reality blurred + archives + September 16 to September 22, 2007

week of September 16, 2007

Big Brother 8 has its highest ratings yet
Estranged father and daughter Dick and Daniele's victory over every other Big Brother 8 houseguest on Thursday night's show resulted in the show's highest ratings...
Former Big Brother host Ian O'Malley moved on to a career in radio, film, and philanthropy
In reality TV history, American Idol co-host Brian Dunkleman is perhaps the most in/famous forgotten host; his co-host Ryan Seacrest is hosting the Emmys tonight,...

Jeff Probst says another all-star Survivor "wouldn't be a bad idea"
Former cast members are talking about it, people on message boards are talking about it, and now so is the show's host: Survivor 16, it...
Big Brother producer Allison Grodner says Dick's coded letter, behavior is okay
Big Brother 8 executive producer Allison Grodner has previously admitted to making up the show's rules as they go along, and now she says that...
The Amazing Race wins yet another Emmy
We already know that the voting members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences don't really watch TV, and now we know they don't...
Kim Myles wins HGTV's Design Star 2; show will debut in March
Kim Myles, the 34-year-old New York hairstylist, is HGTV's newest Design Star. She defeated 35-year-old Todd Davis and won the show's second season after "viewers...

Beauty and the Geek 4, featuring one geek girl and hot guy, debuts tonight
The CW debuts the fourth season of Beauty and the Geek tonight at 8 p.m. ET, and for the first time, the show will flip...
Survivor producers "decided to make an exception for" 20-year-old Frosti
Producers for Survivor waived their own rules to allow a 20-year-old to compete on the new season of the show. Michael "Frosti" Zernow's bio on...
Hell's Kitchen 2's Heather West no longer works at Red Rock; Rock starts his job as head chef
Rock Harper, the winner of Hell's Kitchen 3, started his job as head chef of a restaurant in Las Vegas last Monday, becoming the first...
CBS lets kids, parents, and teachers watch Kid Nation, but not TV critics
CBS has decided not to allow TV critics to preview the first episode of Kid Nation, which debuts tomorrow night. But teachers, kids, and their...
Amazing Race 2 winner Alex begins to travel Around the World for Free
An online reality series that began today follows one former Amazing Race cast member as he travels around the world, and it's produced by two...

CBS' Kid Nation, FOX's Kitchen Nightmares, CW's America's Next Top Model 9 all debut tonight
Two brand-new reality series debut tonight, while another enters its ninth season. The most anticipated debut of the evening--and of the season, really--is CBS' Kid...
Jeff Probst reveals how Survivor constructs, tests, and travels to its challenges
Jeff Probst's fascinating and revelatory behind-the-scenes footage from Survivor China continues with two videos focusing on the show's challenges. The first (below) includes a lot...
Dick Donato defeats his daughter Daniele to win Big Brother by a 5 to 2 vote
By a vote of five to two, Dick Donato defeated his daughter Daniele to win Big Brother 8. Only Jameka and Jen voted for Daniele....
Big Brother 8's ratings up four percent over last season among 18- to 49-year-olds
Dick Donato's win on Big Brother 8's finale on Tuesday "matched or set summer [rating] highs across the board," Variety reports. Overall, 8.5 million viewers...

Survivor China debuts tonight
Survivor kicks off its 15th season, which is set in China, tonight at 8 p.m. ET. The 16-member cast includes a WWE wrestler, a school...
Jon Reep wins Last Comic Standing 5
Jon Reep won Last Comic Standing 5 last night, taking home the show's new $250,000 cash prize, an NBC talent contract, and a half-hour special...
Kid Nation is "well-packaged," "adorable," "sedate," and "creepy"
TV critics weren't allowed to screen CBS' Kid Nation before it was broadcast last night, so the first reviews are in this morning. While no...
Dick: "I went after everyone. It has nothing to do with sex!"; "Jen came after me"
Big Brother 8 is over, Dick won, and now all that's left is to pretend the season never happened. But first, the contestants have to...
Kid Nation, Kitchen Nightmares have "solid but unspectacular" debut ratings
The two new reality series that debuted last night "delivered similarly solid but unspectacular" ratings, Variety reports. In its debut, Kid Nation was watched by...
Lauren "came dangerously close to not doing season three" because of Heidi and Spencer
There almost was not a third season of The Hills, according to its star, because of the feud that has ironically made the series incredibly...

Jeff Probst's most difficult decision: "what color of blue shirt to wear" for Tribal Council
Survivor China debuted last night, and CBS has posted the final behind-the-scenes video from the set. This one follows Jeff Probst during a single day,...
VH1 releases photos of I Love New York 2 cast, which includes a group of "mama's boys"
VH1 has revealed the cast members of I Love New York 2. The 20 men have been revealed in groups: the five Mama's Boys "were...
Chris Crocker, celebrities in rehab, Manhattan Moms get their own reality shows
Celebrities in rehab, an Internet celebrity, and rich mothers in New York are all getting their own reality series. Chris Crocker, best known for his...
Amber apologies, says she has Jewish friends
As everyone knows, the best defense against claims of bigotry is to insist that one has friends who are members of the group that person...
Survivor China was the top-rated show last night, but is the lowest-rated premiere yet
There's good and bad news in the ratings for Survivor China's debut. While the show was the most-watched broadcast program of the night, it was...