reality blurred + archives + February 25 to March 3, 2001

Sunday, Feb. 25, 2001

"reality shows have 'flexible' rules."
"reality shows have 'flexible' rules." The Toldeo Blade examines mid-stream rule-changing in certain reality TV shows. Is it unexcusable "manipulation" to "change the rules" in...
Popstars reject is "not unhappy" about not being included.
Popstars reject is "not unhappy" about not being included. Although she made it to the finals on Popstars, Shaunda Johnston is actually okay with the...

it's reality TV week on Live with Regis and Kelly.
it's reality TV week on Live with Regis and Kelly. Daytime talk TV's newest couple (well, half of the couple is new) focuses on reality...
columnist: The Mole is "far more seductive" than Survivor.
columnist: The Mole is "far more seductive" than Survivor. Praise for ABC's The Mole continues to pop up as the show approaches its two-part finale...
new film is "Survivor with murder."
new film is "Survivor with murder." No, it's not this week's episode of Survivor, but the indie film Series 7. The film, which opened...
Tubescan publishes photos of new Real World house in New York City.
Tubescan publishes photos of new Real World house in New York City. The web site Tubescan has published four nighttime photographs of the house that...

Kimmi on Howard Stern: I wasn't a stripper; I won't take my top off.
Kimmi on Howard Stern: I wasn't a stripper; I won't take my top off. Survivor's latest tribe member to be booted is doing the media...
who gets injured? no one knows.
who gets injured? no one knows. (Warning: links contain possible spoilers, but mostly just contain speculation and examples of the media tripping on itself.)...
Josh, Jerri, and Dirk are on Blind Date.
Josh, Jerri, and Dirk are on Blind Date. Tonight's episode of the show that follows two people on a blind date features Josh from Big...
Mole finale begins tonight.
Mole finale begins tonight. One final challenge will give Kathryn, Jim and Steve the opportunity to figure out which one of them is traitor on...

Scream Test debuts in Australia.
Scream Test debuts in Australia. A combination of Fear and Survivor, Scream Test follows 20 contestants over "seven nights of frights" in "six haunted locations."...
EW's critic changes his mind about The Mole, "TV's classiest reality show."
EW's critic changes his mind about The Mole, "TV's classiest reality show." Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker "eat[s] a small plate of crow" for his original...
NBC: uh, yeah, we want to, like, get into that, you know, reality thing.
NBC: uh, yeah, we want to, like, get into that, you know, reality thing. Jeff Zucker, president of NBC entertainment, said, and I quote, because...
possible spoiler: merged tribe name discovered?
possible spoiler: merged tribe name discovered? 3BigShows.com may have unearthed the name of the new merged tribe. Based upon the description of a commercial tour...
the reality TV trifecta: the mole is finally revealed, Temptation ends, and Law & Order kills a reality TV star.
the reality TV trifecta: the mole is finally revealed, Temptation ends, and Law & Order kills a reality TV star. Last night's episode was all...

having trouble surviving your temptation? this book wants to help.
having trouble surviving your temptation? this book wants to help. A new book that bills itself as "[t]he first book to respond to the highly...
Rich thinks Greg is a "hottie" and Colby "is dripping with heat."
Rich thinks Greg is a "hottie" and Colby "is dripping with heat." Rich doesn't hold back as he tells TV Guide which cast members of...
doctoral thesis on reality
doctoral thesis on reality TV reveals why the genre is so popular now. For Mark Andrejevic's doctoral thesis for the University of Colorado at Boulder's...
Kathryn is the mole; Steven wins.
Kathryn is the mole; Steven wins. In a stunning finale, Chicago law school lecturer Kathryn was revealed to be The Mole, and highly suspicious undercover...
despite temptation, all three couples stay together; one gets engaged.
despite temptation, all three couples stay together; one gets engaged. On the finale of FOX's Temptation Island, the couples had teary reunions, but ultimately decided...

"Series 7 is a painstaking, often brilliantly executed imitation of unwatchable crap."
"Series 7 is a painstaking, often brilliantly executed imitation of unwatchable crap." Salon.com's Andrew O'Hehir reviews Series 7: The Contenders and says that the movie...
Jeff Probst files for divorce.
Jeff Probst files for divorce. Please, no jokes about him voting his wife off his island....
Mandy rejects offers from both Playboy and record company.
Mandy rejects offers from both Playboy and record company. Mandy Lauderdale has left Temptation Island, where she chose to stay with her boyfriend Billy, and...
The Mole, Temptation Island pull big ratings wins for their networks.
The Mole, Temptation Island pull big ratings wins for their networks. The Mole's ratings were the series' highest ever, boosting ABC's sweeps ratings to let...
Temptation Island will return.
Temptation Island will return. And there was much rejoicing. Right?...
Rich's suit against R.I. dismissed.
Rich's suit against R.I. dismissed. Citing a lack of evidence that a state "agency violated his rights and damaged his relationship with" his son, a...
Michael burns his hands and leaves; tribes will merge with equal numbers.
Michael burns his hands and leaves; tribes will merge with equal numbers. The dramatic accident that has been the source of speculation for days wasn't...