MTV's hit reality show NEXT has received a lot of criticism since it aired in May 2005 (IMDB), and it is not the intention of this essay to refute most of that criticism. As a reality television program, NEXT depicted material, superficial contestants judging other individuals primarily on the basis of appearance, and watching this superficial judgment was its primary appeal. Most critics' problem with the program was simply that NEXT was exactly what it tried to be: a comedic and even satirical depiction of inexperienced characters competing for dates and money. Maribeth Theroux's essay “The NEXT Plague: MTV's Sexual Objectification of Girls and Why it Must be Stopped,” however, further states that, as the title explains, NEXT commits the crime of objectifying young women (Silverman, 169). While Theroux's argument is not entirely without sound reasoning, he fails to understand how knowledge of the reality show genre as satire and entertainment changes what viewers receive from NEXT; in particular, how the conscious viewer understands and expects the frivolity of NEXT and knows not to take it seriously. primitive form for their great charm. James Steyer, author of “The Other Parent: The Inside Story of the Media's Effect on Our Children,” says of reality TV: “There's a premium on the lowest common denominator of human relationships. Often it is women who degrade themselves. I don't want my 9-year-old daughter to think this is how girls should behave,” (Poniewozik, 3). Theroux's argument is no different from Steyer's; both were writing... in the middle of the page... or parodying society's expectations of courtship, and any viewer who can find humor and pleasure in such a program can understand the difference between reality and reality TV.Works cited Silverman, Jonathan and Dean Rader. The World is a Text: Writing, Reading, and Thinking about Visual and Popular Culture. Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.List of episodes; NEXT (2005). The Internet Movie Database. Network. 26 Feb 2011.Poniewozik, James. “Television: Why Reality TV is Good for Us.” TIME magazine February 17, 2003. Web. March 1, 2011. Shmoop editorial team. "The importance of being serious." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., November 11, 2008. Web. March 2, 2011."Hell's Kitchen: Information." FOX. Fox Broadcasting Company, 2008. Web. February 28, 2011. “MTV's NEXT.” June 5, 2010. YouTube. 03 March 2011.