Ben Alexander

About the author: Ben Alexander is a New York playwright and the author of Jocelyn, a play about a young woman contestant on a reality-based TV show.

Reality TV is a dangerous mix of fantasy and reality. In fictionalized drama, real people do not get hurt, but in reality TV shows, despite the fantasy situations, participants—real people—can get hurt. What is worse, as viewers grow bored with the genre, the stakes will need to be raised. Reality TV participants will have to be put in increasingly greater physical and emotional peril in order for viewers to stay interested.

Two women meet. They come from sharply contrasting backgrounds, there's an age difference, and the setting isn't quite conducive to forming intimate bonds; still, they bond. They find themselves becoming...