reality blurred + archives + April 30 to May 6, 2006

week of April 30, 2006

ABC passed on American Idol twice, just like it did with Survivor
One of the iconic stories in reality TV history is the tale about a little show that every network turned down: American Idol. It's one...
Number of reality TV production days up 128 percent in the first quarter
From January to March, there were 1,942 production days in LA dedicated to unscripted shows. That's an incease of "128% from the same period a...
Texas Ranch House debuts tonight on PBS
Texas Ranch House, PBS' latest historical reality series, debuts tonight at 8 p.m. ET on most PBS stations, and airs two hours a night for...
Aaron and Nick Carter get their own E! show because Nick wanted to bring his siblings together
E! has signed Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and his brother Aaron for a new reality show. The Carters will also feature Aaron and Nick's three...
American Idol tour will visit 39 cities starting in July
The winner of American Idol 5 and the top nine losers will all tour 39 cities together this summer, starting on July 6 in New...

Supernova calls Rock Star 2's planned new group Supernova a "poseur"
CBS's announcement that a new band named Supernova would be formed on Rock Star 2 was surprising to some people because a band named Supernova...
FOX will start selling downloads of Idol performances; Taylor downloads have the most spyware
FOX will soon begin selling audio and video downloads of the American Idol 5 performances, perhaps as early as tonight. The site will sell videos...
Real World Key West cast felt "responsible for Paula" but didn't "know what to do"
Today The New York Times profiles The Real World Key West star Paula Meronek, who the paper says has led the show into "murky ethical...
Top Chef renewed, finale expanded, reunion added
Bravo has found another hit in Top Chef, the Project Runway-like show with a host more robotic than Julie Chen on the days before the...

Hair Cuttery offers fired Apprentice Charmaine a job; Andrea says Trump called her
One of the two candidates fired on last night's episode of The Apprentice 5 has been offered a job. Hair Cuttery, who was last night's...
Ryan Seacrest broke up with Teri Hatcher right after they were photographed kissing
Last month, Ryan Seacrest and Teri Hatcher were photographed kissing in public on "their third date, but first time out alone," according to People. Afterwards,...
78 percent of surveyed people have not voted during American Idol 5; 44 percent don't watch
Two weeks ago, Pursuant Research surveyed 1,045 adults about American Idol. The results were somewhat surprising, finding both that people tend to not vote despite...
ABC casting New Yorkers for "frothy" Fire Island summer reality series Summer Share
This summer, ABC will air a reality series that's described as "The Real World meets Laguna Beach for adults," ABC's Andrea Wong told Variety. Summer...
Katharine's "wardrobe malfunction" discussed on "another wild Idol night, man"
Last night's episode of American Idol 5 was "another wild Idol night, man," as Randy Jackson said. For starters, Ryan Seacrest acknowledged Katharine McPhee's wardrobe...
Chris Young wins Nashville Star 4
A 6' 4" 20-year-old has won Nashville Star 4. Chris Young was crowned the winner on last night's show, beating Nicole Jamrose and Casey Rivers....

Three teams race for the mat in the most intense Amazing Race footrace ever
Just when The Amazing Race 9 was getting a little bit boring, it picked up again with a conclusion that was the most heart-pounding and...
VH1 orders My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding, renews Hogan Knows Best
VH1 has ordered a new reality series "following couples who are planning over-the-top, lavish weddings," according to the Hollywood Reporter. Those weddings featured on My...
Ryan Seacrest promises the "shocking conclusion" to Unan1mous one week too soon
At the very end of American Idol 5, Ryan Seacrest teased FOX's next show, saying, "The shocking conclusion of Unanimous is next; you won't believe...
Paris Bennett leaves Idol but is joined in the bottom two by Elliott Yamin
After "almost 45 and a half million votes" were cast on American Idol 5 on Tuesday, Paris Bennett went home. She was joined in the...
Survivor 13 will be filmed in the Cook Islands, may feature past cast members
The 13th season of Survivor will be filmed in the Cook Islands, a group of islands somewhat nearby previous locations the Marquesas and Vanuatu. It's...
Unan1mous' Adam is an actor; Jonathan appeared nude in gay porn
Two of the contestants on FOX's Unan1mous are actors. While actors appearing on reality shows to further their careers is nothing new, their presence does...

Fresh Meat Challenge cast revealed
MTV's next Challenge is bringing in some fresh meat, literally. Perhaps because the powers that be realize we'll stab ourselves in the neck with our...
All-Star Big Brother will debut in July, as usual, as will Rock Star 2
CBS will bring Big Brother back right on schedule: It debuts Thursday, July 6 at 8 p.m. ET, exactly one year after last season debuted....
UK's Big Brother 7 hiding golden tickets in KitKat bars to find one houseguest
The UK's seventh Big Brother is taking a page from Willy Wonka's playbook and hiding 100 "golden tickets" in KitKat bars. One of those 100...