My dirty little secret - I watch reality TV

I used to think I didn't like reality TV shows. I never got into "Survivor," "The Amazing Race," or "American Idol." Even now when people talk about who got voted off, I just kinda shrug and go, huh? I might be the only person in the country who hasn't seen at least one episode of the singing sensation.

The idea of "reality" TV is nothing new. Back in 1973, PBS aired a show called "An American Family." I watched parts of it in a media class in college. Even with the cameras on, the family members eventually became unaware of them, and what transpired was a surprise. The husband and wife ended up separating, and one son came out of the closet. It was the precursor to shows such as "Big Brother" and "MTV's The Real World," where viewers hope for the worst to come out.

So for a very long time in the evolution of reality TV, I stayed out of it. But in the last few years, the number of competition shows I watched has slowly creeped up. And I just realized today that most of them involve one of two things - dancing or cooking.

The first show to hook me was "So You Think You Can Dance." I watched an audition show while visiting a friend in Indiana. Later that summer, I started recording it on Tivo in my room. I'd watch it alone before bed. I started season two in the middle, the year Benji won the top honors. Watching the show was a little bit like my dirty little secret. No one knew about it because I knew my sister would poke fun at me. I watched the third season only in my room, as well, rooting for winner Sabra the whole time. I skipped the audition part of the season, fast-forwarded through the slow dance numbers and the musical guests, and watched just the dancers I liked.

I think I got into the show because I am such a klutz, I was astonished by the way the dancers were able to move.

For season four, I'd moved to a new place and no longer had a Tivo set up in my bedroom. I had to confess to my secret addiction so that I could tape the show in the living room. To my surprise, my sister and my mother were hooked with me within weeks. It probably helped that the show last season had dancers full of personality -Twitch, Kherington, Chelsie, Katee, Joshua and Mark.

Season five will end next week, and the final four were announced last night. It is a little anti-climatic this season as the two people I was rooting for have already been voted off - Jason and Janette. The dancers this season may be more talented than in past years - according to the judges - but their personalities have not come out as much.

With season six auditions under way now for a fall season, I hold out hope that the judges will pick the right bit of talent and personality for the next top 20.

As for cooking shows, "The Next Food Network Star" finale ends August 2; "Top Chef Masters" will air its second top six elimination on Bravo; and there are always plenty of episodes of "Chopped" and "Food Network Challenge" to fill in the space in between.