Is reality TV a truly bad thing?


	Sandy Rios: "... The problem is not enough people are putting the off button on and so we have really this dearth of information that I think is really undermining our culture."

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Some of the new reality TV shows that rolled out this week include "Joe Millionaire" and "The Bachelorette." Should the plug be pulled on reality TV or is the remote control the best weapon for those who don't want to watch?

Michael Medved, film critic and radio talk show host, and Sandy Rios, of Concerned Women For America, stepped into the "Crossfire" Thursday with hosts Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson to debate the issue.

BEGALA: ISandy, I hope you're taping the show and that you save it, because I'm going to do something I very rarely do: praise and quote our president, who had terrific, terrific advice on this.

George W. Bush was asked about troubling things that are on TV. And this is the advice that he gave.

"Put the off button on."

I love that. Now, in his sort of profoundly brilliant Yogi Berra-esque way, he was right. What's wrong with that advice? Put the off button on, Sandy.

RIOS: You know, it's a great thought. But the problem is not enough people are putting the off button on and so we have really this dearth of information that I think is really undermining our culture.

And all joking aside, we've got some bad stuff on television. And I think our culture is reflecting that. We've got a 50 percent divorce rate at least. So when you present programs like these where the end game is marriage, based on marrying this fake millionaire or a marriage based on picking out of 25 girls the one who, you know, rings your chimes the best, that's a terrible reason to choose a mate. And I think it's feeding...

BEGALA: There used to be arranged marriages, right? ...

RIOS: Yes, but arranged marriages were arranged because of ...


Michael Medved: "The real problem in America, though, isn't so much the low quality of TV, it's the high quantity of TV. People watch too much altogether."

MEDVED: We disagree on this very firmly, because I agree with you that there's terrible stuff on TV. The real problem in America, though, isn't so much the low quality of TV, it's the high quantity of TV. People watch too much altogether.

And I want to say that I actually looked at a tape of "The Bachelorette." And "The Bachelorette" isn't one of the worst things on TV, it's one of the better things on TV. And I'll tell you why.

RIOS: Oh, dear.

MEDVED: Because this is a young lady who's very likable who says repeatedly her big dream in life is to get married and to have children. She says, "The biggest fear I have in life is that I wouldn't have children. I want to have two children. I want to have three kids." And she's interviewing these guys based on their values, and making those choices accordingly.

CARLSON: Michael, come on. Step back a little bit. Hold on here.

I mean, I admire all those sentiments and like you I've done a great deal of personal research on this topic, including last night. But step back. She's doing this, searching for these values you described, trying to find the perfect man, trying to build a family with children and a white picket fence on television. OK, with nine cameramen surrounding her and it's on prime time.

BEGALA: And it's in a hot tub.

MEDVED: OK, look. I'm very grateful that I was able to meet my wife 18 years ago not on TV, OK?

But the point about this is right now, at any time that you have some kind of popular culture, which holds up as the ideal, the notion of two people, man and woman, getting married, having children, raising a family, I think that's a positive message.

RIOS: Yes, but Michael, the downside of that is the reason for the choice. Like she also said last night or whatever night it was, she declared which one turned her on the most. "He's got the right look," she said.

And that is the wrong reason to choose a mate. And that's my premise.

MEDVED: Of course it is. Of course it is.

But again, when there are so many things like "Temptation Island" you could criticize. So many things that emphasize experimentation outside of marriage, [is] the kind of material that Concerned Women for America exist to discourage. Look, every once in awhile you're reminded in this country that for the average American child, it is still considered a dream to get married and get married for a lifetime.

And there's another aspect of this, which is all-American. Which is, look, these shows exist for one reason only and that's to humiliate really good-looking people. And that's a totally all-American desire.

I mean, as far as the beautiful women on "Joe Millionaire" are concerned, all women hate them because they're beautiful and thin. All men hate them because we've all had our hearts broken at one time or another by some beautiful woman or another. So why not indulge that American desire for revenge on people who are popular and great looking?

RIOS: No! Michael...

BEGALA: The basic premise of "Joe Millionaire" is that "Joe Millionaire" is going to get these girls because he's not really a millionaire. He's lying.

My wife is here. She married me. I lied my ass off. I told her I was an astronaut [and that] I had won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Jeez, I said every thing. ... Whatever it took, man, that's what we do. We're guys. We lie. What's the shock? You think she'd marry me if I wasn't a big fat liar? ...

RIOS: You know, the thing of it is, I would maintain that both of these shows, whether it be "Joe Millionaire" or the other one, that they both humiliate men and women. I believe that. This guy Joe, whoever he is, makes $19,000 a year,as a construction worker. But the joke is "ha, ha," he's really worthless. Ha ha ha. Everybody thinks he has money, he has power, but he really doesn't. He's a jerk. He's worthless. Joe might be a very good guy. This is the wrong value system.

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