That smell in the air is nostalgia from the past year, and it’s time to reflect back on what we’ve seen and learned. The last year of the 2000s began with Kara DioGuardi coming on board and ended with Simon Cowell threatening to leave, and included the new president telling kids they wouldn’t be reality… continue reading
Archives for December 2009
2009’s top reality TV whores
The season of gift-giving, crass consumerism, and reflection is upon us, so it’s time for reality blurred‘s annual look at who has shamelessly sought fame, attention, and/or money. With reality TV approaching its 10th anniversary of dominating television, there are now many candidates, but as I re-read 2009’s stories, the following really stood out for… continue reading
2009’s most popular reality TV stories and shows
As 2009 draws to a close, here’s a look back at the most popular pages on reality blurred over the past year, as determined by the popularity of individual stories and show-specific archive pages. While Marcus Lehman’s penis was the most popular story last year, it was curiosity about what Adam Lambert does with his… continue reading
Simon Cowell will either leave American Idol next year or stay three more years, reports say
American Idol 9 will be Simon Cowell’s final season, according to the judge’s brother, unless the CEO of the company that owns the show is right, in which case Simon is staying through American Idol 11. On his podcast, The Cowell Factor, Tony Cowell said, “Meanwhile, Simon prepares for a new season of Idol —… continue reading
RussellGotScrewed.com was registered nine days before Survivor Samoa’s finale
Russell Hantz’s new web site that laments his Survivor Samoa loss was created and registered more than one week before the live finale, during which he learned he lost. In other words, Russell knew–or at the very least, strongly suspected–well before the finale that he wasn’t going to win. Of course, it’s not all that… continue reading
Survivor Samoa up over Survivor Gabon finale in total viewers, even in 18-49
The conclusion of Survivor Samoa drew more viewers than last December’s finale of Survivor Gabon but the same number of people ages 18 to 49. CBS said that 14.07 million people watched Russell lose to Natalie; last year, 13.76 million watched the Gabon finale. That’s an increase of about 300,000 total viewers. Last spring, 12.74… continue reading
Russell: “I would not change a thing”; Natalie: “We made group decisions”; “it’s okay to pray about anything”
Earlier today, I spoke with Natalie and Russell just before they were going on The Early Show, and around 4:30 a.m. PT. Natalie said she had not yet been to sleep. Our conversations were short and they were tired, but it’s very clear that they do not agree about why Natalie won and Russell lost…. continue reading
Jaison, Mick, and Brett say Russell couldn’t win; he was “too blatantly arrogant and mean-spirited”
Here are my post-game conversations with the final two Survivor Samoa jury members and the other finalist. They cover everything from Brett’s absence in the game to Mick’s blurred body, and also a lot of strategy. All three basically agree about what happened with Russell’s loss: he was too cocky and arrogant, and failed to… continue reading
Russell wins $100K for being a better character than player, but Natalie wins the game and $1M
Russell Hantz may have made Survivor Samoa, but Survivor Samoa did not make him another $1 million. Instead, he lost to Natalie White, who took the prize and title of “Sole Survivor,” even though Russell offered to buy the title from her for $100,000. Russell did win America’s vote and $100,000 of his own, beating… continue reading
Undercover Boss debuts post-Super Bowl; Survivor gets anniversary special; Probst’s pilot will air
In 2004, CBS followed the Super Bowl with the debut of the eighth season of Survivor, the first all-star season. The second full all-star season, Survivor Heroes vs. Villains, and the 20th season of the show, will not get that privilege, though it will get two special lead-ins. The network is giving the post-game slot… continue reading
Survivor 20 is Heroes vs. Villains (“Return, Revenge, Redemption”), debuts Feb. 11, Probst calls it “the biggest battle in Survivor history”
At the end of Survivor Samoa, CBS finally officially announced what we’ve known for some time: The 20th season of the show, which will start airing in six weeks or so, is a full all-star edition. Probst announced that it will debut new season debuts Feb. 11, which means it will not get the post-Super… continue reading
Ukraine’s Got Talent winner creates art in sand; Italy’s Got Talent has its own Susan Boyle
This is stunning: it’s the winning performance from Ukraine’s Got Talent. Kseniya Simonova, 24, shows what happened in the Ukraine during World War II when Germany invaded (the The Great Patriotic War), and she uses sand to do it. Sand. It really has to be seen to be believed; watch it below. Although it’s been… continue reading
Dr. Drew: “I’m not an expert on sex addiction, I surrounded myself with … people who were”
Dr. Drew Pinsky has responded to Sex Rehab cast member Duncan Roy’s criticism that Dr. Drew didn’t know anything about sex addiction by admitting that he didn’t know much about sex addiction. “I learned a lot about treating sex addiction while working on the show. Knowing that I’m not an expert on sex addiction, I… continue reading
Photos of Playboy Playmate Jaime Faith Edmondson naked are now online
For everyone who complained about the lack of naked photos of January Playmate Jaime Faith Edmondson, the Amazing Race 14 runner-up, Playboy has posted some photos from the magazine. An even more revealing photo is on the site’s subscription page. Have fun. Oh, and there’s the PG-rated video below, in which she says, “my turn-ons… continue reading
Next week: Survivor Samoa ends and Christmas brings marathons of A Christmas Story, Dirty Jobs, Supernanny, and more
Hanukkah is coming to an end and Christmas is a week away, and TV is settling into its winter nap. I, for one, welcome the break, because 2010 brings Idol and a whole lot more. The Past The third week in December included a Playboy appearance by an Amazing Race cast member, more gay porn… continue reading