Reality television has taught us how little some celebrities know. Whether it's Jessica Simpson's surprise to find out that buffalo wings don't come from buffaloes or that Anna Nicole Smith is oblivious to just about everything around her, last night's premiere of The Simple Life provided another nugget of star-studded ignorance.
Yes, folks, there is someone out there who has never heard of Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT).
"What is Wal-Mart," asks overexposed socialite Paris Hilton as her friend Nicole Richie and the show's Arkansas farm family are talking about the world's leading retailer. "It's, like, they sell wall stuff?"
Great! Now we have another piece of videotape that Paris will eventually want destroyed.
As a Hilton Hotels (NYSE:HLT) heiress, we can understand her family's opulent ways and why she may have never stepped inside a Wal-Mart. This time of year, it's probably not a bad idea to follow suit just to avoid the massive crowds.
But shouldn't she be at least partly aware of Sam Walton's rich legacy? Five members of the Walton clan are regulars on the Forbes' list of wealthiest individuals, each with well over $10 billion in net worth to their name.
I can only fathom the other morsels of know-nothingisms that await. What is McDonald's (NYSE:MCD)? It's like they sell Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) computer stuff? What is Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)? Is that one of daddy's hotel chains?
You've got to love reality television. Whether it's lovelorn contestants being duped by a bogus millionaire or conniving castaways looking to outplay, outwit, and outlast their fellow islanders, the end result is the same: We come away feeling so much better about ourselves.
So did you watch The Simple Life last night? Watching any other reality shows this season? Whatever became of scripted content programming? All this and more -- in theReality Televisiondiscussion board. Only on Fool.com.
