A new reality show about a family that’s only vaguely famous, how exciting. Hearing that the show was green lighted, I have only heard the name Kardashian with scandal tacked on at the end of the name. So when Keeping Up with the Kardashians was announced, all I thought was just what we needed. I watched the series premiere, appropriately titled “I’m Watching You.” The show starts off with some sassy music we have heard from every single low budget reality show and three sisters that look identical telling each other to stop eating. As soon as the main plot of the episode is announced, there is an opener to inform the viewer who is who in the family. The Kardashian clan (or should I say klan) is made up of Kris, a woman who is clearly the product of suburban Hollywood (unmoving facial expressions and all) Khole, Kourtney, and Kim (the main trio), Bruce Jenner, an ex-olympian who is on the same level creepiness as Gary Busey, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner, the two young sisters. There is also Rob Kardashian, the only son of the family and the lone survivor of K name plague. Together, they live under one roof and are a big, happy, loud family.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians cuts right to the point, the only reason why this show exists is because Kim, the clear star of the show had a sex tape and now she’s trying to “make happy memories.” Just a memory now, in 2003 Kim and her then boyfriend Ray J (brother of early 2000s star, Brandy) together made a sex tape. The tape was not leaked until this year, making the repressed memory come back with a vengeance. Kim states that she doesn’t want to talk openly about the tape but she does need to put the rumors to rest. However, without the sex tape, Kim’s career would be nonexistent. The show most likely would not even exist without that sex tape, so thank you Ray J, because without you we would not have the Sunday late night time slot filled. The series opener is a mix of Kim’s sex tape interview on the television talk show Tyra (after huffing and puffing, Kim finally decides to air out her sexy laundry and set things straight) and Kris and Bruce’s 16th wedding anniversary, it’s as if they’re just like us. There’s a stripper pole, some sparkle effects added onto a 1.3 million dollar ring, and a few flashes of the Kardashian sisters’ store, Dash. It’s as if the show is a giant commercial for for the family business! It’s all very domesticated.
In reality, the family is just like any other family, they fight and make fun of each other, host backyard get togethers, and occasionally get drunk during the day and ignore daily responsibilities. The Kardashians are living out our wildest dreams while still making fun of each other’s cooking abilities. They are every pop culture middle class family’s dream. If it is really that easy to interest America’s population, then please somebody reading this call up E! and send them in the direction of my family, we’ll be easier to tell apart since all of our names start with different letters. Like most reality TV, the show is really about the people and all the wild stunts that they pull, so of course, the average person will be obsessed with the show, and with thirty minute time slots, who wouldn’t be rushing to watch? At the end of the day, the program is about the family and their bond, even if they claim to hate each other on occasion. It’s like what Kim said, “There’s a lot of baggage that comes with us, but it’s like Louis Vuitton baggage, you always want it.” -Teresa Navarro