"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," a show featuring multiple Mormon mom influencers enduring a scandal, has caused discussions to erupt among reality television viewers.

Compared to other reality television shows, why has this particular one instantly started climbing the popularity ladder?

Creative advertising and advertising management junior Kelsey Pettengill said the popularity is in large part due to the unique concept of the show.

"I think it's just because it's focused around religion rather than just the real housewives, (which) is just generic," Pettengill said. "This is like a religion that everyone knows of, but there's not lots of TV shows around it that are like a comedy, kind of, form of entertainment."

Creative advertising senior Sydney Sims sees the influx of viewers a result of the traction it's gained on social media.

"I think that it started just because they were posting a lot on social media, and so then a lot of people were just seeing into their lives as not a lot of people, unless you're a Mormon yourself, really know what it's like to live that life, or the things that they do, or the rules that they live by," Sims said. "So I think that it started out as people just really were intrigued (by) who they were and what they did, and then, you know, they got their own show, (if I’m) remembering correctly."

Although the show is officially streamed through Hulu and Disney+, watchers have been sharing short clips of the show on social media apps, such as TikTok.

"I think they saw snippets of everything on like social media and stuff," Sims said. "So then, they were like, 'Oh, well, if I get to see the bigger picture of everything in the show, then might as well watch.' So I would say that's kind of like how it got popular."

Communication freshman Avery Gehres said the abundance of drama is a large draw as well. 

"All (of) the drama I feel like I've seen on Tiktok, a lot of people like ranking their favorite wives," Gehres said. "So I feel like it's like the characters, I guess, maybe the drama. That’s why I watch reality TV."

Similarly, Sims said the detached view of these dramatic events spark interactions amongst fans in an interesting way. 

"It's something where there's drama, there's not this kind of drama in your own life and everything," Sims said. "So might as well talk about other people's drama that's showcased on television, like the Kardashians or something like that. So it's kind of like in that kind of realm. Why it's like, gained so much popularity is because it's a look into somebody else's life that's super dramatized."

Additionally, Sims said that some individuals simply want to know and experience drama.

"I think that people just crave drama, lowkey, even if they say they don't, they really do," Sims said.

Pettengill said the show also appeals to viewers because of its rare angle on religion. 

"It's so different from other reality TV, and it kind of sparks like an argument about their religion, and if it even lines up accurately," Pettengill said. "Just the drama around it and the controversy, I think that just really sparks appeal." 

Although "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" has exploded in popularity, the entire genre of reality television is no stranger to fame. Gehres said this is due to the extreme amplification and dramatization of situations happening in reality television show episodes.

"I feel like they exaggerate a lot of the episodes and stuff, and just make it so intriguing," Gehres said. "People would watch it, because it's just, it seems so fake, but it's just so intriguing." 

Conversely, Pettengill said the popularity of reality television is because of the presence of mild drama that can be watched and evaluated with the viewer’s own judgment.

"I feel like it's one of those things where it's like, even though it is drama, it's not too intense," Pettengill said. "It's just easy to watch and put on in the background. They're saying stuff, but kind of saying nothing at the same time, and that's kind of the fun of it. Then they have the spurts of drama where you can form your own opinions around everything, and it's easy to just like talk about with people."

Sims said reality television is well-favored by viewers because it allows them to be a part of the exciting drama that exists outside of their lives, without having to endure the consequences of getting involved. 

"Sometimes day to day life can get kind of boring, and so you need a little something to just be like, 'Oh, like, she did that? What?'" Sims said. "It gives you something to gossip about that is not in your own life, and you're not really talking about people that you actually care about. So it feels a little bit more detached, but also still connected, because you had the opportunity to look inside of somebody's life into a more intimate way than you would with other people in your own life."

Although "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" is trending on streaming and social media platforms, the opinions surrounding the show differ from viewer to viewer.

Pettengill said that she has only seen the show through different clips on TikTok, but thinks that the religious content shown on the show isn’t entirely accurate.

"My friend is Mormon, and I feel like just what I've seen on TikTok, and on the web, just hasn't aligned with what I know about her and her family and their views of the religion" Pettengill said. "So just from a brief overview, I feel like it doesn't align that well to the religion, and it could be just kind of like a media headline trying to get people to watch it, rather than like focusing on the religion around it."

However, Pettengill said the concept of the show is still interesting to her and she hopes to learn more about it.

"I kind of just wanted to see what it was all about and get more of an understanding, because the media is (just) showing me the little clips," Pettengill said. "Those clips have intrigued me, and then I just want to, I don't know, just learn more."

Similarly, Sims said that although she hasn’t directly seen the show, but has heard about it, they feel as though the show can be generalized into the usual blueprint that reality television shows follow.

"I feel like when it comes to reality TV like that, it's almost like information that you get, but it's not information that you necessarily retain as super valuable information," Sims said. "It's drama at the end of the day."

Furthermore, Sims said that they personally don't watch a great deal of reality television, and don't plan on changing their opinion solely because of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives."

"I don't really watch a lot of reality TV because it feels like I would only watch it as background noise while I'm doing something that I would actually care about," Sims said. "I feel like personally, it just feels like a bit of a waste of time because of the way that media, things like Hulu, Netflix, Max, they love to just draw things out as long as possible and like to make it super overdramatized. But, you know, they like to draw things out as much as they possibly can to keep the viewers there and everything. That's why I kind of view it as a waste of time because it doesn't feel real, even though it's reality TV."

However, Sims said when they do want to know more about reality television shows, they prefer another way to consume the information, rather than watching the show themself.

"I don't really have a pull to watch it, and that's why I watched video essays of other people who have watched it, because it's like, 'Okay, I can still talk about it in an informed way, kind of, even if it is from another person's perspective on it, but it just gives me that little bit of information that I need to talk about it,'" Sims said. "Then I can go about my day without having to spend like six hours having to watch that entire thing."