I generally find reality programming repulsive. I have a few friends who will watch any reality series Fox produces and even went so far as to watch the especially tawdry Paradise Hotel. But for the most part, I find reality programming manipulative and intrusive. I don't wish to be a party to exploiting others' pain. And when you get right down to it, I find most of the programming to be downright boring. I often feel like I'm in the minority, though, and have had to bow out of many a water cooler conversation because I just didn't know a thing about last night's tribal council or American Idol vote.

There are a few exceptions to my typical avoidance of reality programming, though. Years ago, long before the all-pervasiveness of today's reality television, I would occasionally catch MTV's Real World. They showed enough weekend marathons of the show that it was sometimes hard to avoid, and I kept watching past my initial trepidation. It was really a pioneering program in voyeuristic viewing. I distinctly remember the San Francisco season when Puck proved so annoying that he was voted out of the house. The season I watched the most was London, and I later heard it described as the least interesting season ever, but I found the international cast and locale intriguing. And of course, once the Real World was over, you could always catch former cast members on a Real World/Road Rules challenge where you could see them performing thrilling physical challenges and other stunts.

More recently, I never miss the opening episodes of American Idol. Once the season gets into full swing with the final roster of competitors, then I lose interest. I just don't care to hear twelve people sing Barry Manilow songs in one night. I also hate the producers' way of dragging out each week's singing and decision making as much as possible. It's genius television production, but highly annoying to have to sit through one more commercial break before you find out who the last contestant voted off was. But for the first few weeks, I wouldn't miss a minute of the singing and dancing and the judges' commentary. Especially the judges' commentary, let by the caustic observations of Simon Cowell, of course.

Another reality program I actually enjoyed was the first season of The Apprentice. I haven't followed it much lately, but I appreciated the complex tasks the groups were asked to perform and the way those tasks brought out the dynamics of the group. And who can forget the drama of the boardroom? I was hooked.

The most recent reality program that has caught my attention is Hell's Kitchen. It's amazing to me how poorly the contestants are performing and the head chef's no-nonsense attitude leads to lots of drama. I also think the construct of the new restaurant makes for an interesting test since there are real customers there to pass judgment on the contestants' efforts.

So if you're like me and proclaim to hate reality shows, never say never because you just might find an addictive new show the next time you turn on the TV.