My Guilty Pleasure

When Mr. Prep is traveling for work I get to indulge in several guilty pleasures. One is eating popcorn and drinking champagne for dinner (Mr. Prep who's a chef just about dies when he hears about that), the other is watching movies and shows that Mr. Prep cannot stand. This is how I found my newest guilty pleasure.

So I have to admit, I have been a fan of Real Houswives of Orange County for a few years now... As much as I love the housewives, and as much as I've loved watching them overcome personal struggles and challenges. In recent seasons it's felt like they are casting the housewives, and bringing in "new" friends that aren't really friends of any of the wives. It feels very contrived. I also feel sort of like I'm staring at a car wreak watching them carry on, and party, and be mean and snarky with each other.

*Photo courtesy of soapnet.com

That's why I found Southern Belles Louisville on SOAP Network so refreshing. The first season is now over, but you can catch repeats on several times a week and you can also download them from itunes. It's similar to Real Housewives except each of the Southern Belles is age 26 to 36. They aren't married, and they don't get drunk and fight with each other. Okay, so once all the docudrama is out of reality TV is it still interesting to watch? I think so, it's nice to see young women facing the challenges and questions that I face. Furthermore, I love the comparison with the crass Housewives, to the more genteel Belles. Granted there are a few PG 13 moments, but overall I think it's an improvement in the "reality" TV genre.