When I think of my ideal Saturday night, I don’t think of snuggling with a dreamy man, 6’4 with dark hair and matching dark eyes, who embraces me with the firmness, but gentleness of his glorious arms. I don’t think of ripping shots at any of the two bars students go to in Providence and then dancing on the table, while everyone watches in awe of my confidence and flawlessness.
I think of planting my ass on my couch in front of my television, cutting off all forms of communication, and watching up to 10 hours worth of the same show. Give me my favorite food (ranging anywhere from sushi to a nice Bolognese) and, honestly, I probably could die right there: a happy, but lonely, woman.
You may think I’ve brought this addiction, if that’s what we want to call it, upon myself. But I kind of just slipped into it. Actually, I like to think, we all just slip into it.
You see, it’s a cycle. Someone recommends a show to you, preferably one that’s been on for a while that you just never got around to watching. You watch the pilot, and after that, you need to watch the second episode, just to make sure you really like the show. You know what, just watch episodes three and four to really confirm. The characters are still developing and coming into their own, you need a little more time to get to know them. And also, any streaming site just plays the episode right away, without you having to hit the “watch next” button. So, the show is already on – you might as well keep watching.
Before you know it, you’re halfway through the first season, so you might as well just finish it. As if you all of a sudden blacked out, you find yourself at the end of the series, 6 seasons later, looking for a new show. Thus, someone recommends you a new show to fill both your time and joy. The cycle begins again.
However, I’m not watching shows that could potentially make me more cultured, and therefore better me. I’m not addicted to cult series like Game of Thrones or award winning and informative series like O.J.: Made in America. Instead, I find myself within the depths of the reality TV show world, watching series like Keeping Up With the Kardashians, every season and spin off of The Bachelor, and my new, personal favorite, MTV’s Are You The One? When I binge these shows, I form shallow and callous relationships with cast members. I can’t tell yet whether my decision to watch these types of shows says anything about me, although I’ve gotten numerous suggestions.
But don’t knock these shows until you’ve given them a proper chance! In just three days of watching Are You The One?, my roommate and I made a spreadsheet to determine who is who’s perfect match. To give you some background on this groundbreaking show, it’s a show in which 10 women and 10 men, who are horrible in relationships, live in a house together in some tropical vacation spot. They all undergo a “scientific test” that determines who their perfect match is within the house. They have ten tries to figure out everyone’s perfect match. If they can all do it, they all win one million dollars. If they can’t, they pursue careers advertising on Instagram.
But the show really gets down to the age old question – can your true love be right in front of you without you ever knowing? For me personally, I hope that’s not the case – mainly because I haven’t met Ryan Gosling yet. While I’m in this trance of binge watching this supposedly “junkie” show, I’m learning a thing or two about love. So, essentially, I’m not an addict of ridiculous reality TV shows. I’m a person who is extremely curious about the human psyche and this experiment of whether perfect matches truly exist!
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