Have someone dunk their head in cow’s blood once for a small prize, and it’s a ratings bonanza. Have someone dunk their head in cow’s blood twice, and no one cares.

Apparently that’s the predicament networks are in: Reality TV is boring. There’s no shock factor any more—the people have been shocked enough already.

Breaking from its usual list format, Forbes argues that reality TV is so last season:

The genre … has long been reliant on controversy to draw in viewers. Whether it's gross-out gimmickry (NBC's Fear Factor) or make-over sensationalism (Fox's The Swan), the fare has set out to garner publicity and a subsequent viewer base. But if recent history is any indication, the strategy may be fading as a tool for grabbing eyeballs.

Sure, the you-can’t-do–that-on-television aspect of reality TV has an appeal. But ultimately, reality TV is about looking into the lives of others.

The 42 year-old Up series has perhaps the most boring premise ever: a bunch of English people talking about their lives every seven years. But each installment is more popular than the last because of the rush of seeing strangers grow up in front of the camera. If anything, the gross out factor of some shows gets in the way of reality TV’s true appeal: voyeurism. And the depravity of human nature will never jump the shark.