(MommyJD) What's your reality TV fetish?

This is a judgment free zone, so spill it. What reality TV show do you like to indulge in? Back in the day when I was of a certain age demographic I watched The Real World and Road Rules religiously. Then when the Real World/Road Rules challenge came I was obsessed. Those days are long gone but reality TV shows have been multiplying like crazy. I'll confess to have watched a lot of bad ones- think College Hill, Laguna Beach, The Hills, Wife Swap, and Flava of Love. Oh I'm embarrassed about that last one.

When wedding and baby time came it was fun to watch shows like Bridezilla, A Baby Story, and even John and Kate + 8. When I was trying to lose weight I watched The Biggest Loser. Watching obese people struggle to lose weight will make you think twice about complaining that you wear a size 8 instead of a size 4. And of course Supernanny is still my go to gal for discipline tips.

The Amazing Race has always been a good one. Even when the team I am rooting for gets eliminated, I still watch just to see the awesome cities they get to visit. I think I stopped watching America's Next Top Model after Eva won. I still can't believe that show still comes on. Talk about holding on for dear life.

These days reality TV is a bit more, um....ratchet, as Tamar would say. Speaking of- quoting reality TV stars is kinda fun sometimes, right? I could do an entire Tamar skit using her catch phrases, "Get you a life!" "Totally different!" and the infamous "DOT COM". So yes, I watch Braxton Family Values. I also watch T.I. and Tiny and sometimes Beyond Scared Straight. I watched Big Brother this summer only because my Spelman sister was on the show. I will never watch it again because I can't take how silly the games are.

I have never gotten into any of the "wives" shows, but from what I hear on facebook, they can get pretty out of control. And from the recent outcry about Basketball Wives, I'd say that's an understatement.

So why are we hooked on watching the lives of celebrities and wanna-be celebrities? Does it trigger emotions of empathy? Can we relate? Or do we just like looking at people with messed up lives because it makes us feel better about our own lives? Maybe it's purely for entertainment. What say you?