the popular majority of society (Browne, 2005).
In all this diversity, reality TV has one appeal we as viewers hope to find something relevant to our own lives. We seem to be lured to finding any small hints that we live our lives a little bit better than those we see on TV. Or, we find solace in that we are not alone in what we do in our private lives. The possibility that reality-based stories will reveal something real is so enticing that everyone is seeking their fifteen minutes of fame, either by walking around with a camera or wishing to be captured by a camera. The American culture is infatuated with reality television and is driven to the point of feeling a since of entitlement to be an instant star. This sense of entitlement is on display when rejected candidates are not selected to go to Hollywood on American Idol.

We didn’t realize it in 1970-1980 that were watching the first true reality television in shows like Family Feud and the Newly Wed Show. These two shows raised the eyebrows of the viewer, much like the eye-raising that takes place on this generation of reality television.

Reference

Browne, R. B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture: A reader. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN: 0-87972-869-8.
Wikipedia.org. Reality Television. Retrieved April 7, 2009, from, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_television