reality blurred + archives + December 11 to December 17, 2005

week of December 11, 2005

Winter 2005/2006 reality show schedule
It's winter: time for presents, resolutions, the Olympics (in February), and American Idol. Surprisingly enough, the other networks aren't running away from FOX's two-ton reality...
Survivor returns to Panama with an "exile island"
As reality blurred reported exclusively in November, Survivor will yet again head back to Panama when the series returns in the spring. The 12th season...
Jay McCarroll turned down Project Runway's $100,000 prize and mentorship
The winner of Project Runway's first season didn't get much after winning the show except for exposure on TV and in Elle. That's because Jay...
Danni Boatwright wins Survivor Guatemala
Danni Boatwright won Survivor Guatemala last night, beating Stephenie LaGrossa, whose second appearance on the show was far more lucrative than her first appearance. Steph...
Jessica considering another reality series
Fresh off of her protracted break-up with Nick Lachey, Jessica Simpson is reportedly considering letting cameras follow her as she picks up the pieces and...
CBS planning show set at New York prep school
CBS is following in its Viacom cousin's footsteps with a Laguna Beach-style show that will be set at a New York prep school. New York...

Flava Flav's will star in yet another VH1 series, his own Bachelor-type show Flavor of Love
Flava Flav's Surreal Life 3 has led to yet another reality series. He already starred in a spin-off, Strange Love, in which he and Brigitte...
Amazing Race 8 concludes tonight (yay!)
Thank you, Jesus, for tonight, The Amazing Race 8 concludes starting at 9 p.m. ET. The two-hour finale will be followed by a six-minute competition...
Survivor Guatemala finale is the highest-rated finale since All-Stars
The finale of Survivor Guatemala was watched by 21.3 million viewers, "the best score for a 'Survivor' finale since the show's eighth edition, 'All-Stars,' wrapped...
Survivor, Amazing Race casting director says there are only "slim pickings" despite high number of applications
Casting popular reality shows is increasingly difficult. Lynne Spillman, who has cast every season of both Survivor and The Amazing Race, says that there really...
Ashley Parker Angel's MTV series There and Back debuts in January
Flipping the channels, I landed on MTV, where a homeless guy with moppy dirty blonde hair was standing on a street corner, strumming a guitar...
Biggest Loser's Matt and Suzy are dating
The Biggest Loser 2 gave its contestants new, more slender lives, and now it's given two of the competitors romance. Winner Matt Hoover and Suzy...

Jackson family shopping yet another series
After apparently getting nowhere with their pitch for a reality show that would follow the Jacksons as they supported Michael during and after the trial,...
Linzes win The Amazing Race 8, which is finally, mercifully over
And it is over. Eleven weeks after getting our Amazing Race love crushed in the vice that was this family edition, the race finally ended...
Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston will return with a Christmas special
Being Bobby Brown will be back, but only for a half-hour holiday special. On Dec. 21, Bravo will air a half-hour episode titled "Christmas with...
Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston will return with a Bravo Christmas special
Being Bobby Brown will be back, but only for a half-hour holiday special. On Dec. 21, Bravo will air a half-hour episode titled "Christmas with...
Weavers did not complete the puzzle Roadblock; Bransens win the online challenge
The Amazing Race 8 did not end last night. Oh no. It continued online today with a special runner-up challenge. Host Phil Keoghan, in his...

Airline, Growing up Gotti cancelled, but Dog the Bounty Hunter, Inked renewed
Two of A&E's breakout reality hits have been cancelled. Growing up Gotti, which followed Victoria Gotti and her three heavily-gelled sons, and Airline, which followed...
Amazing Race 8 finale down 31 percent from last season's finale in key demographic
The least surprising news of the week is that CBS' Amazing Race 8 was not quite a ratings hit. Among viewers 18 to 49, the...
Martha dismisses Jim, but he's still on her Apprentice
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart finally dumped its most obnoxious (but entertaining) candidate last night, but he returned just minutes later. Ad executive Jim, who all...
Who is the sexiest reality TV star of 2005?
Next week, I'll publish the first of my annual year-end pieces wrapping up the best of reality TV and anointing the biggest reality TV whores...

Linz kids giving half their prize to their parents, splitting the rest with siblings
The Linz family may have amused us with their occasional (okay, frequent) stupidity, but they're proving that their niceness trumps all. They ran the race...
Laguna Beach residents plan to disrupt shooting, boycott show-supporting businesses
After two seasons of Laguna Beach, some residents of the community have had enough. As production on the third season begins, "[t]hey plan to boycott...
Randal wins The Apprentice 4 but declines to let Rebecca share the title with him
The fourth Apprentice is Randal Pinkett. While the entire episode made it seem as if Donald Trump would hire both of them, he hired Randal....
As debate about the finale continues, Randal says he's "satisfied with the decision I made"
As debate rages about last night's finale, The Apprentice 4 winner Randal Pinkett says that he is content with his decision last night to not...