The Voice just announced that Pharrell Williams will coach season seven of the NBC competition series, replacing Cee Lo Green, who recently quit the show. Once again, the show has been able to secure a major, current singer to serve… continue reading
Archives for March 2014
Fox plans Joe Millionaire knock-off, with women dating Prince Harry lookalike
Remember Joe Millionaire–and remember its failed second season, The Next Joe Millionaire, and all of the failed knock-offs? Perhaps you also remember how, in 2003, Fox’s entertainment chair called the second season “greedy” and said it should have been “a… continue reading
Thanks, Lindsay Lohan and Oprah, for giving us a reality show about the making of a reality show
Last week on Lindsay, OWN’s documentary reality series that follows Lindsay Lohan, Oprah said “fuck.” Twice. Then she said “bullshit.” Twice. “You’re not going to be fucking up. And I know you’re surprised to hear me say ‘fuck,’” Oprah says,… continue reading
Survivor defeats Idol; Queen of Versailles reality show deal; Last Comic judges; more Call of the Wildman abuse
Survivor beat American Idol in total viewers and in the 18-49 demo for the first time on Wednesday; it defeated Idol in the demo for the past three weeks but only this week beat it in total viewers, too. The… continue reading
Quitting Survivor: now with praise from Jeff Probst
“Shame on you, Lindsie,” someone in the sand after Lindsey quit Survivor Cagayan. That misspelled criticism was the only real judgment of her decision to bail on the game shortly after her alliance was torn apart by a blindside at… continue reading
Friday Night Tykes: the reality show that’s too real for some people, including me
The Esquire show about young football players is very disturbing, and it’s so real that some people would rather the show go away than be reminded that what it highlights is behavior that actually takes place with real people.
Bachelor spin-off Bachelor in Paradise is totally not Bachelor Pad, more like Bachelor orgy
ABC announced today that it’s new summer Bachelor spin-off Bachelor in Paradise will debut August 4. As Chris Harrison insisted, the show is not at all Bachelor Pad and “will be very different.” That’s because it sounds less like a… continue reading
Hoarders filming a follow-up special
Hoarders was cancelled by A&E last fall, but may return with at least one episode that will follow up on five previously featured stories. It’s currently being filmed. One of the show’s organizers/cleaninign, Cory Chalmers, wrote on Facebook that an… continue reading
Survivor tribe swap surprisingly successful
You know it’s been another great Tribal Council when post-vote facial expressions clearly reveal who was surprised–and reveal exactly who cast which votes. The switch/merge allowed Trish and Tony to bail on their original tribe and keep things interesting for… continue reading
Survivor finale moved to Wednesday
CBS announced today that the three-hour finale and reunion for Survivor Cagayan will air May 21. That’s a Wednesday, and a significant shift for the show, which usually airs its finales on Sundays. The network didn’t say why the finale… continue reading
How Tim Gunn’s refusal to do Project Runway without Heidi Klum led to Under the Gunn
Under the Gunn was renamed Project Runway: Under the Gunn after its debut earlier this year, and there’s a good reason for that: it was supposed to be the 13th season of the Lifetime series, but Tim Gunn refused to… continue reading
Jeff Probst on contestants who leak, the origin of “the tribe has spoken,” and much more
In late 2012, Jeff Probst did an extensive interview for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Archive of American Television series. Though it’s somewhat old, it’s still worth watching. It covers everything from Probst’s early career to early Survivor… continue reading
Ask Andy: Do you miss the early days of reality TV? When will legacy shows get cancelled?
Near the middle of the 1960s, CBS and the other networks cancelled virtually all of their long-running game shows presumably due to declining ratings and wanting to go on a different path. Count amongst the casualties “What’s My Line”, “I’ve… continue reading
What’s the best reality TV season ever?
Last year, New York Magazine’s Vulture determined the best sitcom of the past 30 years (The Simpsons) and the year before, determined the best TV drama of the past 25 years (The Wire). Vulture does this March Madness bracket-style, and… continue reading
Amazing Race renewed; Bachelorette Jillian “disappointed” in Chris Harrison”; Mars colony show
CBS renewed both The Amazing Race and Undercover Boss, but did not specify if that was for two seasons for TAR (it probably is). Back in December, the network renewed Survivor and re-upped with Jeff Probst for seasons 29 and… continue reading