Hyper Realism

In class it was suggested that "hyper real" TV offers it viewers a particularly powerful depiction of the "real" world. Hyperreality is defined as fetishizing the sensory experience of the "real" so that reality is grossly over-simplified. When looking at real TV even though these programs are shot, selected, and edited by somebody in the long run they are still real. What happens when the depiction of the real world is shown through a game show? Is it still real? In trying to explain how media views dating lets take a look at one of televisions popular show Change of Heart. "Change of Heart" explores the possibilities available when a couple comes to a crossroads in their relationship. The show features guests who are not living together and have been dating less than a year and interviews the questioning couple as to what they're looking for in an ideal mate and then sets each of them up on a date with someone who meets their criteria. Following their separate dates, the original couple returns to discuss whether they have a future together or if one or both of them has had a "change of heart." The always exciting and much anticipated ending of each episode either finds the original couple reuniting, with a renewed and revitalized relationship, or potentially two new couples heading down the road to romance.
The values that this program places on relationships should be a question that society should think about when people watch a program of this form. What this program does is take a couple that is having problems with their relationship and instead of working things out between the two of them they go on national television and insult one another, at the same time you try and have fun doing it. You do this by going out with a stranger and on the date do things as if you're not in a relationship with someone. This show encourages their participants to go out on these dates, have sex with each other, and engage in any other creative provocative