TVSquad

A day hasn't gone by where we haven't received some sort of tip or email asking us, the TV Squad, how to get on [insert reality show here]. Unfortunately no, Simon Cowell does not work for us, and Donald Trump isn't my BFF, so we really can't help all that much.

The folks at RealityWanted.com often send us a list of new and existing reality shows that are looking for new, er, talent, and they've given us permission to make mention of them here. We'll try to make this a regular feature as often as we get a new list.

This time we have The Bad Girls Club, The Biggest Loser and other new shows.

• CSPAN and the news channels will have coverage of the NH Primary all night, and the other networks will cut in with results too.
• At 8, NBC has a new, two-hour Biggest Loser, then a new Law and Order: SVU.
• ABC has a new Just For Laughs at 8.
• The CW has two new episodes of One Tree Hill starting at 8.
• There's a new Nova on PBS at 8, followed by a new Frontline.
• At 9, CBS has The People's Choice Awards.
• ABC has a new According To Jim at 9, then new episodes of Carpoolers and Boston Legal.
• Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9.
• At 10, Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Orange County.
• Sci-Fi has a new ECW at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Days of Our Lives star Alison Sweeney just landed a hosting gig with NBC. The network has placed her in Caroline Rhea's old spot as host of The Biggest Loser. Sweeney has played 'Sami Brady' on Days since 1993, but she has also been seen a lot elsewhere on NBC including guest appearances on Las Vegas and Friends, and a legendary freak-out when she was on Fear Factor (I would freak out too if I were placed in a coffin with cockroaches, nightcrawlers, and snakes). According to her biography, All the Days of My Life (So Far), the 30-year old actress has struggled with her weight for years.

Caroline Rhea hosted the reality contest for three seasons but has moved on to other projects, so I'm assuming her departure was amicable. The next season of The Biggest Loser begins this fall. And Days fans shouldn't worry, Sami isn't going anywhere.

I know Caroline Rhea is a comedian and can be pretty funny. I haven't seen much of Alison's personality but I know she has a large fan following... will she make a good host?

NBC's The Biggest Loser is looking for contestants for its next show. The network is holding open casting calls across the country this month and early next month. From what I've seen of the show, they like to have people on who have dramatic stories and/or outgoing personalities. Plus, you need to be competitive. NBC's announcement says it's looking for people who

If you need to drop a significant amount of weight, this is a good way to go. Sure, it's on national television and is humiliating, but it has been so shockingly successful for so many candidates.

Cities and dates for casting calls are after the jump:

(S03E12) Months of hard work and focused training at last comes down to this: a live finale packed to the walls with stunning transformations. Because the health improvements are so huge, the $250,000 and other prizes seem almost secondary.

Right off the bat , Caroline Rhea leads with the information that one of the final four will not be "making it to the final scale." That's a first for the show, though the circumstances will turn out to be reasonable. The intro is followed by some recapping just in case anyone missed all the recapping that was done last week.

(S03E04) Going in, Red has lost 198 lbs, and Blue has lost 240 lbs. Red had to say goodbye to Nelson after screwing themselves with a tie vote last time. Ties get broken by the rival team -- which means rule number one for Biggest Loser should be: make sure your team's votes don't end in a tie.

Red reacts to having lost Nelson by revolting against their trainer, Kim. Kai wants to work out alone. Kim acknowledges (in voice-over) she's losing control of the team, and the others just mope through a run, until Ken collapses in tears. They manage to get Kim crying too. It's nearly unbearable.

(S03E02) NBC, what're you trying to do to me? Another two hour episode this week?!?! You're testing my patience and the patience of the flood of fans who dropped by here at TVS last week to leave comments. Okay, there were exactly two comments last week, both from viewers who stated their intention to watch America's Next Top Model instead anyway. No doubt a double-sized Loser is just what is needed to reel viewers in. Here is my plea to reality show producers: if you're going to run two hours a night, make it two episodes -- that is, two challenges, two eliminations, don't just pad out an extra hour.

Anyway, here goes ...

(S03E01) I don't watch that much reality television, but I like this one because it seems to work for the contestants. And maybe for viewers too: last season I watched and got inspired, losing fifty pounds myself. So I've been looking forward to this.

But wait a minute: Jillian Michaels -- the tougher of the two trainers in earlier seasons is gone, much to my disappointment. Had I paid attention when she announced her departure months ago, maybe I wouldn't have tuned in tonight. I really like how she drove the men's team last year, and they seemed to love her too. That, and this time there are fifty contestants to wade through. One from each state in the union. The obese nation theme gets a lot a play early on. But fairly quickly they're whittled down to a manageable group of 14: seven men and seven women. Unlike last year, they are not divvied up into teams based on gender. The other 36 will continue the challenge on their own at home. However, the parade of fifty hopeful contestants marching down the hill to the Biggest Loser Ranch is an impressive sight. (Spoilers after the jump.)

I guess I could just devote my evenings to MyNetworkTV's telenovas but that would be too easy. From the NFL, to New Caprica, Star's Hollow, the Sunset strip, Rockefeller Plaza, and west Baltimore, here's where I expect to park my butt this fall season:

Sunday
5:15 pm (West Coast) Sunday Night Football (NBC). John Madden.

10 pm The Wire (HBO). The best ... blah blah blah, etc. (Actually, I'll most likely catch these earlier in the week On Demand.)