Reality shows have invaded our homes. They are everywhere. If it’s not “American Idol” then it’s “Joe Millionaire.” I’m not an authority on reality shows. In fact, I’m anti-television, but from the limited contact I have had with these shows I feel their popularity needs to be examined.

Simply stated, these shows suck! They don’t just sort of suck or are kind of bad, they make my head hurt and my eyes want to bleed. I am sure if there was some scientific way to prove it, watching “American Idol” lowers my IQ. It’s not just that the shows themselves are bad, it’s the people in them. These people are some of the most depressing people I have ever seen in my life. They make it seem that if they don’t win the million dollars, get the record deal or catch the guy, their lives will be over. The truth is that they’re scared stiff that they’ll have to go back to their old boring lives, to bartending or waitressing or working on construction.

I blame the “Survivor” shows. They were the first ones to mass market this reality junk. At first, “Survivor” was a novelty, perhaps even a bit entertaining. The madness must stop. It has spawned “The Bachelor,” “Bachelorette,” “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” “The Mole,” Fear Factor,” “The Anna Nicole Smith Show” and so forth.

Take “The Osbournes” This show is insane, literally. You have no idea what is going on, Ozzy doesn’t make any sense. It’s amazing that the original sitcom was such a smash hit.

I believe that the recent wave of reality television shows marks a new low in television programming. No longer do we read books and have intelligent conversations. We now read TV Guide and discuss who ate what last night on “Fear Factor.” The state of American pop culture is truly sad. We have sunk to the lowest common denominator and it’s on our TV.