'I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to win.” So does the ultimate reality TV cliché, one that became popular in the first season of Survivor, which hooked television audiences on competitions between telegenic "real people" cashing in on the 15 minutes of fame that is the birthright of all Americans . Twenty years later, this statement has proven true for the genre itself. Reality series aren't exactly respected; critics, social scientists, and even fans never stop unearthing revelations about their gross manipulations and toxic tropes. But despite all the antipathy towards these programs, they have conquered the culture and claimed their prize: our attention.

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