Reality TV in pubs makes economic sense

• Published date: 28 May 2023
• Publication title: Herald on Sunday

I’ve never watched Vanderpump Rules but, due to being Extremely Online, I know all about the drama that has been unfolding involving characters I’d never heard of. For your sake and mine, let’s get up to speed with this Reader’s Digest-type summary: #scandoval is essentially the name given to the cheating scandal that has been unfolding, in pretty much real time, in Vanderpump Rules. Tom Sandoval (get it?) and Ariana Madix, two of the co-stars, had been together for nine years by the time she found out about his seven month-long affair with her best friend — and also co-star — Raquel Leviss. There are other stars on the show and the web is a bit more tangled up than this but, suffice to say, it’s all a bit messy, particularly for fans who have been following the show for a whole decade. When the season finale aired last week, people had their Pumptinis in hand, ready to watch it all unfold

I absolutely get the appeal of the show, which sounds completely deranged (even without the Scandoval saga) but I also know we are 10 seasons in and I know, deep within me, I do not have the required stamina to sit through the back catalogue. That said, the idea of watching a reality TV show at a bar — particularly a high-stakes episode like a season finale, is one I am fully behind.

Last Sunday, contrary to my better judgment, I spent a full five hours of my one wild and precious life bingeing the latest season of Selling Sunset. This one thing I will tell you for sure: I would much rather have watched all of Chrishell Stause’s fine moments (and they were all fine moments, I will not hear a word to the contrary) at the pub with friends and a couple of cold beers. On Thursday night, instead of sleeping, I stayed up late and watched the first episode of the latest season of The Kardashians, during which I willingly exposed my brain to Kendall teaching Kylie how do drive a manual car using her Porsche, Kourtney banging on about about much sex she’s having with Travis, and Khloe complaining about not winning the lottery, without a hint of irony. It was fun, if at times maddening, but it would have been more fun to be watching it with friends who share my absolute terrible taste in TV. Reality TV is escapism. We...