21 Things to do as a 21 Year Old in the 21st Century: Reality Television Edition

Happy Monday! This week I will be missing my current favorite show, Dancing With the Stars. Rightfully so - election coverage is taking the cake.

I've always loved reality television. When I was in 3rd grade, I received an 苹果 iPod touch. Looking back on this, a third grader has no business owning an iPod but luckily I never got into anything too mischievous. I spent a lot of my time on the YouTube app when the app icon on the home screen looked like a television - anyone else remember this?

I remember stumbling across Dance Moms and Kim of Queens clips and it was only downhill from there. When I was younger, after my bed time had passed and my parents thought I was sound asleep upstairs, I would tap on the retro TV icon and sneakily watch Abby Lee Miller and Kim Gravel harp on girls my age about turned out feet and bad posture on a level one volume under my covers - sorry mom.

Kim of Queens is not nearly as well-known as most reality shows but if you need an early 2010s show to watch, this is a good one. It features southerner and former Miss Georgia, Kim Gravel, preparing local girls for pageants.

As most girls my age, I experienced a Bachelor phase. I watched Colton's season, Pilot Pete and his crazy mother (this season is hard to forget), Matt's and Joey most recently, and Gary on the Golden Bachelor. Safe to say, I've waisted a fair amount of time watching girls compete to win a red rose.

This summer, I watched Love Island. I should specify that I watched Love Island U.K., not U.S. If you have an absurd amount of time on your hands, dedicate it to Love Island UK. If you're unfamiliar, a new episode is produced every day and the show is filmed, edited, and uploaded within 18 hours, meaning that this summer, I watched nearly 49 hour long episodes of British 20-year-olds stirring up the same drama over and over again. And I'm not mad about it.

*SPOILER ALERT: I was really rooting for Jess and Ayo and I am still not over it.

There's something about hearing "a new bombshell has entered the villa" that puts a smile on my face. I'll be patiently waiting for Season 12. Luckily, the seasons only premiere during the summer months. I don't think my grades would take too kindly to nearly seven hours of television each week.

At the start of the school year, I watched The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Hot take, I am a fan of Whitney - Can anyone else agree or is it just me? Despite the rumors that Whitney will not be returning for season two, I am eagerly awaiting the return of the MomTok insight, bad extensions, lip filler, and drama, oh and Taylor's Mom's face lift reveal (just saw a TikTok this week about this?).

Okay so for all the shows I haven't expanded on, here's a rough list: The Real House Wives of Beverly Hills, Ultimate Girls Trip, and New Jersey; Keeping up With the Kardashians and The Kardashians (I've devoted a lot of time to these); Love is Blind; Selling Sunsets, Bachelor in Paradise, The Bachelorette; and Project Runway. Don't worry, I haven't see every episode of all of these shows and surprisingly I don't consider myself much of a TV watcher. Just keep in mind that the majority of TV that I watch is reality television and that I've been consuming trash televisions since the 3rd grade. Does that make my list more acceptable or justifiable?

Alright so that brings us to: Dancing With the Stars. This season has gained a lot of traction on social media. Between the great cast, funny TikToks, and Glebb and Brooks drama, I am beyond invested and have yet to miss an episode. If you spend as much time as me on social media and are immersed in pop culture, DWTS is also taking up a lot of your brain space.

I am really rooting for Ilona, Stephen, and Joey and I am struggling to decide who I hope to win the Mirror Ball Trophy. If you need something to add to your plate or ease your mind, channel your inner 21-year-old self and watch DWTS. And if you're not into dancing and need other suggestions, you know who to ask.