Ever Wonder Why "Ridiculousness" Is On MTV So Much? Well, It's Probably Not The Reason You Think It Is

If you're of a certain age, then you totally know this old saying: "The only things that will be left after a nuclear holocaust are Cher and cockroaches."

But honestly, I think it's time we change the saying to: "The only things that will be left after a nuclear holocaust are Ridiculousness and cockroaches." Seriously, I feel that show has been on longer than MTV has been a network.

And if you haven't watched MTV in a while, just know that the show airs, well, A LOT.

The show airing so many times during the day has been a source of frustration for lots of people for MANY years. And it's also made people ask why MTV doesn't break up their content a bit more.

Well, it turns out there is actually a very good reason why MTV airs it so much! Recently, Vulture did an interview with Chris McCarthy, who is president & CEO of Paramount Media Networks — the parent company of MTV.

During the interview, Vulture's West Coast editor, Josef Adalian, asked Chris why Ridiculousness is on so much, especially considering that in the era of streaming, anybody could just binge-watch online or through an app.

Chris pointed out that basically Josef had answered his own question, saying, "The same people that ask you those questions, I’d ask them when was the last time they turned on the television and just leaned back and watched for hours on end?"

Adding, "If they did, they were going to one of their favorite channels that delivered them one type of show — one of the home shows they create on HGTV or the Housewives on Bravo." Which is a good point. If you think about it, you know someone who will put on Food Network, HGTV, or Bravo and just watch hours of a single show (maybe that's even you).

Chris also went on to say that the people who watch linear TV (meaning non-on-demand programming) tend to be older, and that because of that, they like their programming to be a certain way, saying, "They’re on linear because they don’t want it to change. And what they love more than anything on MTV is Ridiculousness."

He also revealed that Ridiculousness isn't even the biggest show on MTV. Shows like RuPaul's Drag Race, Jersey Shore, and The Challenge are actually watched more, but the audience for that programming tends to be about a decade younger and they're not coming to the channel anymore. In fact, they watch those shows either on-demand or through DVR.

While Ridiculousness might not be the biggest show on MTV, it does have something else going for it. As Chris puts it, the show has a huge appeal, saying, "Ridiculousness is one of these genius shows that is perfectly, scientifically designed to get older, younger, right, left — it brings them to their instant happy place. ... And that show just absolutely delivers for the audience that is left watching daytime television. That audience is a lot smaller."

So there you have, Rob Dyrdek is basically going to be employed for the next few decades, because it doesn't seem like MTV is getting rid of Ridiculousness any time soon.

You can read the entire interview here.