Posted Jun 11th 2009 3:00PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, The Amazing Race, American Idol, Survivor, Big Brother (US), Dancing With The Stars, Celebreality
Considering how prevalent reality television is these days, it's got to be a pretty daunting task to try and put together a comprehensive list of the best and worst of all time. But
Entertainment Weekly thinks they've done just that. They've compiled the
top 20 reality shows of all time, but also the
ten worst reality shows of all time. All in all, they did a pretty damned good job.
I completely agree with the top six, but they lose me with
Jackass at number seven. I have never understood the appeal of filming morons doing stupid things on purpose just to be stupid. But there were some shows missing from the list completely, like
Little People Big World, So You Think You Can Dance and
Beauty and the Geek. Surely those shows are better than
The Hills and
The Real Housewives of Sesame Street, or whatever franchise they're spinning now.
Continue reading EW declares the all-time best and worst of reality television
Posted May 21st 2009 11:03AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, The Amazing Race, American Idol, The Apprentice, Survivor, Dancing With The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, America's Got Talent
With the latest seasons of
Survivor,
The Amazing Race, and
American Idol wrapping up, fans patiently have to wait until the fall or spring 2010 for their favorite shows to return. But why wait? Several reality TV shows debut in the summer both as lighter fare than fall shows and a way to test for target audiences.
If one recalls, several summer reality TV shows have eventually moved to prime real estate in the fall or spring. If rumors are true the summer favorite
So You Think You Can Dance will be the next to move, airing in the summer and fall.
Here are some alternatives for your favorite reality TV shows.
Continue reading Summer reality TV alternatives
Posted May 20th 2009 10:59AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Industry, The Amazing Race, CSI, Survivor, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, Upfronts, Reality-Free, The Mentalist, The Big Bang Theory
Coming off a strong 2008 season, CBS is taking some bold moves with their new season program schedule. As we wrote earlier, there are four new dramas, a sitcom and a reality show in the mix.
The big news is how it's shifting around some hit shows on Monday and Thursday, while standing pat on Wednesday. Here's what we know right now...after the jump.
Continue reading The Upfronts: CBS
Posted May 18th 2009 12:16AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S18E14) Well, tonight was it for
Survivor Tocantins. It's hard to believe that the 18th season of the show is a wrap. Why, wasn't it just a few years ago that Richard Hatch was the evil fat naked gay guy and all the talk around the watercooler? We've progressed a lot during those nine years. This season we stepped up the game to include a naked skinny Mormon crude dude and a delusional coach. So, how did things go down tonight? Read on.
Continue reading Survivor: I Trust You But I Trust Me More (season finale)
Posted May 15th 2009 2:10AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S18E13) We're getting down to the wire for this season of
Survivor. The big three-hour finale and reunion show airs this coming Sunday. Of the five going into tonight's show, I think I would have only predicted JT be there at the beginning of the season. Stephen, the intellectual kind of nerdy guy? No way did I think he'd make it this far. Erinn was targeted early on. Taj, the best eye-roller since Eliza, is playing a delightfully sneaky game. Then there's the loon -- Coach. Sigh.
Continue reading Survivor: The Martyr Approach
Posted May 8th 2009 12:40AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S18E12) Would you prefer what's in the covered dish or what's behind Door Number Two? Okay, I lied. There is no door, just the dish. But, just think a minute ... if there was a door, perhaps Coach would be behind it pledging his never-ending Dragon Slayer hot love and devotion to you! That would make it all worthwhile, wouldn't it? This was the
Survivor auction week, always a world of gastronomical goodies. What I'd like to see is Coach on a platter at Tribal Council. Is that asking too much?
Continue reading Survivor: The Ultimate Sacrifice
Posted May 6th 2009 11:03AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Reality Shows, Programming, American Idol, CSI, Law and Order, Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, Cancellations, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free, TV Squad Ten
Earlier this week, I let you know of
the ten shows I thought should be renewed. Now it's time to reverse the question and think about the shows that shouldn't be renewed. Yes, there are some shows that should end now, either because they have annoying characters (*cough* Meredith Grey *cough*), are not treated properly by their network (insert here pretty much all shows on FOX), have been on TV for too long and have a hard time being original (I'm talking about you
Survivor), etc.
ER would have been a prime candidate for this list, but NBC finally made the right decision and ended the show a few weeks ago. Note that my list includes some shows that have received early renewals. Still, I think they should be canceled asap. So what other shows, besides
ER, I think should bite the dust? Let's find out!
If you just want the list, click here.Continue reading TV Squad Ten: Series that should be canceled
Posted May 5th 2009 12:29PM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Watercooler Talk
Back in January, I read articles mentioning that a member of 90's pop group SWV was going to be on
Survivor: Tocantins. Taj George, former pop star, author, and wife of famous NFL footballer Eddie George was cast without any bells or whistles. I was nervous seeing how ...
well Olympian Crystal Cox did in
Survivor: Gabon, but decided to give Taj a shot since she was involved in one of my favorite songs: "Weak."
I was happy to see that she didn't degrade herself to Celebreality shows or
I'm A Celebrity, Get me Out of Here! Fast forward several weeks, and Taj is part of the final six and still has a shot at winning the money.
At the moment, Taj's best bets of making it to the final four is to keep with her alliance of J.T., Stephen, and Erinn. If Taj was smart, after getting rid of Coach, she should form a women's alliance with Erinn and Debbie and get rid of J.T. and Stephen. I thought of a few other strategic moves that Taj should make to win
Survivor: Tocantins.
Continue reading Can Taj win Survivor?
Posted May 1st 2009 2:52AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S18E11) Yes, it's the Tribal Council snake from
Survivor. You see, Sue Hawk (season one) called it. Remember
her epic speech to Richard Hatch and Kelly Wiglesworth? "There are two things on this island, snakes and rats." I'm looking at the group we have left this season. I'm thinking there are more fuzzy mice than snakes and rats. I think there's a vulture or two in there, too. But this is one season I'm not rooting for the snake to eat the rat.
Continue reading Survivor: They Both Went Bananas
Posted Apr 25th 2009 9:00AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, The Amazing Race, American Idol, The Apprentice, Survivor, Celebreality
One of the best things about reality shows for me is watching people succeed or crash in a fiery abyss. While watching
Grey's Anatomy, I caught the commercial for all the summer shows and was excited to see the return of
I Survived a Japanese Game Show. Last year was heavily underrated. All the contestants were likable, everyone learned about Japanese culture, and the biggest thing everyone came off learning something.
While I wait for summer and hope for a new season, this week started off MTV's
The Phone. I was nervous about Justin Timberlake being the executive producer, but the show surprised me. Any fan of
The Mole,
The Amazing Race,
Cha$e, or
Treasure Hunters should probably consider. Now on to the weekly awards.
Continue reading Weekly Reality Awards
Posted Apr 24th 2009 1:04AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S18E10) As tonight's episode of
Survivor started, I prayed to the gods that it wouldn't be Coach-centric. Alas, there was plenty of Coach spouting his wisdom, his Warrior Alliance theories, and his general Coach-isms. After all, he is the Dragon Slayer, y'know. I so wish this Little Lord Fauntleroy Willie Nelson oddly-attired man would vanish from my television set. Maybe tonight?
Continue reading Survivor: It's Funny When People Cry
Posted Apr 23rd 2009 10:03AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Survivor
An
opinion was put forth at a Hollwood Radio and TV Society luncheon for reality television executives that questions the use of the 30-second spot in that type of programming anymore (the entire context was about the decline in television advertising, in general). While they were referring to reality TV, I was wondering if that question could be asked of television, in general.
Consider this: the BBC in England doesn't use commercials. They get money via other methods such as merchandising. While I don't think that would work in America, why ruin the flow of the show? The existence of Tivo somewhat renders commercial breaks moot. We already see ads scrolling around the sides of the screen during many television shows (Fox is notorious for them), not to mention product placement, so why not use that method for all advertisements for all shows?
I ask this of you, television viewers: would seeing commercials during the run of a program sell more products, or would it just ruin the viewing experience?
Posted Apr 18th 2009 10:04AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, The Amazing Race, Survivor, Celebreality
As the numbers continue to dwindle on the competitive reality shows, tension is starting to rise and I want a front seat. The one thing I appreciate about network reality programs compared to scripted shows is that there are new episodes every week (I'm looking at you,
Grey's Anatomy).
I'm going to make a prediction that next week Coach will say something stupid, Frenchie will say something that needs subtitles, the cast of
The Biggest Loser will sweat, and Adam will regret singing "Play That Funky Music" a few weeks too early. This week's awards after the jump.
Continue reading Weekly Reality Awards
Posted Apr 17th 2009 1:18AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S18E09) No, the biggest fraud isn't JT. I think we all know the biggest fraud on
Survivor this season. He's the castaway we'd probably vote "Most Annoying." If we examine recent current events, we can see that many fraudsters are getting their just desserts. Will we be lucky enough to get Coach gone from our TV screens?
Continue reading Survivor: The Biggest Fraud in the Game
Posted Apr 12th 2009 11:52AM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, American Idol, Survivor, Dancing With The Stars, Celebreality
A week never starts off well without
The Amazing Race on Sundays. I hate when shows get delayed or moved to Wednesdays because of basketball.The shows were all a little off this week: there was only one vote on
The Biggest Loser, there was no vote on
Survivor, and
The Real World/Road Rules challenge ended with a cliffhanger.
Speaking of
Survivor, it has to suck to be Joe, who had to be evacuated to save his leg. Alas, his life is probably more important than a million dollars. More odd decisions after the jump.
Continue reading Weekly Reality Awards
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TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
TV 101: How ESPN controls the world and what the other networks can learn from it
TV Squad previews CBS's new shows
