It’s nearly the end of 2011, and thus I’m required by media law to recap the previous year. In reality television, it was a year of ups and downs, as usual, from Jesus’ active involvement in Survivor to revealing behind-the-scenes moment Recapping the year is an exhausting, daunting challenge, however (and something I just don’t… continue reading
Archives for 2011
Sea Shepherd used drones to find Japanese whaling fleet; Whale Wars renewed
Although Sea Shepherd stopped Japanese whaling last year, the country decided to resume whaling this year, using tsunami relief funds to fund additional security, so Sea Shepherd’s boats are back–and that means Animal Planet’s Whale Wars will be back, too. The network unsurprisingly renewed the series, noting that it is one of its three highest-rated… continue reading
X Factor ends with the result everyone predicted, making the last few months even more useless
The X Factor ended last night, finally, with Melanie Amaro beating Josh Krajcik, and third-place Chris Rene to win the show’s unbelievable $5 million prize. Melanie was eliminated from mentor Simon Cowell’s group at the top 16 stage, but brought back in one of those totally inauthentic moments that helped make the series a monstrous… continue reading
Survivor winners and players ranked by objective data, and the results are surprising
All 23 Survivor winners have been ranked based on objective data about their performance on their seasons, including jury votes, and Survivor Palau‘s Tom Westman comes in at number one, while original winner and former inmate Richard Hatch is dead last. Survivor South Pacific winner Sophie Clarke is in 14th place. That’s according to True… continue reading
X Factor mercifully ends as Steve Jones candidly discusses whether he’ll have a job next season
The X Factor, a show that’s been hyped for years, ends its first season tonight. Compared to Fox’s typical fall programing, the show has succeeded by bringing in higher ratings. Compared to even diminished expectations, X Factor appears to be a very shiny version of American Idol‘s diaper contents. The Washington Post’s Lisa de Moraes… continue reading
How to fix Work of Art: replace the judges with auctions conducted by Simon de Pury
Bravo’s reality competition Work of Art should work better than most talent-based competitions. That’s because, unlike Top Chef, we can watch the construction from something to nothing and, with some exceptions, judge the final product ourselves. We don’t have to rely on judges to tell us how something tastes; we can just look, as we… continue reading
Lowe’s accepts petitions delivered by Christian clergy but continues to stand with bigots
Multiple petitions with over 200,000 signatures asking Lowe’s to reverse its decision to pander to bigots and pull advertising from TLC’s All-American Muslim were delivered by Christian clergy to Lowe’s executives, but the company will not reverse its decision. Faith leaders from Charlotte, where Lowe’s is headquartered, delivered the petitions yesterday, including ones from Faithful… continue reading
Next Great Baker’s Wesley Durden killed himself in October
A cast member on TLC’s Next Great Baker killed himself in October, but the show, hosted by Cake Boss Buddy Valastro, only revealed Wesley Durden, a 29-year-old father of two, was dead after his elimination on last night’s episode. It was dedicated to his memory. The Jacksonville [North Carolina] Daily News reported in October that… continue reading
How the Survivor jury voted, and horrifying news about Probst’s Hantz vs. Hantz idea
The Survivor South Pacific jury’s votes have been revealed by its members, and all but three voted for winner Sophie Clarke. Meanwhile, Brandon Hantz has horrifying news about his return to the game, which is even more terrifying considering Jeff Probst’s ridiculous, franchise-killing plan to bring back Russell Hantz to face off against his nephew…. continue reading
A younger, female judge will be added to America’s Got Talent as part of its makeover
America’s Got Talent added Howard Stern as a judge and will also add a fourth judge, according to executive producer Simon Cowell, who said the show needs a makeover as it approaches its seventh season. The judge will be “somebody younger. A girl. Someone who will not be afraid of Sharon [Osbourne] and Howard and… continue reading
Ozzy, Coach, Cochran, Brandon, and that other Hantz dominate, but Sophie wins Survivor
Sophie Clarke won six of the Survivor South Pacific jury members’ votes and thus the $1 million prize, beating Benjamin “Coach” Wade and Albert Destrade, with Ozzy Lusth taking the $100,000 fan favorite prize in the largest margin in the show’s history. Despite her clear victory, however, Sophie was screwed over: by the editing and… continue reading
Salani, Manono are the tribes that will live together on Survivor One World
Survivor One World was confirmed as the 24th season of the show during Survivor South Pacific‘s live reunion, as host Jeff Probst confirmed details of the twist–two tribes living on the same beach–that leaked earlier this fall. Probst explained that the two tribes will “compete against each other while living together on one island. They’ll… continue reading
History Channel’s Pawn Stars, reality TV make it the fifth-most popular cable channel
The History Channel’s reality shows have propelled the network to become the fifth-most popular network on cable, behind only USA, Disney, TNT, and ESPN; last year, it was number eight. Pawn Stars, which is getting a spin-off, is largely responsible for that growth. While the network is planning to air some scripted shows, its brand… continue reading
Survivor’s Coach discusses his religiosity, preaches to his real congregation
Survivor’s Coach talks about his religion. Plus: A deleted scene of his preaching, which was originally written for my Playboy profile of him.
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition cancelled
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the ABC reality series that gives deserving people brand-new homes and Sears appliances, has been cancelled, and will air its final and 200th episode on Jan. 13, which features the team building seven homes in Joplin. However, the show “will continue on ABC with specials after this season,” according to the… continue reading