I realized something last weekend.

We as college-aged Americans are no longer specific or personal enough when it comes to introductions.

We don’t know who the people we’re being introduced to really are.

For example, while at a party a few Saturdays ago, I noticed a young sir introduce a girl he was with as his “friend” Tiffany.

Tiffany shot a gaze so fiery at him I thought he was going to fall over and burn in a hellish inferno.

I gathered from this exchange that this guy, “Bob,” and “Tiffany” had quite a history, and she was less than pleased at his nomenclature for her as a friend.

Wouldn’t it be easier if we could just introduce our family and friends as they are, without having to later explain to someone their true identity?

So many parties are fraught with awkward introductions, and people barely know boundaries anymore.

Does girlfriend mean someone you’re in a relationship with? Or is it a cover-up for someone you’ve made out with once or twice? I’m imagining a world where someone could walk up and be told, “Hey, this is my guy friend Josh. We’ve made out a few times when we’re drunk, but I won’t really care if you hit on him. I’ll find somebody else.”

Or even, “Hi, this is my girlfriend Stacy. But she cheats on me a lot, so I’m ready and willing hook up with you.”

And honestly, it doesn’t even have to apply to dating/hooking up people.

For example, when bringing a new boy over to the house, introduce your roommate with a “Hey, this is Susan. Try not to be out in the living room before 10 a.m., because she tends to sleep naked on the couch.”

Or, “This is my incredibly nosy roommate Dave. Don’t tell him anything personal about yourself, or he’ll pick you to death with questions.”

And best friends—we all have them – but a lot of us have ones that take a little getting used to. “This is Roxy, my best friend. Um, try not to make any jokes about her appearance, no matter how untrue they are. You WILL be dealing with rage and sobbing if you do.”

And family—that could be the best. “Hey mom, this is my fiancé Kyle. Kyle, this is my crazy, overzealous mother who possibly ruined my childhood with a little too much alcohol. She also listens to too much country music.”

People would know right off the bat what to talk about, what topics to avoid, and how to behave around the people they’re being introduced to.

Our world would be much better off if we could just tell the truth, from the moment we say hello.

In a world of fake reality television, the truth is still easy to find. With has-been and no-brain celebrities taking up most of the spots, Biography Channel’s I Survived…, with its real people and candor, leads the way of compelling reality television.

Like any good story, I Survived… does not mess around with complicated gimmicks. The show is mostly comprised of just the survivor, set against a black background, retelling his or her story. There is the occasional vague piece of scenery to help establish the setting, and the stories are set up using plain white narrative text, but mostly the show is an hour of raw humanity.

The stories are incredible, topped only by the survivors themselves. There is the woman who, while driving down the highway, was shot by a stranger. After watching the man shoot and kill her younger cousin, the woman gets the man to believe he actually helped her from the shooter and gets him to call an ambulance.

There is the elderly couple, attacked my a mountain lion while out for a walk. While the cat has the man’s head in its jaws, he pokes at its eyes and she beats it with large branches. Despite losing a large piece of scalp, the man survives.

There are the two young men who get lost at sea without food or water for seven days. After contemplating eating their own fingers and using a fishing tool to carve farewells into the boat, the boys are rescued.

Those are just a few of the stories. The program, with originals airing each Sunday, usually features some kind of accident and some form of crime. The accidents would be boring if not for the extreme conditions endured by the survivors. The crimes offer both the best and the worst sides of humanity.

Unlike many so-called reality shows that feature washed-up celebrities, or regular people trying to become washed-up celebrities, in scripted dramas that in no way model reality, I Survived… is as real as it gets. These are normal people that never asked for trouble but, once it found them, managed to get away and share their stories.

Watch it for inspiration, but beware: in the real world, not everyone survives. Several stories involve the deaths of those less fortunate than the storyteller.

I Survived… is a unique kind of show in that people do die, and details are not held back for the sake of the viewer. It also sets itself apart from other reality shows for another reason: it’s actually worth watching.