Moronic in Chelsea (and Essex)

Have you seen any of those 'structured reality' shows (they also call them 'scripted reality')?  I know, I'm sounding like one of those elderly judges who ask defendants things like "What are The Beatles?", (I know, using a Beatles' reference makes me seem even more out of touch).  Anyway, getting back to the point, the sort of thing I'm talking about are programmes like The Only Way is Essex or Made in Chelsea, which feature 'real' people (ie, not professional actors) in what are (to me, at least) clearly staged situations.  OK, I'm well aware that the official line is that they are merely 'recreating' scenes which have actually happened, but it all looks completely staged to me.  For one thing, people's lives don't progress in terms of the neat storylines you see on these programmes. 

As you can guess, I'm not really a fan of these kinds of programmes, but every so often force myself to sit through an episode in an attempt to understand their appeal.  When I say 'force', I really mean that - I have to constantly stop myself from changing channels, I find these things so mind-numbingly dull.  On top of that, they're populated by some of the most vacuous, self-absorbed and generally obnoxious people I've ever seen.  Quite why anyone would want to follow their incredibly tedious existences is beyond me.  However, to be fair, the makers could well edit the footage to ensure that they all look like colossal cock ends in the name of entertainment.  Moreover, taken together, The Only Way is Essex and Made in Chelsea at least confirm that social class has no bearing on boorishness.  They're all equally unbearable, (although, in fairness, at least the people in Essex appear to be engaged in some kind of gainful employment, whereas those in Chelsea seem to be the indolent rich).

But what is the appeal of this drivel?  As far as I can see, it's similar to the fascination that soap operas exert, in that it allows us to peer into other people's lives - lives which appear to be more interesting, or glamourous, than ours.  The added appeal of these 'structured reality' programmes is that the people we're watching are supposedly real, ordinary people.  This, in turn, implies to viewers that excitement, glamour and drama aren't just things which are created by script writers, but can exist in our everyday lives as well.  You don't have to be a celebrity to be glamourous, they tell us - even people from Essex can live such lives.  It's also another manifestation of the modern obsession with the notion that you don't actually need to have any kind of talent to be famous - just living out your 'normal' life in front of cameras is enough.  That explains The Only Way is Essex, but leaves me still somewhat mystified as to the appeal of Made in Chelsea.  After all, it features people who are anything but ordinary, leading lives of relative wealth a privilege.  Perhaps its appeal lies in showing viewers that rich people's lives are just as empty and meaningless as everyone else's and that having money seems to guarantee that you are a colossal cock end.  Then again, maybe it is just all the posh totty on display that gets the viewers?  Who knows.