Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
Trash TV Reality Show on VH1 Peeks at Stars' Addictions, Problems
On cable, reality and trash TV often seem to go together. It's all about the fights, the breakups, the spectacle...the stars. But that's not why Celebrity Rehab is great.
Why is Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew great? At first glance, this reality show may seem as sensationalized and surreal as all the other cable “reality” shows. Brought to viewers through VH1, a cable channel known for such guilty pleasures as Flavor of Love and America’s Most Smartest Model, a celebrity rehab show could easily become a trashy reality wonder. But with Dr. Drew at the helm and extremely real subject matter on the table, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew is easily one of the best reality shows currently on TV.
Trash TV Takes a Strange Turn
Reality TV on cable often features semi-celebs who have taken a departure from the limelight, or those who are still trying to break into big entertainment business. Much of it involves drinking, partying, and playing up to the cameras. Celebrity Rehab is great because the celebrities on this show don’t shine or show off. They’re low. They look bad. They get moody and irritable. They vomit. And they battle their own demons, right before viewer eyes.
Why Celebrity Rehab is Great
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew takes viewers inside the harsh world of drug addiction and the awful consequences it offers. To see a star first on the big screen, and then to see that same star slurring, drooling and suffering with loss of muscle function -all due to little pills- is truly an eye-opening experience…even if it is “just reality TV.” The tears are real, the trauma is there, and the conclusion still hasn’t been reached. The grim fact of drug rehabilitation is that it’s not 100% successful in all patients, and for celebrities to whom such substances are readily available the rates seem to be even lower and the relapses more frequent.
Many reality shows seem to serve as a vehicle for the stars, a stepping stone perhaps into bigger and better projects. But Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew has a different purpose - to educate. In gritty and grim detail, viewers see what being addicted is really like. They see stars they watched on shows like Family Matters and American Idol facing personal horrors and the grim reality of drugs. They see all the details of overcoming addiction, and how much better it is to avoid such addiction in the first place.
Why is Celebrity Rehab great? Because, unlike so many others out there, this is one reality show that’s not about the trash. This one is actually very real.
