This year brought us a lot of unexpected reality in our television, from the debut of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo to the end of Jersey Shore. While people love to focus on those kinds of trainwreck shows, and lump all reality TV into one category so it’s easier to dismiss what they feel guilty… continue reading
Archives for December 2012
2012’s most-popular reality TV stories
It’s time for that year-end, lazy-ass story where I look at what was popular on reality blurred over the past year. While I have some sense of what is popular and what isn’t, this list always surprises me, and this year is no exception. The stories that were read the most times range from ones… continue reading
Winter 2013 reality TV debut schedule
That feeling in the air is the holiday magic of a couple weeks with virtually no new TV shows episodes. It’s the one lull in the year, now that reality TV has replaced reruns in the summer. But never fear: the new year will bring an onslaught of new and returning reality shows, which are… continue reading
Why Malcolm lost Survivor; why Artis hates Skupin
Why did Malcolm Freberg lose Survivor Philippines? He was, of course, a threat, and lost the final immunity challenge, but neither of those are the exact reason why he did not make it to the final three. Instead, he lost because he made a critical error, getting cocky and ignoring a threat. He told Xfinity:… continue reading
Reality stars sing “We Ruined The World”: “we caused the end of humanity” in 2012
The world is not going to end today, even though Jersey Shore is over and despite the insistence of some dummies who can’t read a Mayan calendar or misuse and/or misunderstand proven science. But at least the obsession with today’s date brought together an eclectic group of reality stars, from Survivor‘s Jerri Manthey to American… continue reading
2012 Google searches: reality shows beat scripted
The TV shows people search about the most on Google are reality TV shows, though the actual shows may surprise you. Also, the most-popular reality stars people search for are on cable, such as Alana Thompson, aka Honey Boo Boo, unless they are on The Bachelor. While no reality TV shows or stars made the… continue reading
Rosie O’Donnell may judge AGT; Bachelor producer’s drama; gun shows cancelled; Beekman Boys’ amazingness
Amazing Race winners Josh and Brent, aka The Fabulous Beekman Boys, may not have been thanking and praising each of their competitors using ridiculously charming gingerbread cookies. Then they responded to one of their 8,000 pieces of fan mail by having their teammates tell a letter-writer’s 12-year-old son who’s gay and being bullied that he’s… continue reading
Surprise: So You Think You Can Dance gets a 10th season
Fox’s dance competition So You Think You Can Dance has been renewed for its 10th season, an unlikely but welcome development for a show that is still the best studio-based talent competition on network television. Co-creator and judge Nigel Lythgoe announced the renewal on Twitter, calling it in a hashtag, “#MyBestChristmasGift.” He said auditions will… continue reading
Project Runway’s death spiral: Michael Kors out, team challenges in
Project Runway‘s 11th season will be the first without designer Michael Kors as a judge, as he’s being replaced by Zac Posen, though he will guest judge the finale. This season will also have the designers working together in teams in every single challenge. If you add those two things to the show’s recent two… continue reading
The Voice’s “Hallelujah” tribute to Newtown shooting victims
The Voice opened its penultimate episode last night with a version of “Hallelujah” sung by the coaches–Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton–and all 20 contestants, and even host Carson Daly. Each was holding a sign with the name of one of the victims of Friday’s shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary… continue reading
Lisa Whelchel co-hosting Jeff Probst’s daytime talk show
Although Survivor Philippines is over, Lisa Whelchel and Jeff Probst will still be on screen together, as she is joining him as co-host of his syndicated, struggling daytime talk show. Her first episodes will air in January, and are apparently functioning as a test to see if she’ll stay on permanently. The Christian Post reports… continue reading
Why Survivor Philippines was so satisfyingly great
At Thanksgiving, I wrote about why I was thankful for this season of Survivor Philippines, which in many ways was a return to old form for the show. All of those things I listed continued to hold up in the past few weeks, but I’m still surprised at how satisfying this season was from start… continue reading
Abi exits Survivor as a shockingly different person; RC compared Survivor to Holocaust?
To add another surprise to a season of surprises, Survivor Philippines villain Abi-Maria Gomez is fully owning her behavior, and doesn’t try to blame the edit or anyone else for her behavior, though she does reveal that she was in physical pain from a day-one knee injury. Meanwhile, her ally turned enemy Roberta “RC” Saint-Amour,… continue reading
L.A. Reid quits X Factor, kind of like America
The X Factor judge L.A. Reid won’t return for season three, quitting the show after being two seasons and arguably its break-out star, if this disastrous mess of a show can have such a thing. L.A.’s announcement comes as viewers are leaving, too: Survivor easily beat X Factor again last night, among overall viewers and… continue reading
Storage Wars producer admits scripting lines, moving items between lockers
Storage Wars executive producer Thom Beers admitted writing cast members’ lines and staging storage lockers on the show, but only by “occasionally” moving items from one locker to another. A lawsuit filed this week by one of the show’s stars, Dave Hester, accuses the show of being a “fraud” and “faked.” Beers said that last… continue reading
Idiot moron machete shark headbutt: Survivor entertains its way to a predictable outcome
Survivor Philippines‘ penultimate episode was completely predictable, somewhat frustrating, and thoroughly entertaining. There was a lot of comedy: Penner giving the finger to (presumably) Abi at Tribal Council. Abi suggesting using the machete on the three people who won reward. Skupin being headbutted by a whale shark (of course) and being injured by the fire… continue reading
Survivor Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites cast’s returnees revealed months ago
The cast of Survivor Caramoan: Fans and Favorites will feature a half new and half returning cast, just like the season it borrows its subtitle from, Survivor Micronesia. However, season 26 is not “versus,” because returnees will apparently be mixed among two tribes instead of by themselves, according to spoiler reports posted online. (Update/correction: The… continue reading
Storage Wars staged and “a fraud,” star claims in lawsuit
After being locked out of filming the new season of A&E’s Storage Wars, star Dave Hester is suing the network and Original Productions for wrongful termination and breach of contract, among other things, claiming the show is fake and he was fired for pointing that out. Hester’s lawsuit [PDF] claims the show is “a fraud… continue reading
Donate to TAR Jaymes’ dad; Packers fans show; Cheryl Cole: $1.8m to not judge; Senator hates MTV show he hasn’t seen
Jenni Rivera, a musician who coached a season of Mexico’s version of The Voice and starred in a highly rated reality series on mun2, died in a plane crash Sunday. Besides I Love Jenni and her successful recording career (she won two Billboard awards recently) led to a sitcom in development in ABC. Mun2 will… continue reading
Amazing Race 22 cast spoilers: country singers, hockey players, Hunger Games YouTube music video stars
The Amazing Race‘s twenty-first season concluded tonight, and the twenty-second race concluded on Friday. It won’t air until February 17, but because the race has been in production since Nov. 13, the teams have been unofficially identified, as has the race’s route and several of its challenges. As always, the spoilers for the cast and… continue reading