‘This One’s for You Tonight’

I had a lazy Sunday and caught up on “Vanderpump Rules,” one of the few reality shows I watch with any regularity. Now in its sixth season, the show is a “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” spinoff that follows the lives of the servers at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant/lounge SUR.

It’s chaos. I’m amazed that anything gets done at SUR with all the screaming fights, back alley breakdowns, cigarette breaks, staff suspensions and storm offs. This many years in, I’m not sure how many members of the cast actually work at SUR when the cameras aren’t rolling, but when they are on the clock, everyone brings the drama.

The cast member I’m considering tonight doesn’t work at SUR, though. He tried once, but the “pressure” got to him and he walked out just minutes into his first expo shift. Tom Schwartz is a part-time model and husband of SUR server, and recent Queen Bee, Katie. Up until last season, a major plot driver was whether Tom and Katie would get married or not. The couple said their I-Do’s last season and we opened this season with the two as blissful newlyweds.

Well, maybe not that blissful. As a somewhat ardent viewer, I’ve watched members of the cast grow or atrophy over the years. These last few years have not been that kind to Tom, at least from the vantage point of my couch. I always thought he was a little too twitchy and fidgety. I wondered at his inability to commit to a job or his girlfriend. As part of cast that seemingly can’t go an hour without doing shots, Tom felt the most troubled when it came to drinking.

This season, with his best defense against cheating rumors being that he was black-out drunk and couldn’t remember his actions, that feeling has deepened. Maybe this guy has a real problem. If he does, as costar on a show where his fellow castmates fill sunscreen bottles with liquor so they can drink openly on the beach, what chance would he have to get help?

I understand the limitations of the reality in “reality” shows. I know editing is involved. I know there are storylines to serve. I also believe, though, that the producers work with what they’re given. It’s totally possible that Tom (and the rest of the VPR cast) had a slightly crazy summer, and that’s what ended up on the show, but then manages to live his life in a balanced way most of the time.

But what if it isn’t editing? What is our responsibility as viewers, as human beings, when we see someone in trouble? Is it enough to hope for the best or should we, despite being total strangers, reach out?