They all feel setup to me. I can imagine the producers talking to the people ahead of time urging them to go for maximum controversy or even scripting dialogue.

I do watch things like American Idol though, not because I believe in the competition or that we're seeing true reality playing out. It's ridiculous how contrived much of it is. I just view it as I viewed any musical variety show back in my youth. It's an hour where you get to see entertainers doing their stuff. Some of them are very good. Let's put it in perspective though. It's really more like going to karaoke. None of the performers are writing their own music and very few play instruments. Daren and I have done just as well on some nights at the local bar with no rehearsal and a major buzz on.

I even despise watching American's Funniest Videos at the end when they pick the best video of the evening. What their criteria is for the crap they select is beyond me. The winning videos often look contrived.

Art