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I didn’t realize how bad TV programs had become until my DVD player broke.

Normally, I watch my own selection of TV series and movies on DVD, and hardly waste my time on anything else, except for the news. But because I was too lazy to get the DVD player fixed, I found myself zapping through the channels. Indonesian TV mostly screens sinetrons with a lot of drama, crying, yelling and ridiculously over-the-top storylines. It’s sad.

What’s even sadder is the abundance of reality TV shows that seem to have infected almost every channel. But then again, if nobody watched these shows, they would, sooner or later, vanish.

I guess there are several reasons why so many people seem to be addicted to these kind of shows. They get to satisfy their voyeuristic urges by having full insight into the lives of others. The audience gets a strange feeling of satisfaction when realizing that their own lives may be messy, but they are certainly not as bad as the ones on screen. And if the reality shows let them take a glimpse into the lives of someone famous, even better. The thirst for news about celebrities and details on how they lead their lives seems insatiable.

But honestly, I never could get through a full episode of Channel E!’s “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” because it is so mind-blowingly shallow. I also wasn’t interested in Ozzy Osbourne’s methods for raising a bunch of spoiled brats. (In fact, his eldest daughter, Aimee, refused to be a part of the MTV show “The Osbournes,” and I salute her for her decision.)

Often I wonder why, oh why, are there people who happily agree to be exposed on TV and judged by the world?

Maybe they simply need to fulfill their hunger for five minutes of fame, even though fame is a fleeting star in this context. (Do you remember the name of the first woman who won “America’s Next Top Model”? Exactly). It seems that some people will do whatever it takes just to be on TV once in their life.

Of course, they will probably also receive a nice paycheck for their “work” on the show, and maybe even get an extra bonus for being a jerk or drama queen.

But again I have to wonder, why on earth do celebrities agree to let a camera crew into their homes and their lives, and allow the public to invade their privacy?

I always thought that if you were already a star, you would shy away from having your private life not just exposed, but examined at length. It turns out that I was wrong. I guess there are more gold diggers and fame whores in this world than I thought.

But I’m not completely immune to the reality genre. I have a soft spot for competitive cooking shows, and yes, I admit, “American Idol.”

While everybody was worried that viewer ratings would plunge after the departure of the King of Nasty, Simon Cowell, the new panel of “American Idol” judges ­— Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, and, of course, Randy Jackson, who has been there since Season One — has actually attracted more viewers, including me.

“American Idol” has gone soft, people have said, and I completely agree. But that is exactly why I enjoy watching it now more than before. Sure, Cowell had his funny moments, but more often than not, his comments were plain cruel.

Lopez, Tyler and Jackson understand how to give constructive criticism with a bit more subtlety than a sledgehammer. They don’t seem to revel in taking somebody down on national TV, or enjoy the public humiliation of another person.

The same goes for “Junior MasterChef Australia.” There is something very adorable about these little kids eagerly working their way around the cooking station. And boy, they come up with dishes I could never dream of making.

The judges mainly praise the children for their efforts and underline their strengths instead of focusing on their weaknesses, and the criticism is given in the form of friendly advice.

The “MasterChef” version for grown-ups is equally likable, at least the Australian one. Here, the main focus is on the cooking, and isn’t that what a show called “MasterChef” should be all about? But that’s not the case with the US “MasterChef” series. It had me rolling my eyes many times, since it involves the judges cursing and yelling a lot (Gordon Ramsay will have trouble with his vocal chords later in life, if he keeps up the volume), as well as many low blows (Joe Bastianich throwing plates into the trash can is not an uncommon sight).

Is that really necessary? Isn’t there any other way to convey to the amateur chefs that their dishes were not as tasty as the judges had hoped for?

The way I see it, there’s already way too much drama, public humiliation and disgrace on TV, and I for one am tired of it. I will definitely get a new DVD player as soon as I can.

Katrin Figge is deputy features editor at the Jakarta Globe.