Ain't too proud to beg? Ain't too proud to go on reality TV!

I firmly believe that anyone can become rich and famous in today’s society, if only they not let their dignity get in the way. If one needs evidence of such a claim, you only need to watch the latest 24-hour news cycle. As of right now, some of the most read stories on the Huffington Post include updates on Jon & Kate + 8, one of the less famous Kardashians, and the now infamous ‘Balloon Boy’. Apparently the recession, the elections in Afghanistan, and that whole messy affair in Darfur have all been tidied up, allowing us to focus on some of the more important things in life. Even though I make it a point to avoid any and all news regarding the aforementioned people, one piece of information managed to get through the cracks and into my consciousness;

Richard and Mayumi Heene, parents of the infamous (non)Balloon Boy, were reportedly developing a reality show with RDF Media USA, the company that produces "Wife Swap." (A show they appeared on months ago) Apparently they pitched the idea to TLC several months ago but were turned down.

So in other words, you’re a man with three children and a wife to support, but instead of getting, y’know, a job, you try to whore yourself and your ‘quirky’ storm-chasing, balloon flying family to an ambivalent public. What’s more alarming is that if the ‘balloon boy’s’ father does get acquitted, they will undoubtedly become the huge stars they originally sought to be.

So if it’s so easy, why doesn’t everyone do it?

Well as any enlightened, semi-intelligent man, if I’d like to think that if I ever did achieve any sort of fame, wealth, or recognition, I’d want to be proud of how I did it. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be a popular sentiment in today’s society. With the proliferation of reality shows that pretend to not to be reality shows, like The Hills or The Real Housewives of Atlanta¸ we now live in an age of legitimizing ill-gotten fame and success.
Listening to Howard Stern interview The Hills star Brody Jenner the other day, I couldn’t help but be taken aback when he took time at the end of the segment to thank his ‘fans’.  An innocuous enough comment if made by any other celebrity, but when spoken by a guy like Jenner, whose entire fame is built upon appearances in three different reality shows, and dating no less than four different fellow reality TV stars, the idea that Jenner actually has any fans is kind of objectionable.

Of course, it’s hard not to understand the appeal of becoming a reality TV star. TLC stars Jon and Kate Gosseln reportedly make over a million dollars a season for their show, in addition to the thousands they are able to command in appearance fees (or used to be able to achieve, before their inevitable divorce.) Like the circus freaks of yore, why work hard when you can just humiliate yourself for the money thrown at them by a disgusted, but riveted public.

And yet, despite my distaste for reality TV idolatry, I have noticed some uses for it. For one, the Lauren Conrad’s and Paris Hilton’s of the world have been sacrificed to the scandal and humiliation starved public, saving the actual talented celebrities from such a degrading fate. If Kirsten Cavallari’s fame means  she spends time in the stocks instead of our boy George Clooney, than that’s okay with me.