An Education in Reality

hink you can't learn anything from reality TV? Think again.

PBS comes to the rescue with two reality shows that teach more of a lesson than competing for immunity.

First came the popular 1900 House, filmed in Britain by the BBC in 1999. A modern family of six, the Bowlers, were uprooted from modern comforts and thrown into the world of Victorian England--complete with a house stripped of any modern comforts, even a toilet. Despite the educational objectives, the producers, surprisingly enough, managed to keep it fun.

During their several month stay in the house, the family continued to shop in modern stores, so the opportunity to cheat and buy goods not available in 1900 was always looming. After weeks of washing their hair with lye, they cracked and bought a bottle of 1999 shampoo at a convenience store. After one washing, guilt came ashore and they tossed the rest of the bottle.

More recently, PBS decided to undertake the creation of its own reality show with many of the same producers from 1900 House. Frontier House was filmed during the summer and fall of 2001 in the "Montana Territory."

For the first time since childhood, the PBS devotion to education was actually entertaining, complete with funny asides and plenty of arguments.

Quickly, controversy arose between two of the three families--the Clunes and the Glenns--who often spiced up the show by fighting over which family was following the pioneer spirit more closely. The Glenns argued that the Clunes' bartering with 21st century neighbors and bringing in a then-illegal distiller to make moonshine wasn't in the spirit of the project. The Clunes countered that any pioneer would take advantage of opportunities presented to him--legal or not.

Despite all the bickering, each of the participants did learn from the experience--whether it was how to build a cabin, distill liquor from choke cherries, sautee rattlesnake or milk cows. And, like on their commercial network cousins, each tritely vowed not to take the trappings of modern life for granted.