This American Life’s episode this weekend was about “Human Spectacle,” and although the intros drew connections to reality television, there was only one story about reality TV–and it was horrifying. It’s the story of a comedian who starred in a 1998 Japanese reality show, Susunu! Denpa Shōnen, which left him alone in a room, naked… continue reading
Archives for June 2014
Big Brother makes smart changes; its players do dumb things
In its first Sunday episode, Big Brother 16 revealed several minor but smart changes that improved the show. Its players are freaking out over floaters, becoming paranoid, forming and abandoning alliances, which is bad for their games but decent entertainment, the kind we expect from this show but didn’t get much of last year. The… continue reading
Jillian Michaels leaving Biggest Loser for a third time
Original Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels has left the show, marking her third exit. NBC said only in a statement that “The Biggest Loser and Jillian Michaels have decided to part ways and she will not be returning for season 16 when it airs in the fall.” While there was no reason given for her… continue reading
Big Brother’s changes bring back the familiar
Big Brother 16 is that it is pretty much exactly the same show. It’s in HD, there will be two HOHs, there’s a new “Team America” twist, but for better or for worse, those don’t seem new at all, just variations on old themes, with no sign that the show will stop grinding along on… continue reading
In defense of Big Brother’s producers
Tonight, the Big Brother debuts its 16th season, with an entirely new cast and somewhat of a new format. Based on the past 15 seasons, a lot of things will happen, ranging from the innocuous to the outrageous, that will lead viewers and people like me to criticize the show’s producers. For example, it’s more… continue reading
Survivor’s Caleb Bankston killed in train derailment
Survivor Blood vs. Water cast member Caleb Bankston, the fiance of Colton Cumbie, was killed today in an accident where he worked. He was 26. The AP reported this evening that “[o]fficials from a Kansas-based transportation company say a worker has died in an accident at the Alabama Warrior Railway in Birmingham.” People confirmed that… continue reading
All three American Idol judges will return
American Idol 14 will have the same judges panel as the 13th season, as Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick, Jr., and Keith Urban are all returning. Ryan Seacrest will also host once again. None of this is a big surprise, and indicates that the show will likely tread the same waters it did this past season…. continue reading
Gordon Ramsay ends the nightmare that is Kitchen Nightmares
Fox’s Kitchen Nightmares will end, Gordon Ramsay announced today, following the conclusion of filming of its final season. That will make a total of 10 years, 12 seasons, and 123 episodes, he said. While he didn’t give a specific reason, Ramsay wrote, “I’ve decided to stop making the show” and said “It’s been a blast… continue reading
ABC’s Rising Star desperately needs some Viagra
ABC tried again last night to reinvent a tired format with a smart twist, debuting Rising Star, the show which features live voting by viewers. Based on an Israeli format, the singing competition ends the need for drawn-out, boring results shows by making voting something that happens live, while contestants sing. Unfortunately, it did that… continue reading
One of the best parts of great reality TV can be found on two PBS series
On a weekly basis, two PBS series air frequently outstanding reality television in the form of one-off documentaries that focus on real people and the stories of their lives, just like the best reality TV does. The 27th season of PBS’ POV documentary film series starts tonight with its broadcast premiere of When I Walk…. continue reading
Big Brother contestant’s racist, homophobic comments; animal killing video
A Big Brother 16 cast member’s use of bigoted, racist, homophobic language has emerged just days after the cast was revealed. A comment by Caleb Reynolds contains racist, homophobic, Islamophobic words, while a video, now deleted, showed him beating a live pig to death. Its caption said: “Caleb had to swim across the river to… continue reading
Man vs. Food host’s horrific reply to a critic; Big Brother cast; unedited Honey Boo Boo is a “monster”
Reality TV news from this week Man vs. Food star Adam Richman’s social media fight with a woman is rather unbelievable, in part because he told her to kill herself after using a slur. After the person objected to Richaman’s use of the hashtag “thinspiration,” because of its popularity among those who are pro anorexia… continue reading
Is Big Brother turning into Survivor?
The question in the headline is, of course, rhetorical–for many reasons, Big Brother and Survivor will never be the same show, thankfully. But the new twists announced yesterday for CBS’ second-oldest reality competition suggest that it is borrowing from its older, more well-respected, better-produced sibling. First, photos of the house reveal that the memory wall… continue reading
Big Brother changes its game for season 16
With the finalists sequestered, the Big Brother 16 twists were announced today, and they somewhat significantly alter the core game that has been played for most of the show’s life. Each week, two players will win Head of Household, but that will not come with immunity; each will nominate two people. The other twists only… continue reading
“Severly burned” Face Off stunt performer sues Syfy
Stunt performer Tamiko Brownlee has sued Face Off producers Mission Control Media, T-Minus productions, Syfy Media Productions, and others, claiming she was “severely burned over multiple parts of her body while participating in the television show ‘Face-Off.’” Deadline published the full complaint [PDF], which says she was “surrounded and consumed by a fireball.” The complaint… continue reading