TVSquad

I'm not a fan of Tila Tequila (actual name: Tila Nguyen) or her MTV programs A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila or its sequel, but that doesn't mean I want her to get hurt. Sadly, it looks like she was allegedly restrained and choked by Shawne Merriman, a linebacker with the San Diego Chargers. Charges have already been pressed.

Since she did call and press charges, I'm going to assume this isn't one of those cases of erotic asphyxiation gone wrong and assume Mr. Merriman was (allegedly) trying to prove his manhood somehow. In which case he's a cad and a beast and there are more promising men out there. In fact, since Ms. Nguyen is allegedly bisexual (she claimed to be on her show, but I've always had my doubts about that) she has an even bigger batch of better options to choose from.

Is this going to be another case of Rihanna and Chris Brown? I certainly hope not.

For some, watching relationship-based reality programming is not their idea of a pleasant night in. Why should they watch shows about finding and keeping love when it takes so long to find that right person in real life? Yet, since the mid-'60s, viewers have turned-in to watch others search for their soul mate. Or, at least their soul mate of the hour.

Of course, in the time of the Reality Revolution, the way love was found on television changed a bit. Rather than asking a simple set of questions to a set of bachelors or bachelorettes sitting behind a wall, men and women would compete for the love of a well-to-do bachelor or bachelorette, or a rapper/model, or a washed up 80s hair band star. They would even compete to see if their love could withstand an onslaught of temptation.

Sometimes they would find their one true love on these reality show. Other times they would be tossed away, their hearts broken, like a piece of paper. Along the way they would be love, sex, fights, sex, heartfelt moments, and sex. With reality programming being what it is, the viewers ate it all up.

MTV is serving up some special programming to go along with the season finale of A Shot at Love 2 with Tila Tequila. Every Tuesday for three weeks, MTV will give fans updates on their favorite and least favorite contestants and talk to everyone about this past season.

I'm in Los Angeles right now. From my observations: everyone is perfect looking, the weather is always beautiful, and everyone drives everywhere despite the fact that gas is approximately eleventy billion dollars a gallon and it doesn't appear that anyone is actually, you know, working. LA doesn't exist in any kind of recognizable reality. Let's put it this way: if the guys in Plato's cave were to figure out that the figures being cast onto their walls came from the Sunset Strip, they'd probably opt to stay chained up.

It stands to reason, then, that any genre springing to life in such an environment would bear no resemblance to what the rest of the world calls "reality". TV Squad therefore presents its first annual The Reality Shows Have Writers!? Award, recognizing those shows that in no way reflect a life that any human being on the planet is actually living but, for some reason, call themselves "reality shows."

If you haven't entered our latest giveaway yet, here's a reminder that it's ending today. You've got until 5PM Eastern today to enter the A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila DVD giveaway.

Just head on over to the post link above, read through the rules, and make the applicable comment there (not here!). We'll notify the winners next week.

Good luck!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! This time we've got five copies of A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila - The Complete Uncensored First Season on DVD for five lucky, random commenters. The DVD is available in stores now.

To enter, simply leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, Friday, May 9 simply telling us why you'd like to own this DVD set. As always, we'll randomly choose five winners amongst the eligible entries. Some other details:
Click here for complete Official Rules.

My favorite part of this Hollywood Reporter article is that MTV is now referred to as a "lifestyle cable channel." Maybe the M stands for Mood now. Apparently A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila ranks as the second highest-rated show on MTV this past year, behind only the perennial MTV Video Music Awards. One of the most entertaining 'characters' on the show was Milan-born contestant Domenico Nesci. And even though he didn't win Tila's heart, he did win a show of his own.

So for six hour-long episodes and a reunion special we can watch That's Amore, where Nesci selects among fifteen bachelorettes. I guess if one of those ladies proves popular we can expect a quick spinoff for that contestant as well. It's nice to see that reality shows have finally jumped on the spinoff bandwagon. Why leave it just for the movies (Evan Almighty) and scripted television (Private Practice).