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The Simple Life 1

Ark. town liked first Simple Life ep, which was watched by 13 million people.

by Andy Dehnart 4 Dec. 2003 | 8:00 am

Ark. town liked first Simple Life ep, which was watched by 13 million people.
The mayor of Altus, Ark., the town invaded by Paris and Nicole for The Simple Life, says the first episode “was hilarious.” Mayor Veronica Post’s constituents “loved it,” she says. “Everybody had good positive comments. Of course this was the first episode, we’ll wait and see what happens.” That’s a good idea, since during last night’s episode, they saw Paris and Nicole gleefully topping off their bottles of milk with water. In addition to Altus’ 817 residents, about 13 million people–12 percent of the viewing audience, CNN reports–watched the first episode. Although it had more viewers 18 to 49 than any other show that evening, Paris and Nicole were still beaten in overall viewers by the second half-hour of JAG. How embarrassing.
+ also: bodyguards keep reporters from asking Paris questions at premiere.
+ and: was Justin Guarini at Nicole Richie’s house?

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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