reality blurred + archives + January 3 to January 9, 2010

week of January 3, 2010

Deadliest Catch greenhorn arrested for bank robberies; police IDed him using the show
A greenhorn featured in several Deadliest Catch episodes was arrested late Wednesday because he's a suspect in several Oregon bank robberies. Joshua Tel Warner, 23,...
Celebrity Apprentice 3 cast announced, months after being identified during filming
NBC officially announced the cast of The Celebrity Apprentice 3 this morning, though there are no surprises because the entire cast was identified while filming...
Bachelor 14 debuts as promos tease woman's "sexual affair," perhaps with a crew member
The 14th season of The Bachelor debuts tonight on ABC, and stars pilot Jake Pavelka, hence the gag-inducing "On the Wings of Love" subtitle. In...
Survivor Heroes vs. Villains preview will air Wednesday
CBS is pushing the debut of Survivor Heroes vs. Villains hard, airing the first few minutes of the show during the CBS broadcast of the...
Chris Harrison calls producer's sexual affair with Bachelor woman "embarrassing"
Bachelor host Chris Harrison has admitted that a crew member had an affair with one of the women featured in the 14th season, which debuts...

Trump says he rejected Dancing with the Stars cast for Apprentice
As if Donald Trump's superlative nonsense and excessive exaggeration hadn't already reached absurd levels, he bragged yesterday about how much more amazing his Celebrity Apprentice...
Biggest Loser 9 debuts as Jillian Michaels says she's bisexual (without using that word)
The Biggest Loser's ninth season and third couples season debuts tonight at 8 p.m. ET, consuming a now-normal two-hour timeslot that allows for plenty of...
Conveyor Belt of Love featured transexual performance artist, actor/model
Conveyor Belt of Love aired its one and only episode last night, and besides a hardcore gay porn star, the men featured included at least...
Bachelor brings awkward aviation metaphors, crazy women, manipulation, oddly addictive TV
During its previous 13 seasons, I don't think I've ever watched an entire season of The Bachelor from start to finish. I'd either start watching...
Survivor may air one all-star season, one regular season a year, using the same location
CBS has yet to officially announce the renewal of Survivor past season 20, but when it does, there are major changes coming: The show will...

Sea Shepherd boat damaged in collision with whalers; Bob Barker gave $5 million for third boat
Former Price is Right host Bob Barker donated $5 million to Sea Shepherd, the environmental organization whose anti-whaling activities are chronicled on Animal Planet's Whale...
Biggest Loser's brand of sensationalism is getting worse as the series ages
Of NBC's three current reality shows, its stand-by workhorse is The Biggest Loser, which debut its ninth season last night. While it once had special...
FCC complaints about Adam Lambert scarier, more dangerous than his AMA performance
A new, anonymously written blog has posted a series of complaints it says were "filed with the FCC after Adam Lambert's performance on the American...
David Hasselhoff quitting America's Got Talent
After four seasons, America's Got Talent judge David Hasselhoff is leaving the NBC reality competition for his own, as-yet-unannounced TV show. In a bland statement...

Survivor Heroes vs Villains cast: nine people getting a third chance at $1 million
CBS revealed the cast of Survivor Heroes vs. Villains last night with a preview that aired during the People's Choice Awards. While Jeff Probst promised...
250 Survivors confirmed for 10-year party Saturday, including the original final four
Survivor's 20th anniversary party/reunion Saturday night will draw at least 250 past cast members, according to the show's host. Those attending include season one's final...
More insane and homophobic anti-Adam Lambert FCC complaints published
The Smoking Gun has published 28 pages of complaints to the FCC about Adam Lambert's AMA performance. Like the ones published by a blog yesterday,...

New Sea Shepherd ship sinks after being hit by Japanese whalers
On Wednesday, a Japanese whaling ship hit the Sea Shepherd's new high-speed ship, the Ady Gil, and it sank the next morning. The captain of...
Blogger says Bachelor affair wasn't sexual, but producers' way of getting rid of woman
Bachelor obsessed blogger Reality Steve claims in his latest missive that the "sexual affair" that will be revealed on the show Monday wasn't an affair...
Reality TV editing and its power explained, demonstrated
I often refer to the editing or editors in my critiques/complaintfests about reality TV, but that's really shorthand for a lot of complicated things, from...
Next week: American Idol, Project Runway return, plus Morgan Spurlock's Simpsons doc
Just like that, a whole week of 2010 is already gone. Soon, it'll be 2020. But before then, let's look back at what happened this...

214 Survivor cast members reuniting tonight: 13 winners, all Vanuatu, Gabon, Heroes/Villains
Of the 301 Survivor cast members, 214 will gather tonight in celebration of the show's 20th season and (sort of) 10-year anniversary. That's fewer than...