• reality shows
  • reality TV reviews
  • about
  • contact
  • reality TV schedule
  • best reality TV
  • send tips or feedback
  • support
  • subscribe
NBC VH1

NBC casts Celebrity Circus with has-been reality stars; VH1’s Celebracadabra! cast is similarly lame

by Andy Dehnart 22 Apr. 2008 | 7:46 am

NBC has announced the cast of its summer circus competition series Celebrity Circus, and with ABC cancelling plans for its own similar show, NBC has gone after the big celebrities: has-been reality stars.

The cast “includes several celebreality veterans,” according to Variety. They are “Christopher Knight (‘My Fair Brady’) and Rachel Hunter (‘Dancing With the Stars’), plus “Antonio Sabato Jr., Grammy-nommed neosoul singer Blu Cantrell (‘Hit ‘Em Up Style’), Olympic swimmer Janet Evans and Jason ‘Wee Man’ Acuna (‘Jackass’).”

The show, which debuts June 11, will be hosted by Joey Fatone, no stranger to reality TV himself. So, out of that group, we basically have three people who aren’t reality whores, and of those, if you’re going by the definition of “celebrity” that everyone used until recently until all of this faux-celebrity craziness began, there’s basically just one.

Meanwhile, VH1 has announced the cast of its celebrity competition Celebracadabra! who will “will vie for the title of ‘Best Celebrity Magician’ when they attempt to learn and perform tricks normally left to the professionals.” The network says it has cast our “favorite celebrities,” but alas, has lied to us.

Instead, those who will appear on the show when it debuts Feb. 27 are Ant, Carnie Wilson, C. Thomas Howell, Chris ‘Kid’ Reid, Hal Sparks, Lisa Ann Walter, and Kimberly Wyatt. I’d make a joke about the actual celebrities having already disappeared, but that’d be easier than re-casting Ant for yet another reality series.

NBC reveals ‘Circus’ folk [Variety]
VH1 Gets Magical With its New Series ‘Celebracadabra!’ Premiering Sunday, April 27 at 9PM ET/PT [VH1 press release]

discuss this story

more great reality blurred stories

  • Recommended reality TV: Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and America to Me
  • The best reality TV shows of 2018
  • The Survivor rule book and Survivor cast contract
  • Go behind-the-scenes at the Big Brother house
  • Behind the scenes of The Last Alaskans
  • Interviews with reality TV producers and cast members

most-popular stories on reality blurred

Jeff Probst, Survivor David vs. Goliath episode 10

Survivor Edge of Extinction: What we know so far about Survivor season 38

Survivor season 38 will feature returning players and a huge twist that could effect how the game is played and who wins.

Survivor Edge of Extinction marooning

Survivor’s marooning: 34 boats, 714 people, 9 hours, one great 10,000-word story

The opening minutes of Survivor Edge of Extinction took days to plan and involved "34 different boats carrying 714 bodies over a total of 1,500 miles."

Life Below Zero season 11, Sue Aikens

When Life Below Zero will return for season 11, and who it will follow

Exclusive: Life Below Zero is returning to National Geographic for season 11 this fall, with a cast that includes one new person.

Are You The One season 5 cast

MTV’s Are You the One season 8 casting sexually fluid, non-binary people

AYTO's producers want the "usual hot singles" but also "sexually fluid individuals," and twins.

The Lewis family, Last Alaskans

Why the Lewis family is no longer on The Last Alaskans, and where they are now

A definitive answer about why the Lewis Family—Ray and Cindy, and their daughters Sarah, Molly, and Emma—have been missing from The Last Alaskans.

Winter 2019 reality TV show debut schedule and guide

Winter 2019 reality TV schedule and guide

This winter reality show 2019 schedule is a frequently updated list of premieres for broadcast, cable, and streaming reality TV shows, documentary series, game shows, and other prime-time nonfiction TV.

Ryan Ulrich, Devon Pinto, Patrick Bolton, Survivor 35

Why you should never judge a Survivor for their clothes

All about Survivor contestants' clothes and the rules for them: Who buys and pays for the clothes, why Survivors don't wear swimsuits the whole season, and other details.

Siesta Key, MTV

How Siesta Key was filmed and how it differs from Laguna Beach

An interview with the co-creator of Laguna Beach, whose new MTV show Siesta Key uses that format but avoids the fiction that befell its spinoff The Hills.

Jeff Probst, Survivor David vs. Goliath

How Survivor is produced: Jeff Probst reveals many behind-the-scenes details

In a podcast interview, Jeff Probst went into incredible detail about how he produces Survivor, and what his team's priorities are. Here are highlights from that interview.

Hunted, Emiley Cox, David Windecher

A few of Hunted’s absurd rules have been revealed

Hunted team David and Emiley revealed several of the show's rules on a radio show this morning—including one ridiculous rule that benefits the production.

behind the scenes of reality TV

Big Brother 20, BB20

Big Brother cast contract: the agreement houseguests sign

This is the Big Brother contract, which cast members sign during casting. It details things like houseguests’ pay and prohibited behavior.

Whale Wars season 8

Whale Wars spin-off subtitled Viking Shores; go behind the scenes in Playboy before it debuts

The spin-off of Whale Wars that follows Sea Shepherd’s actions last summer in the Faroe Islands will debut next month, and has been given the subtitle “Viking Shores,” perhaps because the name of its setting, the Faroe Islands, isn’t as sexy or well-known as Vikings are. (Vikings once colonized the 18-island nation, which is between… continue reading

American Grit season two, cadre member Riki Long, contestants Herman and Shermon

Behind the scenes of American Grit season two

John Cena’s reality show left the Pacific Northwest for the swamps outside of Savannah, Georgia, for season two.

older

Viva Hollywood telenova competition debuts tonight on VH1

newer >

VH1 buys every season of The Bachelor, insists it’s “America’s Most Romantic Reality Show”

more stories about NBC, VH1

reality TV news and reviews, in your inbox

One hand-crafted message sent every Friday. Free. Subscribe now:

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.

stay connected with reality TV

Get advice about what to watch and keep up with the latest in reality television with reality blurred's e-mail newsletter. Just enter your e-mail address:

about reality blurred

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.

explore

  • recent news
  • reviews of reality TV shows
  • behind the scenes reports
  • interviews with producers and reality stars
  • archives
  • send tips
  • search
  • advertise on reality blurred
  • about reality blurred
  • newsletter
  • RSS and social media
  • contact reality blurred
  • send tips & contribute
  • privacy policy
  • terms of service
Copyright © 2000 to 2019 Andy Dehnart and individual contributors.