ABSTRACT
Presently, and perhaps ironically, spectacle and ensemble are being used as dramatic vehicles in the genre of reality television programming. In a fascinating and often blurry interface between fictionalized entertainment and real life, groups of people are left on islands, placed in houses, or sent on journeys with the tasks of winning races, choosing life partners, reaching destinations, or surviving. I can only assume that the purpose of this relatively new genre, aside from the usual commercial considerations, reflects our instinctual and cultural propensity to create drama as a strategy for deepening our understanding of, and connection with, our human condition.
