Grim reality spawns reality TV.

• Position: Al Sharqiya - Brief Article

Laborers were busy hammering planks, Laying bricks, and pouring concrete. Al Sharqiya, an Iraqi TV network, had contracted them to rebuild the Baghdad home of Amal Ramzi Ismail, whose house was destroyed when U.S. troops blew up a munitions cache nearby. TV crews were taping an episode of Materials and Labor, a reality show inspired by ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It offers Baghdad residents the chance to have homes destroyed by the war rebuilt at no cost to them. Reality TV could turn out to be Iraq's most durable Western import. Since spring 2004, when Materials and Labor premiered, a constellation of reality shows has burst onto TV screens across Iraq. Al Sharqiya also broadcasts a show called Congratulations! which helps...