reality blurred + archives + January 27 to February 2, 2008

week of January 27, 2008

Sonja Christopher's Survivor winnings became seed money for church's $1 million
The very first person voted off Survivor, breast cancer survivor and lesbian Sonja Christopher, donated the $2,500 she received for her three days on the...
Lifetime's dance competition Your Mama Don't Dance pairs professional dancers with their parents
Lifetime's forthcoming Dance Nation has been retitled Your Mama Don't Dance to reflect its twist: professional dancers are competing along with their amateur parents. "Contestants...
Making the Band 4 returns tonight with groups competing to complete their record
MTV brings back Making the Band 4 tonight at 10 p.m. ET for a second season, but with a twist, joining its cast with the...
Clay Aiken says he doesn't have sexual urges, understands why people dislike his music
Clay Aiken remains one of the most fascinating people to come out of the American Idol franchise, and part of that is due to his...
American Gladiators for kids, Gladiators 2000, will be syndicated this fall
Gladiators 2000, a version of American Gladiators that features kids, will return this fall, apparently airing in syndication its original form. The spin-off "is a...

Michael Vick's dogs, Dale Earnhardt Jr., UFO hunters to be featured on reality shows
On tap to star in reality series are Michael Vick's dogs and UFO hunters. The National Geographic Channel will follow "the attempted rehabilitation of 22...
Survivor renewed for two more seasons with Jeff Probst as host
CBS has officially renewed Survivor and re-hired its host Jeff Probst for two more seasons. That means the show will continue through next spring, its...
Celebrity Apprentice renewed, will return in 2009
The Celebrity Apprentice has been renewed by NBC, and the show's eighth season and the second celebrity season will debut next January, in 2009. It...
Miss America ratings up 52 percent on TLC
TLC's broadcast of the Miss America pageant, which was preceded by a four-week reality series Miss America: Reality Check, was watched by 3.63 million viewers....

Sarah Jessica Parker, Magical Elves producing artist competition; Tyra Banks creating fashion magazine assistant competition
The producers of Project Runway and America's Next Top Model are creating new shows for their respective networks. Project Runway producers Magical Elves and Sarah...
Mira Sorvino won't be on Dancing because of "the way people look at the actors who do it"
Mira Sorvino has excluded herself from Dancing with the Stars 6 because her managers were concerned about people who make fun of actors on the...
Simon turns on Ryan, Paula acts weird during an actually palatable Idol audition episode
Last night's American Idol 7 auditions in Omaha were surprising: They were almost entirely watchable and unoffensive, full of genuine behavior and lacking any obvious...
Survivor Micronesia has two love affairs and "a record number of blindsides," Probst says
Jeff Probst talked to reporters yesterday about Survivor Micronesia, which debuts next week. He revealed one of the season's twists, and also discussed some highlights...

Rupert Boneham starts a record label for reality stars
Rupert Boneham, the tie dye-wearing former Survivor cast member who gets $10,000 per appearance, is starting his own record label. It's called I Saw You...
Paradise Hotel 2 evictees will leave letters for incoming contestants
Paradise Hotel 2 debuts Monday, and unlike the first season, which aired largely in real time, this season was produced over two months last summer....
DeAnna Pappas will star in The Bachelorette 4
DeAnna Pappas, one of the two women rejected by Brad Womack during The Bachelor 11's finale, will star in The Bachelorette 4 this summer. She...

Italian Big Brother finalists threatened by protesters
Three finalists for Grande Fratello, the Italian version of Big Brother, "were threatened by a group of masked far right-wing protestors demanding cheaper housing for...
Bravo needs to cut its rapid-fire edits
On last night's Make Me a Supermodel, the models were asked to strip naked and pose for art students. It wasn't exactly an original challenge--hell,...
Saleisha says Top Model was "fair and square"; agency says she "needs to become more seasoned"
America's Next Top Model 9 winner Saleisha Stowers says that her presence on the show and eventual victory was fair, despite her previous modeling experience...
Idol auditioner Chris Bernheisel getting media attention, has sent 71 videos to Ellen Degeneres
Chris Bernheisel, the first auditioning contestant featured on Tuesday's Omaha audition episode, will appear on the TV Guide channel next week, and Access Hollywood "plans...
Celebrity Apprentice proves itself as Vincent Pastore becomes his Sopranos character
If you're wondering why NBC renewed The Celebrity Apprentice last week, or more importantly, why people are watching this season after abandoning the show over...