Monday 25 July 2010, I don’t feel the need to rush home.

While I happily sit here and comment, people like Fitzy have their own radio show, Sophie Monk has hit Hollywood and Callum gets to work with George Calombaris.

It’s over.

What am I to do?

What did I do before?

I feel lost.

Work is over and I have nothing to go home to.

Sure I’ll try a new recipe, I’ll experiment in the kitchen thanks to my new friends George, Matt and Gary.

My friends that I’ve been on this amazing journey with for over a month.

Now it’s over.

And all I am left with are memories.

Like Jimmy the curry king, I have found myself surrounded by Greek food and sure I can make yemista, and I dabble in Moussaka, thanks to the Hellenic Republic cookbook and a Melbourne chef who brought Greek cuisine to the masses.

But what has reality tv really given us?

Apart from separation anxiety and lonely nights.

April 2009 there was something wrong with this picture.

May came and still this empty feeling that by June I was a shadow of my former self.

And then it hit me, like a tonne of false bricks at the Dreamworld compound.

It was the first time in eight years, I hadn’t watched 14 complete strangers interact and bond, and argue and vote each other off.

It was my first year without Big Brother and I was beside myself.

The past eight years of my life I had been discussing which personality I bonded with, which housemate was my favourite, who made me laugh, who made me cry and let’s face it, who made me cringe.

The housemates were not only a conversation starter but the phrase ‘it’s time to go’ was steeped in our vernacular.

When did we become a society so enthralled with watching before our eyes human behaviours that we could identify with?

Were we so tired of current affairs and watching war and hunger, that we’ve become so detached and almost complacent, that this new form of human frailty became entertainmen?

The question is, is it escapism; or low-brow entertainment; or are viewers of reality tv ignorant?

I’ve been criticised by many for being a lover of this new form of entertainment that’s taken over a decade of my life.

Since its inception, I have dedicated many viewing hours to sitting in with Masterchef, The Farmer Wants a Wife or Big Brother and I for one am not ashamed.

For anyone that can remember Paradise Hotel will understand how incredibly entertaining watching grown adults carry on like koalas can be.

But credit where credit is due, to someone who is willing to put themselves out there for a prize.

They know the score, they know what reality tv holds and fortunately for some it means a lucrative career.

So while I happily sit here and comment, people like Fitzy have their own radio show, Sophie Monk has hit Hollywood and Callum gets to work with George Calombaris.

So kudos to the people that have the guts to air who they are and what makes them tick night after night for us to watch.

I say they deserve the riches that they get.

And till then, there’s always next year to show off my culinary skills.

Wish me luck!