reality blurred + archives + September 28 to October 4, 2008

week of September 28, 2008

What I'm watching: UK shows Dragons' Den and The Apprentice
While there's enough U.S. reality TV to keep my DVR warm, there are two non-American shows that have made their way into my weekly viewing....
Survivor ratings drop but debut wins its hour; rehearsal footage shows challenge cameras
The first-ever two-hour debut of Survivor was watched by 13 million people, a drop of more than two million viewers since last fall's Survivor China...
Marcus Lehman's penis exposed on Survivor
CBS is notorious for its often-unnecessary blurring of Survivor cast members. Anything deemed offensive--a bit too much breast, some pubic hair, a revealing bulge--gets a...
Anthrax suspect threatened to kill Kathryn Price
The Mole's original mole, Kathryn Price, was threatened by the man who the FBI and Justice Department say is responsible for killing people with mailed...

TLC debuts 17 Kids and Counting even as Jon & Kate Plus 8 criticism increases
Tonight at 10 p.m., TLC debuts another show about an overpopulated family. 17 Kids and Counting follows the Duggar family and their 10 boys and...
CBS edits, pulls challenge video even as Google searches are lead by Marcus Lehman's penis
The video of the Survivor Gabon challenge featuring accidental nudity has been pulled from CBS' web site, which now says "The requested video content has...
Contender drops host Sugar Ray Leonard for Tony Danza, announces boxers
Besides changing networks and moving to Singapore, the boxing reality competition series The Contender will now be hosted by Tony Danza, of Taxi and Who's...
Amazing Race 13 debut down 25% compared to last fall, Extreme Makeover down 20%
Two Sunday reality staples both lost large numbers of viewers compared to their debuts last fall. Ratings for Sunday's debut episode of The Amazing Race...

Real World casting for season 22, wants student government, RAs, EMTs to apply
With The Real World Brooklyn in production and pissing off the neighbors, the show's production company has already started casting for the next season, which...
Paris Hilton's My New BFF debuts tonight
More than a year after the cancellation of The Simple Life, Paris Hilton returns to reality TV tonight with Paris Hilton's My New BFF, a...
Production suspended on Rock of Love 3 after crew member falls asleep, kills two while driving
Production on the third season of Rock of Love has been temporarily stopped following a fatal accident involving a crew member who police say fell...

My Fake Baby debuts tonight, follows people who care for lifelike dolls
Tonight, BBC America debuts a Channel 4 documentary that may just have some of the creepiest characters ever: fake babies. My Fake Baby debuts tonight...
America's Got Talent 3 concludes tonight
Three and a half months after it first debuted, America's Got Talent 3 concludes tonight at 9 p.m. ET, awarding its winner $1 million. Remaining...
Survivor crew member drowns while swimming
A Survivor crew member drowned recently in Brazil while working on a future season. Alton Desiree, 38, was part of an "advance team for a...
CBS calls Marcus' penis "virtually undetectable"
The constantly offended assholes at the Parents Television Council have complained to the FCC about the brief, accidental nudity on last week's Survivor Gabon episode,...
Toby Young replaces Ted Allen as judge for Top Chef New York, which will have 17 contestants
When Top Chef 5 debuts in November, it will have a new fourth judge: Toby Young, who replaces Ted Allen on the panel, which still...

Tim Gunn's Guide to Style returns with new co-host Gretta Monahan, a "real woman"
Somewhat surprisingly, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style returns tonight at 11 p.m. ET on Bravo. It's surprising considering the show was pulled off the air...
Opera singer Neal E. Boyd wins America's Got Talent 3; finale ratings down
Once again, viewers have selected a singer as the winner of America's Got Talent. Opera singer, insurance salesperson, and Missourian Neal E. Boyd won the...
Helio Castroneves indicted for tax fraud, evasion
Helio Castroneves, who won the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars last year, has been indicted for tax fraud and tax evasion. He "is...
Judge rejects claim that Project Runway concept was stolen by Heidi Klum
A lawsuit filed almost three years ago by two women who claim they created Project Runway has been thrown out by a judge. Cynthia Rodriguez...

Lauren Conrad worked with acting coach for Family Guy appearance
Lauren Conrad will play a version of herself in a 2009 episode of Fox's animated series Family Guy. Before recording her voice overs, Lauren--who has...
John Paulus details harassment from some Claymates, says he's friends with others
A week and a half after American Idol 2 runner-up Clay Aiken shocked some of his fans by coming out, some Claymates are still having...
Fang tribe finally kicks Kota's asset
Survivor is never as interesting when one tribe decimates the other as it is when the strength and power moves between them, so last night's...
Nude photo of Amazing Race 13's Dallas removed
Amazing Race 13 contestant Dallas Imbimbo, who's 22 and on the race with his mother, once took a naked picture of himself, and it found...
SYTYCD winner Joshua: "I want to be a recording artist"
So You Think You Can Dance 4 winner Joshua Allen may have won the Fox dance competition, but he also has aspirations better suited to...