Posted Jun 26th 2009 1:04PM by Nick Zaino
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, The Amazing Race
I'm not a fan of reality shows. I know that's not a bold statement to make, and that reality shows are a fairly easy target. But I think they're boring after the first episode, for the most part. You pretty much know how it goes from there. Which one of the needy, self-esteem deficient bachelorettes the arrogant bachelor ends up with doesn't interest me (nor the opposite - which arrogant idiot catches the fancy of the bachelorette). Talent shows are usually just as bad, preying on their contestants' desperate need for recognition, and with wildly erratic and cynical judging.
So it's a surprise to me that there are two reality shows I actually do enjoy. There is
The Amazing Race on CBS, which is currently in between seasons, and
So You Think You Can Dance, which is in the beginning third on Fox. Generally, I don't feel stupid watching these two shows. I don't feel like I'm wasting my time. In fact, every once in a while, I feel like I'm learning something.
Continue reading Reality shows for people who hate reality shows
Posted Jun 24th 2009 5:02PM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, The Amazing Race
After the separation of
Jon and Kate Gosselin, one is left wondering: what will happen to the children?
Jon and Kate Plus Eight isn't the first reality show to feature children, but many including Jon and Kate, place their children in questionable situations.
What makes exploiting children the same as a twenty-something who wants to win
Big Brother? Family reality shows have done everything as well, including
swapping mothers,
adventure races,
fixing houses, and
general living with life. There's got to be a point where the legal guardian has to say enough is enough. Aren't child labor laws in effect with the 24/7 families?
Continue reading Should children be allowed on reality TV?
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 13th 2009 7:04PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Programming, OpEd, The Amazing Race, The Apprentice, CSI, House, Lost, Smallville, Grey's Anatomy, The Office, 30 Rock, Reality-Free, Fringe, The Big Bang Theory, Parks and Recreation
Do the American people really like watching their favorite shows this way? Assuming you have more than one or two shows you enjoy following, this week is daunting to say the least and beyond exhausting. Just last night I had a three-hour finale of
The Biggest Loser and that awesome
Fringe finale. In the past few days we've said goodbye to
The Amazing Race,
The Apprentice,
Cold Case,
The Unit,
Brothers & Sisters,
The Big Bang Theory,
House and
Castle. And that's just on the major networks.
Over the next two days we have
America's Next Top Model,
Lie to Me,
Lost,
Bones,
My Name Is Earl,
Smallville,
Parks & Recreation,
CSI,
Grey's Anatomy,
Hell's Kitchen,
The Office,
Supernatural and even
CSI: NY on a special night. And it goes on through the weekend. In an era where ratings are slipping, how can it make good business sense to put all of these finales on against one another all within a few days of each other. I know they've always done that, but I just don't think it makes sense anymore.
Continue reading We're barely halfway through and I've already got finale fatigue!
Posted May 11th 2009 1:03AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, The Amazing Race, Episode Reviews
(S14E12) "You need to tell your people that I'm not their personal concierge and I don't have time to look for the place they want to go." -- Taxi dispatcher to Jaime and Cara's cab driver
Now, that was such a fine moment in tonight's season finale of
The Amazing Race! Who would have thought that an unknown female voice would deliver the best line of the season? If I had to wager beforehand, I think I would have said Mel White had some of the best lines this season. Kudos to the dispatcher ... she rules!
Continue reading The Amazing Race: This Is How You Lose a Million Dollars (season finale)
Posted May 4th 2009 1:03AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, The Amazing Race, Episode Reviews
(S14E11) Last week, the four teams remaining on
The Amazing Race were still in China when Phil gave them the news -- "This leg isn't over." I'll admit to snickering a bit because Cara and Jaime were so excited to finally make a first place finish. It's my evil side. Or, perhaps it's karma. After all, they've been the epitome of Ugly Americans to the point of name-calling just because folks in another country may not know English. While Tammy and Victor have the advantage of knowing Mandarin Chinese, a lot still depends on taxis and common sense.
Continue reading The Amazing Race: He Made Me Look Like Alice Cooper
Posted Apr 27th 2009 1:05AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, The Amazing Race, Episode Reviews
(S14E10) Oh, boo-hoo. I don't understand why anyone with such a fear of water would even consider going on a show like
The Amazing Race. Almost every season there's some sort of swimming which has to be done. Perhaps I'm biased because I learned to swim at a young age. My own personal theory of dealing with life is that everyone should learn how to swim, drive a stick shift, and change a flat tire. Hey ... those talents could win the race!
Continue reading The Amazing Race: Having a Baby's Gotta Be Easier Than This
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 20th 2009 1:04AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, The Amazing Race, Episode Reviews
(S14E09) Promos for tonight's
The Amazing Race made it look like there might be a knock-down drag-out fight between Jen (of Kisha and Jen) and Luke (Margie and Luke, naturally). Now, there's nothing that can make an interesting show even more interesting than an old-fashioned brouhaha. At least, not in my book, there isn't.
So, I'm thinking ... Luke versus Jen. Which one would I put my money on for the win? I'd have to go with Jen. While Luke throws a good hissy-fit, I think she's not one he should take on. Maybe if it were a hissy-fit brouhaha, Luke would have the edge.
Continue reading The Amazing Race: Our Parents Will Cry Themselves to Death
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 13th 2009 12:32AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, The Amazing Race, Episode Reviews
(S14E08) Yes! Sing along with the karaoke cab in Thailand. As we saw in this episode of
The Amazing Race, we'll be accompanied by singing transvestites. But that would make it all the more unique an experience. Oh-oye, tonight's show seemed to start off a bit slow for me. However, things surely twisted and turned as it went along.
Continue reading The Amazing Race: Rooting Around in People's Mouths Could Be Unpleasant
Posted Apr 4th 2009 2:03PM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, The Amazing Race, American Idol, Survivor, Dancing With The Stars
This week, reality television maintained some normalcy. The outliers in
Survivor,
Dancing with the Stars, and
Hell's Kitchen went home. Although I'll lament the loss of Mel and Mike in
The Amazing Race, I believe that all the remaining teams deserve to be there.
Speaking of teams, the
Survivor Secret Alliance still has the numbers. With the merge inevitable, we'll see if one of the best alliances ever created will stick together. As long as Coach goes home, I'll be satisfied. More analysis after the jump.
Continue reading Weekly Reality Awards
Posted Mar 30th 2009 1:03AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, The Amazing Race, Episode Reviews
(S14E07) Tonight on
The Amazing Race, the teams left India and headed to Thailand. In particular, they headed to Phuket, Thailand. Now, just the name of the city alone is enough for some teams to struggle with the correct pronunciation. There is an obvious one, but that probably wouldn't fly on network television. The accepted pronunciation is "FOO-ket." But, according to Jen and Kisha, it's "pa-KOOT." Mel was familiar with the city, but most of the other teams had trouble with the name. Phuket, it's that easy!
Continue reading The Amazing Race: Gorilla? Gorilla? Gorilla?
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