Week 6 EOC: Duck Dynasty Trend

 
               This past Wednesday Duck Dynasty’s (a non-fiction “reality” show on A&E) season premier broke the record with 11.8 million viewers. This is larger than the patronizing cable reality series crests of TLC’s Jon & Kate Plus 8 and MTV’s Jersey Shore. The former previously held the cable record, with 10.6 million viewing during Jon & Kate‘s tabloid-fueled surge in 2009. This is staggering to me that these kinds of shows are still around. After Ozzy Osbourn and his family had their television run almost a decade ago, I figured these kinds of shows would just die out. Alas, I am very wrong. http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/08/15/holy-duck-aes-duck-dynasty-return-shatters-cable-record/

                Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and her “Redneckinizing”, The Hasselhoffs, Hell’s Kitchen, Dancing With The Stars, etc. There is a reality show for every demographic and they seem to keep coming up with more and more crap to shovel into their audience’s TVs and we keep letting them. The appeal of the Duck Dynasty is that it does play to base qualities of American Society, Family oriented, Enterprising, and plays on the core values of a majority of their viewers. Where other shows have to rely on crass behavior or the occasional violent eruption, this family seems to keep it together for the camera. Even the patriarch of the Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson has an estimated net worth of $5 million. This is the American dream for men, being successful business man and having a family that shares in his passion. This I think the key reason it is so appealing to various demographics, along with the showing being entertaining. http://www.therichest.com/celebnetworth/celebrity-business/men/phil-robertson-net-worth/

                Where I see the future of reality television going from this point is possibly in a positive direction. Where even the Sister Wives have family values, polygamy is still bizarre and the family dynamic isn’t typical in any way shape or form. However, these educated, successful rednecks are breaking the normal idea of blue collar men and making it more acceptable to act like a hick, and that is perfectly acceptable. In the United States there are 5,141,370 fans of the show so there absolutely will be unscripted shows that romanticize the culture that the Duck Dynasty embraces. http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-pages/185996294843078-duck-dynasty-on-a-e