Pop culture critic James Wolcott says the dregs of reality TV have ruined television and, in doing so, ruined America. It's not talent-based competitions like Top Chef we need to worry about, he reasons, but programs about the "contrived antics of glorified nobodies and semi-cherished has-beens." His acid-tongued essay for Vanity Fair concludes the genre has:
- Priced out good shows: "Since reality programming is cheaper to produce, intricate brainteasers such as Bones, Lost, and the original CSI have to fight even harder to hold their own against the plethora of reality shows catering to romantic fools looking to land a rich sucker."