Image via Complex Original
Love it, hate it, or hate to love it, you can't deny that reality television has had a profound impact on society. From the premiere of the very first reality show, An American Family, in 1971, audiences have been fascinated by reality TV's ability to give us a glimpse into people's everyday lives.
However, as any avid reality TV-watcher knows, there are some common tropes that appear time and time again on reality shows. Why? Because people love to see them. From The Real World to The Bachelor, these are eight things you'll find on every reality TV show ever.
RELATED: The Worst People in Reality TV History
RELATED: 25 Reality TV Stars Who Need to Make a Comeback
Breaking the Rules
Here's a classic example:
Semi-authority figure: "Don't do that thing."
Reality TV personage: "You don't own me!" [Does the the thing.]
From contestants on The Biggest Loser eating forbidden foods to the underage Kardashian twigs partying a bit too hard, viewers thrive on watching people do stuff they're not allowed to do. Why? Plain and simple: People love people behaving badly. It's funny, it's fascinating, and frankly, it's what we'd all rather be doing anyway.
Screaming Matches
It's a well known fact that reality TV thrives on drama, and shouting at somebody is a foolproof way to accomplish that. We were all on the edge of our seats when Pumpkin screeched and spat in New York's face on Flavor of Love. (And if you weren't, then please do yourself a favor and watch it again.)
A common variation on the theme is the host of a reality show yelling at contestants. Ever watched Hell's Kitchen? Bar Rescue? America's Next Top Model? That's a whole lot of angry people yelling in each others' faces, and viewers eat it up.
Crying and Blubbering
There isn't a number in the universe large enough to quantify the amount of tears that are shed every day by reality TV stars. At this very moment, a contestant on American Idol who was just booted is dissolving into sobs, while a woman who received a makeover on What Not to Wear is weeping uncontrollably. For any reason under the sun, from cheating boyfriends on The Real World to having your food insulted by Chef Gordon Ramsay, people will turn on the waterworks for the eager camera.
The Villain
In every reality show, there is inevitably a "bad guy," a force of evil that the hero must overcome to—hold on, that's Batman. Anyway, villains are essential to any reality show because people need conflict to make them interesting. Otherwise, they're just regular, boring people like us (and who wants to watch their own life on TV?). Anybody who's watched a competition show like Big Brother or seen Omarosa mouth off on The Apprentice can understand that the bad guys are a necessary evil in reality television.
Backstabbing
When you throw people into tense, unnatural situations and then add the pressure of cameras following their every move, people will start to turn on each other. In almost every reality show, someone inevitably ends up throwing another person under the bus. Top Chef? Sure. Basketball Wives? Oh yeah. Survivor? Absolutely. Project Runway? Don't ever trust those scissor-stealing bastards.
Fights, Feuds, and Fisticuffs
People on reality TV will create drama over any minuscule detail just to grab the attention of the cameras. Case in point: every episode of Dance Moms. It's astounding and, quite frankly, sort of impressive that these women can keep finding new things to fight about.
Although it's definitely more prevalent in shows that pit groups of women against each other (a la Charm School, Bad Girls Club, or Rock of Love) fighting on reality TV appears in almost every show, regardless of theme. Even BFFs on The Amazing Race have something to argue about.
You Get a Stereotype! And You Get a Stereotype! Everyone Gets a Stereotype!
From Jersey Shore and Duck Dynasty to the The Real Housewives of Everywhere and Breaking Amish, stereotyping is rampant on reality TV. This is one of the faults reality television comes under fire for, because perpetuating stereotypes hinders the progression of society and some of these shows don't exactly cast a warm and fuzzy light on certain groups of people. Racial stereotypes, sexual stereotypes, gender stereotypes, religious stereotypes—you name it, it's on a reality show somewhere.
Expect the Unexpected
There's a distinct element of surprise to reality TV, though thankfully it isn't present in every show to the degree of Fear Factor —bugs, blood, and bees, oh my! Classics like Extreme Makeover and Punk'd made shock value a key component to the reality TV success formula. So whether it's watching the weirder side of humanity in My Strange Addiction or looking on horrified as two-year-olds prance onstage in Madonna cone bras, people love to be astounded by the actions of their fellow humans.