I am a firm believer that every person in this world has at least one vice.  No matter who you are, where you live or what you believe in, there is a moral weakness out there with your name engraved on it.  Mine, as made quite obvious by the title of this post, is Reality TV—the creative, chaotic, and sometimes violent shows that force participants to display the not-so-attractive side of themselves on a worldwide stage.

With the above in mind, to follow are seven (7) reality TV shows I believe are under-watched, under-marketed and under-appreciated by viewing audiences across the globe.  If you agree or disagree with anything in this article, please feel free to let me know by posting a comment.

Chopped (Food Network)

Hosted by former Queer Eye favorite Ted Allen, the concept of this show is simple: experienced chefs are given 30 minutes to create a single course (appetizer, entree or dessert) out of a basket of mystery ingredients.  But on this show, the mystery ingredients are seemingly selected at random, and include things like live sea urchin, gummy bears, collard greens and string cheese.  Minus the panel of judges who treat each contestant like they’re interviewing for the Nobel Prize (could food people PLEASE stop taking themselves so seriously?) this show is the ‘MacGyver‘ of reality TV, and definitely worth the investment of your time.

Real Estate Intervention (HGTV)

If you ever wondered what happened to all of those people who took out 80/20 loans with variable rate ARMS and used their houses as ATMs, there is good news: now you can find out.  In fact, if you have cable you can watch real estate expert Mike Aubrey deliver the un-sugar coated and financially devastating bad news to homeowners from the comfort of your living room sofa.  Real Estate Intervention is basically a ’scared straight’ for homeowners flirting with negative equity, and HGTV deserves a great deal of credit for stepping up to show the darker side of the real estate market.  Unfortunately, despite its extremely high entertainment value, this show has come too late to make any sort of positive impact.

The Ultimate Fighter (SpikeTV)

What do you get when you lock sixteen wannabe cage fighters in a Las Vegas mansion with an unlimited supply of booze and energy drink?  Broken glass, a swimming pool full of furniture, and tons of ass-kicking—wrapped in a surprisingly compelling story line.  If you like to watch underdogs win and nice guys punch bullies in the face, this is definitely the reality show you’ve been waiting for.  As an added bonus, The Ultimate Fighter is a GREAT show for couples.  While the guys enjoy the fighting, their female companions can watch an entire hour of muscular, square-jawed bad boys working out in micro-shorts.  I believe this is called a “win-win.”

UFO Hunters (The History Channel)

Featuring the publisher of UFO Magazine Bill Birnes, the show follows Bill and a team of researchers (not all of whom are believers) around the world as they investigate recent and historically significant UFO incidents.  Although much of the evidence they collect and analyze is compelling, there is unfortunately never enough to prove or disprove anything.  That said, watching Bill blame various UFO phenomena on alien-human hybrids while world-renowned scientists roll their eyes is the equivalent of entertainment gold.

Hell’s Kitchen (FOX)

Who else but world-famous chef Gordon Ramsey could get away with firing an undercooked Filet Mignon point-blank into someones chest while dropping multiple f-bombs and putting his foot thru a food service garbage can?  After nearly 10 full seasons, I still laugh every time I hear Ramsey call an aspiring restauranteur a ‘donkey’ or a ‘donut,’ but continue to be surprised by how few people actually watch Hell’s Kitchen on a regular basis.  If Gordon wasn’t the star of the show I might consider watching Top Chef on Bravo, but he is . . . so I won’t.

To Catch a Predator (MSNBC)

Since its move to MSNBC, this show seems to have lost a significant number of viewers.  But does watching the police cuff-and-stuff dirtbags who take advantage of children really EVER get old?  Of course not.  I’m hoping the Producers at MSNBC take my advice and move the show to pay-per-view, so the police will have more freedom to beat up the offenders before they arrest them.  Host Chris Hansen may be a bit slimy, but it’s comforting to know that someone is putting these scumbags away—even if it means making boatloads of money while doing it.

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team (CMT)

Unless they live in Texas, the mystique of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders usually wears off for boys some time around 7th Grade, when they finally figure out exactly what is underneath those blue blouses and white micro-shorts.  But this show is intriguing for men and women of all ages, primarily because it takes the struggles of young women and image to previously unreached levels.  If you don’t have time to add this show to your TV rotation, allow me to summarize Season 2: grizzled, over-botoxed uber-cougars telling young women they’re fat, ugly and untalented.  This MUST be why they call the Dallas Cowboys “America’s Team.”

Disagree with anything in this article?  Think I missed one of your favorite Reality TV shows?  Feel free to reply to this post.  Also, please keep in mind that social bookmarks are currency here, so please Retweet, Digg or Stumble this article if you enjoyed it.  Or, you may take a moment to visit one of my Google ad sponsor sites.  Thank you.

NOTE TO READERS: A few months back I wrote and posted an article titled 7 Reasons Why I Suck at Blogging, and What I’m Going to Do About It.  One of the promises I made to my readers in this article was to stray from my small company roots and write something fun once in awhile.  This post is a direct result of that promise.

Other Articles by This Author:

• A New Definition of Marketing for Small Companies?
• The REAL Reason Banks Won’t Lend Any Money
• 5 Free Twitter Tools for the Busy Small Company Marketer
• Why Do I Work for a Small Company?
• 4 Ridiculous Myths About Small Company Webinars

Regardless of what their websites say or how they say it, the white-collar criminals who run Network Marketing / MLM companies are taking advantage of an economic opportunity; preying on the insecurities of desperate people in uncertain times.  I often fall asleep at night smiling, because I know there is a special place in hell reserved for every single one of them.  But sometimes I lie awake frustrated, wishing there was more I could do to prevent these modern-day grifters from ripping off another friend, relative or acquaintance whose only crime is needing something positive to hold onto.  Hence this posting.

If you believe you (or a loved one) might be getting taken for a ride by one of these Network Marketing or MLM business opportunities, I encourage you to spend a few minutes reviewing this list of “Signs You’re Involved in a Pyramid Scheme.”  And if you need someone to talk to after reading it, feel free to reply to this post or send an email directly to eric@thesmallcompanyblog.com.  Also, for MUCH more information on ths topic than I could ever hope to provide, please visit Dr. John M. Taylor’s website MLM-The Truth!.

9 Signs You’re Involved in a Pyramid Scheme

Sign #1: You Receive No Salary AND No Benefits.
There are obviously many sales people in this world who work on 100% commission.  But real companies care enough about their employees to at least protect them with things like health insurance and retirement plans.  Offering an allegedly valuable person like yourself no salary AND no benefits is pyramid scheme code for “We really don’t give a crap about you.”

Sign #2: You Are Asked to Sell Things Which Are Readily Available at Any Discount Store. 
Vitamins, makeup, cleaning supplies, dietary supplements and food additives can ALL be purchased at any Wal Mart or Target.  Even if the ones you sell are ‘higher quality’ than the discount store brands (which is highly unlikely) do you really think you can compete with these places and their billion dollar marketing budgets?  The truth is, the people who run your Network Marketing business aren’t really expecting you to sell much of this stuff to anyone—except yourself.

Sign #3: You Pay for Your Own Training.
Real businesses invest in their employees by paying for courses and continuing development opportunities.  Pyramid schemes use training as a profit center, and charge their consultants hundreds of dollars to attend the same ‘training’ sessions over and over again. 

Sign #4: The Company Spends Time Explaining Why it is NOT a Pyramid Scheme.
People who run pyramid schemes know they’re illegal.  To convince potential victims like you to participate, they have no choice but to present a semi-convincing list of reasons why their business is legitimate.  My personal favorite is the one used by the Seriesse people, who claim that almost every business in the world is a pyramid scheme, simply because most organizational charts are shaped like a triangle.  I’m not sure the Federal Government agrees.

Sign #5: Meetings are Littered with Statements that Can’t Be Verified.
It startles me how effective Network Marketing shills are at convincing people of outrageous things with absolutely no supporting documentation—and how willing people are to believe them.  It’s motivating to think another consultant in your group lost everything, lived in her car, and turned her life around by making over a million dollars per year in network marketing.  But if she was lying, how would you know it?  You wouldn’t.

Sign #6: The Business is Endorsed by a Celebrity Who Never Shows Up at the Conferences.
Pyramid scheme operators love to lock in interested parties by name-dropping. “Did you know Donald Trump has a stake in this company?  Do you realize the man on stage is Sylvester Stallone’s wife’s brother?”  People who are easily star-struck find it almost impossible to think objectively about something when there is a celebrity involved . . . and operators are quick to take advantage of their instant boost in credibility.

Sign #7: You Receive More Compliments and Praise from People in the Network Than You Do from Your Family and Friends.
People who run pyramid schemes all have one thing in common: they actively recruit impressionable people with low self-esteem.  But the compliments and praise will only last as long as you continue to produce in the form of either new sales or new recruits.  Unless, of course, you keep paying for the training sessions.

Sign #8: The Group Alienates You from Your Support System.
Step 1 in the Setting up a Pyramid Scheme Handbook is to create an “us against them” attitude among new recruits.  Pyramid scheme operators know full well that at some point, a friend or family member of yours will express concern about what you are doing.  Therefore, much of your early ‘training’ will focus not on the products or the business itself, but on how relatives and friends are going to hold you back by being ”closed-minded” and “negative” about your new business.  If you find yourself in heated arguments with friends and family over your business decision, chances are you took the bait.

Sign #9: They Spend More Time Training You How to Recruit Than How to Sell Products.
Contrary to the Network Marketing-based claim that “all businesses are pyramid schemes,” there isn’t one legitimate company that requires new employees to immediately begin searching for five replacements for themselves.  But this is exactly what MLM companies do.  MLM owners know that the shelf life of a single recruit is less than a year, so the focus becomes building the network first, and selling the products later.  Worst-case, you and the people you recruit make the minimum investment in ’starter products,’ and the pyramid pulls in thousands of dollars without you ever making a legitimate sale.

Closing Thoughts

The fact is, if you’re serious about working for yourself, you do NOT  need these con artists to help you get started.  If selling things like makeup, cleaning supplies and dietary supplements is truly your passion, you can become a manufacturer’s representative for any number of an up-and-coming companies—with real training, interested customers, and no requirement to recruit others.  Here is an article that explains how to become a manufacturer’s representative.  And if you enjoy the job, you can even become a certified manufacturer’s rep and make a career of it.

Also, social bookmarks are blogger currency, so please Retweet, Digg or Stumble (handy buttons provided) if you liked this story.  Otherwise, a quick visit to one of our Google ad sponsors would be greatly appreciated as well.  Thank you!

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Joe’s book, What Every BODY is Saying ended up in my Amazon.com recommendations list a few months ago, and I ordered it because I had some upcoming air travel and thought it looked like an interesting read.  Little did I know how wrong I was . . . because this book turned out to be a GREAT read.  In the three or so hours I spent going through this book the first time, I learned more new things about communication than Dr. Phil pretends to know—things I literally started using at work the very next day.  And for the visual learners out there, Joe includes 90 extremely well-done photos and nearly 60 short, real-life case studies to illustrate his points.  I also loved the fact that Joe spends a great deal of time explaining WHY the brain makes our various body parts react the way they do. For example, Joe not only teaches us that massaging the neck is a sign of stress, but explains why the brain tells the hand to rub the neck when people are experiencing stress.

The only knock on this book, if I was forced to give one, is that it does a great job of prepping people to interpret body language, but provides little information in the way of using your own body language to influence others.  I am a habitual body language ‘thrower,’ and often use (or try to use) non-verbal communication to my advantage.  For example, if I’m sitting in a meeting and believe the organizer is purposely not involving me in the discussion, I will sometimes ‘force’ the speaker to acknowledge me by using my body language to disrupt the conversation.  But in fairness to the author, this is a completely different topic and easily justifies a second book.

In summary, in addition to the obvious value of its content, I recommend this book for the following reasons: 

1. It Has Lots of Pictures and Case Studies – 90 photos and nearly 60 real-life stories.
2. It’s a Quick Read – four hours for most people.
3. It’s Cheap – List price of $18.95, typically sells for less than $14 online.
4. Other People Like it Too -  as of the date of this post, the book was in the Top 200 in “All Books” on Amazon.com.

The ability to pick up on, interpret, and react to non-verbal communication (in my opinion) is one of those invaluable soft-skills that separates people who have sustained and long-term success in business from those who can never seem to get it right.  If you want to learn some real secrets of non-verbal communication from someone who would definitely know, I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

If you take my recommendation and end up buying the book, feel free to tell others what you think by replying to this post.

Also, social bookmarks are blogger currency, so please Retweet, Digg or Stumble (handy buttons provided) if you liked this story.  Otherwise, a quick visit to one of our Google ad sponsors would be greatly appreciated as well.  Thank you!

Other Articles by This Author:

• 5 Free Twitter Tools for the Busy Small Company Marketer
• 6 Blogging Lessons I Learned the Hard Way
• Real-World Benefits of Twitter for Small Companies: Part II
• 4 Reasons Your New Business Will Thrive in a Bad Economy
• Social Marketing Automation: Interview with the CEO of Buzzom