As Chicagoans Dominate Reality TV, A Look At The Genre’s Effect On Viewers

Jay Cutler
Former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is now a star on the reality TV show Very Cavallari. Cutler is one of several Chicagoans featured on reality shows this year Wikimedia Commons
Jay Cutler
Former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is now a star on the reality TV show Very Cavallari. Cutler is one of several Chicagoans featured on reality shows this year Wikimedia Commons

As Chicagoans Dominate Reality TV, A Look At The Genre’s Effect On Viewers

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A grocer from West Town is looking for love on ABC’s Bachelor In Paradise and two Chicago women are contestants on MTV’s Are You The One?

Chefs from our city are competing on Food Network cooking shows, and former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is a recurring character on Very Cavallari, the E! channel show that documents his wife Kristin Cavallari’s effort to launch a clothing store.

Reality television shows may seem like fun and games, but a recent survey from the London School of Economics suggests that watching certain types of reality TV — shows that focus on wealth, fame and materialism — can make viewers less sympathetic toward the poor.

Morning Shift guest host Kyra Kyles explores the current state of reality TV and what it might be doing to our brains and decision-making skills.

Former Bears Quarterback Jay Cutler Talks Moving and Getting Goats on Very Cavallari:


West Town Grocer Joe Amabile Returns to Bachelor in Paradise:


GUEST: Tracy Swartz, Chicago Tribune entertainment reporter

LEARN MORE: Materialistic Media Makes Us Less Sympathetic To The Poor (London School of Economics Study 8/1/18)