Here’s the truth: 90%+ of reality is boring. That’s why we have scripted shows and (in recent decades) “reality TV,” because we like the idea of seeing only the interesting bits without slogging through things like characters spending hours asleep or taking a shit. If you actually offered people the chance to see their favorite “reality TV” shows in real time, the initial burst of interest would almost immediately taper off into whining that it’s “boring” and “dull.”

Who would want to tune into Hell’s Kitchen and spend hours watching the losers in that day’s challenge doing prep work like cutting veggies or butchering meat?

Or Survivor where the majority of the night scenes involve little light and a whole lot of silence?

And would The Apprentice be as interesting if we had to sit through hours of contestants doing grunt work or filling out paperwork?

I’m sure that House Dems could have made today’s proceedings shocking and dazzling to viewers if they could do it all behind closed doors, then release an hour long program where only the most “exciting” bits were spliced together as though it was the entirety of the hearing.