Drawing the line

I've been posting items and ratings for Killer Karaoke. Most media stories, though, call it (dreaded term) "reality TV" and not a game show.

But most everybody calls Beat the Clock and Minute To Win It game shows. So I think Killer Karaoke qualifies for the beloved title. It's just another studio stunt show, though the stunts are really gross.

The line between reality TV and traditional game shows can be notoriously hard to draw. Even hardcore reality like Survivor often looks like a protracted game show dragged out of the studio and into some godforsaken corner of the planet. And some wild-eyed fanatic might think Jeopardy isn't a game show because Alex's contestant interviews get too reality-ish.

But what the hey, I reluctantly covered Fear Factor on this blog. Killer Karaoke is more of a traditional game show than the Joe Rogan things-go-boom epic. I've also covered chess and poker shows, though the purists would flay me for calling them game shows. So Killer Karaoke is here to stay, even if I'm not overly fond of the grubby stunts.