Admit it, you got lost on “Temptation Island” and voted along with the cast of “Survivor.” You can’t miss an episode of “The Osbourne Family” and were glued to your television to see what would happen when the money-grubbing girls figured out “Joe Millionaire” was full of it.

Congratulations, you, along with most of the television-viewing nation, are obsessed with reality television.

Reality programming has been bringing in high ratings and high advertising dollars for several years now, but the reality television orgy wasn’t started on an island with a popularity vote, it began more than fifty years ago with the classic practical jokes on normal folks’ show “Candid Camera.”

But today’s reality television players become rich and famous in their own right after being on a reality show. Their 15 minutes are stretched out when they are turned into instant celebrities, millionaires or talk-show frequents.