Abstract
This literature review deals with the contemporary topic of reality TV. It is particularly focused on the examination of the ill effects of reality TV shows for both contestants and viewers. The study found out that the appeal which encourages people to participate in such shows is the search for fame. It also underlined the fact that the relationship between reality TV and those who watch it was based on unhealthy motivations such as voyeurism or fake social life. Lastly, this study pointed out the disastrous consequences of reality TV, particularly on contestants which experimented psychological damages caused by unethical treatments. Television, since its beginning, has experimented various stages. From 1950 to 1970, the objective of television was to give essential knowledge to the viewers as a teacher to pupils. Then from 1980 to 1990, television became public-orientated and intimacy appeared more and more often in TV shows.
