As the standard network television season comes to an end, we’re now faced with summer programs that are either there to fill time or gauge interest. It’s also the season for introducing low budget ideas, like reality shows.

Reality shows are the bane of Hollywood writers’ and critics’ existence. Networks like them because they cost nearly nothing to produce (think about it, they don’t have to even pay SAG day wages). The most important players in a reality show aren’t the hosts and it certainly isn’t any of the contestants, but rather the editor and the show runner. They are the people who craft the “story line” of even the silliest concepts, shaping the perception of the participants for maximum impact on viewers at home.

Hollywood producers are nothing if not frugal with their own money, so when these low-cost shows started pulling in huge advertising dollars, the reality show craze was born. Some long-time favorites began as summer programs, including “Survivor” and “American Idol.”