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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Trashy Reality Shows: A Media Menace or Guilty Pleasure Time Wasters?

by Chautona Havig · 4 Comments

Regaining Mercy releases today, so the Independence Islands authors are all chatting about reality TV of course. Find out why! via @chautonahavig

I never saw the first season of Survivor. It didn’t appeal to me, but something someone said about it made me curious after the season ended. So, when Season 2 came along, I watched it.  That was the one with church elder Rodger and sweet Elizabeth. It was fun, interesting, and I actually enjoyed most of what I watched.

Unfortunately, each season afterward got less and less interesting. Some in my family still watch it.  I don’t.  I’ve lost interest.

We watched The Amazing Race for several years, but like the Survivor, I just lost interest over time.

There was that first reality show we watched… Fire Me, Please. I don’t remember most of the episodes, but I do remember what I think was a mattress store and a girl finally lying down on the mattress intoning, “Boring, boring, everything is boring, boring, boring…”

Her employer just wouldn’t fire her. He was so sure she’d “get used to it” or whatever.

However, there was one show our entire family loved, and we’d all love to see return to airwaves near us!.

The Mole.

In that show, there were… oh, maybe thirteen contestants?  Twelve were legitimate contestants. One was a… shocker, I know… mole!  The game was played through tasks.  They started with a pot of ZERO and if everyone did their tasks, they could add money to the pot for the grand prize. The mole’s job was to sabotage the efforts.  So, if everyone had to bungee jump off a bridge, all the mole had to do was pretend to be afraid of heights, and no one would suspect him or her of sabotage. Or would they?

It was a HUGE bit of fun–so much that we actually bought the SEASONS (all 2 of ’em) on DVD to watch again down the road. We know who it is. And yes, we know who won.  We know everything.  But we still wanted them.  It was that fun!

Alas, Celebrity Mole was not nearly as fun.  Sigh.  But watching shows like that really does make people think. Or maybe it’s just me.  But I wonder…

Trashy Reality Shows: A Media Menace or Guilty Pleasure Time Wasters?

My opinion is yes.  To all of it.  Depending on the show.  Some are definitely media menaces (housewives of anything?  Seriously, the few clips I’ve seen don’t remind me of any housewife I’ve ever known). The Bachelor?  We saw a few at the beginning (research for Thirty Days Hath… and so forth).  It got old. Fast.  Trying again later… WOW! They went from sleazy to down-right trashy (in my opinion of what I saw, anyway!)

But reality TV goes beyond sensationalism of the scandalous type.  It fits all sorts of genres. The Great British Baking Show (I hope that’s the name), Extreme Home Makeover, Restaurant Impossible, or even X-Factor.  Some of these are fascinating shows.  There’s even one in England that was a one-off (because it HAD to be due to the kind of show.

Churchill’s Secret Agents is a show that uses actual spy training methods to put contestants through the paces to see which one might have the skills to make it back then.  Here’s a short clip:

So, no. I don’t think all reality TV is a time-waster or “media menace.” Like everything, how its used makes a huge difference.  Or, for Mindy Murray of Carolyn Miller’s Regaining Mercy, it might be a long shot at a better life.

Regaining Mercy Released yesterday!

And the authors of the Independence Islands are having so much fun sharing Mindy’s story with you. Seriously, her little boy… oh my word. It’s such a good book.  That’s one advantage to being the content editor for the series. I get to read it all!  YAY! Seriously, I have the BEST job in this whole thing.  Regaining Mercy

A mom ready to do anything for her son. A man determined to win the woman he loves.

Going on Love at First Glance had seemed like such a good idea. She didn’t care about finding Mr. Right. No, Mindy Murray chose the reality TV show for more mercenary reasons.  A mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do when it comes to feeding her son.

When Mindy returns to Elnora, the girl from the “wrong side of the island” just wants a chance to rebuild her reputation. Too bad the folks at church don’t practice what the preacher preaches.

Enter Dermott Reilly. The interim boss at Greener Gardens has always had a soft spot for Mindy and her son, but with his new responsibilities, an important garden competition, and a few other concerns, he finds it difficult to prove himself to her.

A tropical storm and a missing child prove that sometimes grace appears in the most unusual ways.

Regaining Mercy concludes the Elnora Island romances of the Independence Islands Series, featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

Time to Celebrate!

We have lots of release day fun for Regaining Mercy (like the giveaway below) so check out what reality TV the other authors in the series enjoy and get your entries in on their giveaways! EEEP!

Carolyn Miller (June 29)
Chautona Havig (June 30)
Melissa Wardwell (July 1)
Kari Trumbo (July 2)
Rachel Skatvold (July 3)
Tabitha Bouldin (July 4)
Sandy Barela- publisher (July 5)
Enter here:

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Comments

  1. Rebecca Pittman says

    June 30, 2021 at 8:38 am

    Chautona, Yahoo didn’t like your email title. Tried to convince me it was spam, although since you are on my contact list it graciously put it in my inbox–with a caution! Definitely an eye catcher! Regaining Mercy is already in my kindle waiting for me to read, right next to Penelope’s Pursuit. They both look interesting…Now I just need the time! Have a great day.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      July 1, 2021 at 5:00 pm

      That’s a hoot!!!

      Reply
  2. Flo says

    June 30, 2021 at 8:26 am

    Have you watched Alone on History Channel? THAT’S a really interesting one. Gets a little slow in the middle but it’s not a boring slow … just slow.

    Reply
  3. Cheryl Arcemont says

    June 30, 2021 at 5:56 am

    Such a fun giveaway! I must admit, I never was much into reality shows. I only watched Dancing With the Stars because my sister and her MIL were really into it. After I moved 4 hours away, I stopped watching except the finale to discuss with sister and her MIL. Since she has moved and MIL is in nursing home, I no longer am interested. Again, like you said of some of other reality shows, it got old. Not into celebrity drama. I would much rather watch a good mystery! Thank you for the chances of these awesome giveaways!

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 559: A Chat with Lisa Phillips
byChautona Havig

One of my favorite series is Lisa Phillips’ Brand of Justice. Listen in as we talk about the final book (Psst… it can be read as a stand alone) in this sixteen-book series!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

I’ve been holding out on finishing the series since I finished book three. IT’s time. So once we got done talking, I loaded up the next book on my phone and wheeeeeee! here we go!

Now Until Forever by Lisa Phillips

**The Epic Stand-alone Finale**

Born into a legacy, Eliana must find her own brand of justice.

After moving to Chicago to work at the mysterious Shrine museum, Eliana is determined to uncover the family secrets she’s never been told. When she stumbles upon her first ever dead body, everyone around her believes she should try and solve the murder. But taking cases isn’t what she came here for. Despite her plans, things are about to turn far more sinister, and the path she’s on seems determined to drag her back into a nightmare. Chicago PD Officer Carlos Ryson was born into a legacy of his own. He’s here to look for his missing sister, Luci, and wants to enlist Eliana’s help. This is a family problem, and only family working together can solve it. But Eliana has never forgotten the way Carlos shredded her heart. If he wants them to team up, he’ll have to confront the damage he did and find a way to repair it. While the city around them descends into a chaos that resembles the end times, someone has seized the opportunity to get what they want from the Shrine. Only Eliana stands in their way, but if she’s going to figure this out she’ll need to trust that the people around her have her back. Before it’s too late. Now Until Forever is the stand-alone finale to the Brand of Justice series, and is set in the near-future. It features a happily ever after romance mixed with high-stakes suspense in this gripping crime fiction story.

Don’t miss The Lazerus Protocol preorder, too1

Learn more on Lisa’s WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub.

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Episode 559: A Chat with Lisa Phillips
Episode 559: A Chat with Lisa Phillips
July 11, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 558: A Chat with Felicia Hurd
July 6, 2026
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Episode 557: A Chat with Laura DeNooyer
July 4, 2026
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Episode 556: A Chat with Sharon Wilharm
June 29, 2026
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Episode 555: A Chat with Jil Koller
June 27, 2026
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Episode 554: A Chat with Gloriaea
June 22, 2026
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Episode 553: A Chat with Chris Underwood
June 20, 2026
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Episode 552: A Chat with Laura Ashwood
June 17, 2026
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Episode 551: A Chat wth Kayla E. Green
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Episode 550: A Chat with Joan Lovestrand Farley
June 13, 2026
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It's her last Christmas with her favorite person i It's her last Christmas with her favorite person in the world. All he wants for Christmas? A second-chance romance between Joanie and Jesus... oh, and Geoff. Simple, right? But how do you tell a man like Uncle Bud it can't be done? You don't. You trust Jesus and get to work. The first book in the Independence Islands: The Book Barrow, Christmas on Breakers Point is available in print, Kindle (and Kindle Unlimited), and audiobook (listen free on YouTube. Search Christa DelSorbo). https://amzn.to/3ReBgrr #affiliatelink
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