The Today Show’s web site “surveyed nearly 19,000 people and found those who watch reality TV consider themselves more extroverted, more neurotic, and say that they have lower self-esteem than folks who aren’t fans of the genre.” Our lower self-esteem… continue reading
Archives for November 2012
Sea Shepherd hiring crew to film next season of Whale Wars
Footage for the next season of Whale Wars may be shot by camera operators and producers hired by Sea Shepherd, the organization the show covers, according to an ad it posted. Sea Shepherd leaves Saturday for its campaign Operation Zero… continue reading
How Survivor inspired Lost, which stole its name from yet another reality series
The ABC drama Lost owes its life to not one but two reality shows, as a new book explains.
How do you solve a problem like Abi-Maria? Not by rigging Survivor
In the aftermath of last week’s Survivor Philippines Tribal Council, Abi-Maria returned to camp having been thoroughly beaten up by the tribe, who told her exactly how her behavior was being perceived. Even though she lacks self-awareness, even she knew… continue reading
Big Brother’s Will Kirby to remove Romney face tattoo
Big Brother winner Will Kirby is the go-to guy for removing unwanted things from one’s body: Having previously removed Mike “Boogie” Malin’s penis wart, he will now remove a tattoo of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign logo from a man’s face…. continue reading
Carnival now says Drag Race cruise can actually include drag
The “Drag Stars at Sea” Carnival cruise will now actually permit people to dress in drag, reversing a decision Carnival made that said drag would not be permitted except by on-stage performers. It’s billed as “the largest gathering of drag… continue reading
Flipping Out’s unexpectedly emotional surprise ending
Flipping Out ended its seventh season not with the departure of a cast member, Jenni Pulos, as previews and the last few episodes suggested might happen. Instead, it ended with something even more shocking: the death of a cast member,… continue reading
Abby Lee Miller is a “Maniac”: Dance Moms meets Flashdance in new promo
Lifetime has released a promo for its next season of Dance Moms, which debuts early next year, that’s set to “Maniac” by Michael Sembello, notably featured in Flashdance, and borrows slightly from that sequence. It’s a well-produced music video featuring… continue reading
Sean Lowe’s Bachelor and possible engagement spoiled
The Bachelor‘s 17th season won’t debut until January 7, but the woman Sean Lowe selects and what happens during the final rose ceremony has already been revealed, thanks to Reality Steve, of course. Steve reveals that the spoiler, below, is… continue reading
Hidden camera elevator prank: horrifyingly hilarious
I generally find hidden camera shows to be an impossibly low form of reality television and humor, because they usually involve emotional manipulation of someone for a cheap laugh. (I am all for emotional manipulation when the subjects consent, like… continue reading
Cyber Monday special: tell me what I should write about
Today is Cyber Monday, the end of the beginning of our month-long consumerism binge, which begins on Black Friday–or even earlier this year, on Thanksgiving Day, because who wants to sit around listening to racist grandparents when you can shove… continue reading
As Extreme Makeover returns, find out how Trading Spaces and other shows cheat reality
Ten years ago, I went to Houston, Texas, and spend three days on the set of Trading Spaces, which was at the height of its popularity. It was finally cancelled four years ago, but spawned the makeover genre that still… continue reading
Happy Endings + The Real World = awesome
ABC’s comedy Happy Endings parodied The Real World on last Tuesday’s episode, with the storyline revolving around Damon Wayans and Adam Pally’s characters appearing on The Real World Sacramento, a season that was never broadcast season because one of the… continue reading
Why I’m thankful for this season of Survivor: a Thanksgiving reflection
It’s Thanksgiving, and Survivor started the holidays with an early gift of a new episode instead of the usual not-really-new recap episode. And while I’d normally appreciate the break, Survivor Philippines has been so strong that I’m glad that there… continue reading
Dirty Jobs cancelled; Mike Rowe thanks those involved with “the most honest show in the history of reality TV”
The Discovery Channel cancelled American Chopper last week, and now Dirty Jobs has been cancelled, too, according to its star, Mike Rowe. Both shows were produced by Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Studios. Mike Rowe wrote on his blog, in part: “A… continue reading