Introducing the Reality TV Hall of Fame

You already know about the Reality TV Hall of Shame, which has been around for a while now to “honor” those who have done something extraordinarily stupid, shameful, or painful to watch. But what about the flip side? What about those who have made reality TV enjoyable to watch, who have made brilliant moves, who have changed the course of television history? While there is a lot of talk dedicated to the negative – the villains, the lies, the sleaziness – we want to talk about the positive. For every villain there is a hero, for every sleazy moment there is an inspired strategy. It’s time to start recognizing the good as well as the bad, time for the Reality TV Hall of Fame.

With this article, we officially introduce the Hall of Fame to cover the entire reality TV genre. While the title alone should tell you a great deal about what this site will cover, allow me to explain further.

We have all seen the reality TV participants, and some entire shows, that are deserving of high praise. Yes, they sometimes seem to be few and far between, but they are definitely there. Sometimes, there are people who aren’t particularly well-liked, but who have played their particular games brilliantly (Richard Hatch and Brian Heidik come to mind immediately). Sometimes, there are people who capture our hearts for one reason or another.

But all too often, after a season is over, those people are lost in the mists of time, or at least not discussed much anymore. This site will serve to acknowledge those people and to make sure they are never forgotten.

Like the Reality TV Hall of Shame and any other Hall of Fame, this Hall will be difficult to get into. We’re not going to induct every winner of the various shows, because some, quite frankly, don’t deserve it. Plus, we will recognize Hall of Fame Moments in those cases where people did something extraordinary even though they are not considered worthy of a full induction (at least at that time).

Hall of Fame Moments will be recognized because in other Halls of Fame and, of course in the Reality TV Hall of Shame, individual accomplishments may be noted without actually enshrining the person. For example, in baseball, every no-hitter is acknowledged in Cooperstown, but the pitcher who threw it may not necessarily be inducted. By the same token, there are individual acts that should be included in the Reality TV Hall of Fame, whereas actual induction is for a "lifetime achievement" kind of thing – or at least a “showtime achievement.” With that in mind, the Reality TV Hall of Fame contains a section that looks at specific instances in reality TV that are deserving of mention, even if the player or show does not quite rise to the necessary level for a full induction.

What can you expect to see listed as a Hall of Fame Moment? Times when, overall, players were not quite good enough to deserve a full induction, but yet did something at one specific point that compares to the no-hitter in baseball. Examples might be along the lines of the Kim J. beating out two strapping younger guys – Ethan and Lex – in the final immunity challenge on Survivor: Africa, or the coming together of Sean, Vecepia, Kathy, Paschal, and Neleh in Survivor: Marquesas to beat out the Rotu 4.

We’re not just talking about simply playing the game well – many people can do that and it doesn’t really constitute a “moment.” It must be something that makes the audience sit up and say, “Wow!”

Entries to the Hall of Fame will be announced as necessary, with individual articles to describe all of the reasons for the particular inductee. We will both be looking back to the history of reality TV and will also remain current with actions that are occurring on reality TV right now. We will, of course, be open to reader suggestions. You can e-mail them – along with your reasoning – to RNO@pobox.com. All nominations will be reviewed by the Hall of Fame staff to see if the person, show, or moment is truly deserving enough to be inducted into the Hall. Also, remember that while we are focused mostly on actions that occur on the shows, we will also address reality TV participants who have done something worthy in other situations.

So with that we cut the ribbon on the Reality TV Hall of Fame! Welcome one and all!

David Bloomberg is the Editor of the Reality TV Hall of Fame, and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/Reality TV Hall of Fame e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on these sites! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of the shows in the Hall of Fame listed here, all of the people who have been inducted can be found here, and click here for the Hall of Shame Moments.

Of course, you can also visit our sister site:

For more news about reality TV, be sure to check out RealityNewsOnline and SirLinksALot!