Popular Reality TV

Catfish »    by Andy Dehnart / January 27, 2013, 5:03 PM SNL and host Adam Levine mocked MTV’s Catfish during last night’s show in a brief sketch that managed to quickly capture many of the show’s flaws, particularly the way its host makes it all about himself. As in the documentary film that inspired the show, whether or not you find Nev Schulman to be likable and sympathetic or arrogant and completely full of shit. Although I found the subject to be compelling, I definitely felt the latter: I have no doubt that the events of the film were authentic, I just never bought that the story was truly a mystery to Nev and his friends—and that they just happened to be recording each other the whole time. SNL captures all this, especially with its mocking of Nev’s self-absorption, despite Adam Levine’s failure to act convincingly. I also appreciate the jokes about the MTV show’s lies to its audience, like the way the subjects just awkwardly come out of their houses with zero surprise that th

The Office has finally done what it promised to do in this, its (mercifully) final season: revealing the crew behind the scenes of the documentary or reality TV show that has been following the office staff for years. The clip is below; read on if you’ve already watched or already given up on a show that seemed to have given up completely last year and has rebounded only every so slightly as it heads toward its finale. Actor Chris Diamantopoulos, who’s had roles on 24 and The Sopranos, among other shows, appeares in the final minutes as Brian, a boom mic operator who convinces the crew to stop filming after Pam has a fight over the phone with Jim. Pam actually directly addresses Brian, breaking the fourth wall, at least of the documentary within the TV show. Of course, the show has consistently broken the fourth wall—if it can be called that—since its first season, with cast members acknowledging the cameras and being interviewed by producers, though the series itself hasn’t given it

Project Runway ’s 11th season will be all team challenges, all the time, which makes many of those fans still watching cringe considering how awful that has been in the past. If it doesn’t work, we can blame Tim Gunn—though the show is in a death spiral, and has lost Michael Kors as a judge. While the show’s iconic mentor says the idea came from the series’ showrunner, Tim told Time that she “was ambivalent” and was feeling “a little trepedatiously about it,” but “I leapt on it.” Besides taking responsibility, basically, for the twist, Tim puts himself even more on the line by taking a page from Jeff Probst’s playbook: “It’s my favorite season ever,” he said. View the original article here

casting »    by Andy Dehnart / January 22, 2013, 9:17 AM The CW aired a series based on musical chairs last summer, and now the producers of Big Brother are working on a show based on an even simpler game: tug of war. Yes, this very real show is being produced by Alison Grodner and Rich Meehan’s Fly On the Wall Entertainment. Doron Ofir Casting is searching for participants for the show, which is apparently called Tug of War . They want “the biggest personalities, the greatest storytellers, the most unlikely candidates and the fiercest competitors to put together the ultimate cast for the premier season of this incredible recreation/survival series.” The show is described on the casting web site as “an all-new competition adventure show with a huge six figure prize” and “the greatest nostalgic adventure and the best summer of your life,” so it sounds like there will be more to the show than tug of war. Perhaps, like on a Big Brother challenge, contestants will get sprayed with white

« Mariah Carey Suggested As Cast Member For Tina Fey’s Mean Girls Musical | Home | Tina Fey’s Mean Girls Musical: Potential Comeback For Lindsay Lohan? » January 29, 2013 02:00 PM by Lisa Princ American Idol alum, Colton Dixon caused some controversy last season over his strong religious beliefs, which he refused to tone down even at the advice of the producers. Colton Dixon finished in seventh place, shocking fans, but he vowed not to let them down. Today, Dixon’s debut album  has been released! Details inside… American Idol fans were shocked last season, when Colton Dixon was eliminated and finished in seventh place. Some folks may blame it on his strong religious beliefs, but Dixon was not willing to stop sharing those beliefs for the sake of possibly winning the show. Now, as the show has kicked off season 12, Colton has released his debut album, A Messenger . The album, which is a contemporary Christian album, has already had two tracks hit the Christian charts. His debut singl

« Mindy McCready Denies Shooting Boyfriend | Home January 29, 2013 05:05 PM by Donna W. Martin Recently, we learned that Punk’d star, Chris Brown, 23, and Frank Ocean, 25, were involved in a scuffle over an L.A. parking spot in West Hollywood on Sunday. And now Ocean wants Brown charged in the incident. Brown has yet to respond to the alleged assault but is apparently feeling crucified and compares himself to Jesus. Keep reading for more details. According to E! News, Ocean tweeted on Sunday, “Got jumped by Chris and a couple guys…cut my finger now I can’t play w two hands at the grammys.” A spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office said, “Chris Brown and the victim were involved in an altercation over a parking space. The altercation allegedly led to Chris Brown punching the victim.” The victim was later identified as Ocean and the spokesman said he was “desirous of prosecution in this incident.” But was the troubled singer really out looking for a fight? Sources close t

Home > Comedy > Mrs Brown’s Boys: Brendan O’Carroll has written a part for Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville in film Mrs Brown D’Movie! January 29th, 2013 by Anna Howell. We reported yesterday how the hugely popular BBC sitcom, Mrs Brown’s Boys, was planning on making its film debut next year, and now it seems that the shows main star and writer, Brendan O’Carroll has set his sights on Downton Abbey star, Hugh Bonneville , to appear alongside his fictional family when it hits the big screen! O’Carroll confirmed the news that Mrs Brown’s Boys was to be made into a film yesterday saying to Digital Spy: “It’s called Mrs Brown D’Movie, and it should be released in June of next year to compete with the World Cup. “Once we’ve finished that, there may be a possibility of a fourth television series.” Now the drag actor has revealed that he wants Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham in the hit ITV period drama, Downton Abbey in the film, Mrs Brown D’Movie to play a Tourette’s Syndrome su

Ask Andy »    by Andy Dehnart / January 22, 2013, 10:04 PM Still waiting to hear your take on King of the Nerds… —Eric Pierce This isn’t exactly a question, so I suppose including it here is kind of a cheat, but it’s one I get frequently: When are you going to write about this show, or what do you think about that show? First, I really appreciate these questions, since I’m just a guy sitting on my couch in underwear responding to what I see. It’s still kind of weird that people care what I think, so if you’re one of those people, thanks. I’m rarely shy with my thoughts or opinions, but maybe a few years ago, I realized that so many of my favorite television programs are ones that it took me a while to get into (Deadwood, The Sopranos, even Mad Men) or ones that started with weak pilot episodes (Golden Girls) or even weak first seasons (Parks and Recreation). So, recognizing that a show usually wants and needs publicity to get off the ground, and knowing that first episodes of reality

Home > Soaps > Hollyoaks Spoilers: Emmett J. Scanlan says Brendan Brady’s spectacular exit will not damage show! January 29th, 2013 by Anna Howell. With his Hollyoaks exit only weeks away Emmett J Scanlan has revealed that the end of Brendan Brady will include a spectacular stunt! We reported earlier this month how Emmett, who plays the double B moustached monster that is Brendan Brady, was bowing out of the hit Channel 4 soap later this year after two and a half years playing the menacing, yet much loved character. Brendan, who will go down in history as one of Britain’s best loved soap characters of all time, has remained one of the darkest, most complicated Hollyoaks residents throughout his time on the show, and is never far away from any of the shows drama. During his 2 and a half years on our screens he has been involved in at least three murders (that we know of), including that of his own grandmother. He has also been at the centre of a disturbing homosexual domesti

Home > Factual > The Undateables: Heather, Matthew & ‘virgin’ Gareth try to find love but will Peter Andre ruin it? January 29th, 2013 by Lisa McGarry. The penultimate episode of the current series of The Undateables airs on Channel 4 tonight, as we meet another group of people suffering from a range of disabilities, looking for love. First up is a 38 year old lady named Heather, who battles with OCD but doesn’t want to be alone any longer. Heather is a germophobe, who usually finds it easier to avoid physical contact with other people and she admits that she hasn’t invited anyone into her home for a very long time. She also suffers from Asperger’s and when she does get into a conversation, finds it hard to make eye contact and engage with people she’s talking to. Tonight she will be seen preparing to meet Peter, for her first date in three years. Tune in to see if it goes well this evening. Meanwhile, Gareth, 28, has a brittle bone disease named osteogenesis imperfecta (

Home > Factual > Jeremy Wade on the hunt again on tonight’s River Monsters! January 29th, 2013 by Lisa McGarry. When he hears of a recent bloody attack in a remote Mongolian river, angler Jeremy Wade wonders if it could be the work of a giant fish so rare that it’s more legend than fact. Pound for pound, this man-sized monster is said to be one of the world’s strongest fighters on a line – or at least, it was. With illegal gold miners poisoning its last hideouts, it’s anyone’s guess if this pumped-up predator is still alive and biting. Jeremy’s quest to track it down leads him into a vast landlocked wilderness where the only people he’s likely to meet are gun-toting outlaws. Could the rivers here still be home to a beast that Jeremy has read about but never seen? 7.30-8pm, tonight, ITV1 View the original article here

« Tina Fey’s Mean Girls Musical: Potential Comeback For Lindsay Lohan? | Home | Kris Humphries’ Herpes Test Comes Back Negative » January 29, 2013 03:51 PM by Megan Wilson Lindsay, this is just getting to be ridiculous.  You are up to your antics yet again-and this time they may have dire consequences.  Too sick to go to court, but spotted out shopping?  This doesn’t bode well for the Punk’d star.  Keep reading for the details! Lindsay Lohan is amazing at making up excuses.  If I had the sheer talent she did at bowing out of responsibilities when I was younger, I never would’ve gone to school, and I would’ve still graduated at the top of my class.  Lindsay was supposed to appear in a Santa Monica courtroom today to face charges of lying to the police stemming from her accident over the summer, however, Lindsay’s Lawyer, Mark Jay Heller, submitted a letter and supporting documents claiming Lindsay had an upper respiratory infection.  Mark even included articles from the New York Post d

« Kris Humphries’ Herpes Test Comes Back Negative | Home | Mindy McCready Denies Shooting Boyfriend » January 29, 2013 04:24 PM by Lisa Princ Last night on The Biggest Loser , Dolvett Quince’s red team was beaten on the scale by both Bob Harper’s team and Jillian Michaels’ remaining player. The weigh in resulted in the second elimination for the red team, as they sent Lisa Rambo home. Don’t worry though, Lisa is determined to continue her journey at home, and show up at the finale with her eye on the prize! The Biggest Loser ‘s latest eliminated contestant, Lisa Rambo may not have won the $250k, but speaking with the media today, Lisa shared her determination to keep going strong. In fact, she is eyeing the prize – the at home prize, that is. Rambo also shared her thoughts on working with Dolvett Quince and her overall experience. Check out her interview below! How Lisa’s expectations differed from the reality of the ranch: I was excited. I was looking forward to being on the show and

A&E has responded to Storage Wars star Dave Hester’s lawsuit, and dismisses his claims that the series is “a fraud on the public”—but mostly by arguing about the law and claiming free speech. While the response [PDF] dismisses Hester’s claimsA saying he did not “to allege any facts to demonstrate malice, fraud despicable conduct or evil motive,” it also says that he “tries to convert a garden-variety breach of contract claim into a tabloid-worthy drama, in which Hester portrays himself as a crusading whisleblower” with “notable inconsistencies in his exaggerated self-portrait.” More significantly, the response argues “television programs indisputably require prelimary production work, which also constitute protected activity,” and says those are free speech. The response argues that for Hester to claim that the show isn’t real constitutes “unfair business practices,” “such a claim would require Court to insert itself into the creative processes of an expressive work, in contraven

« The Bachelor: Chris Harrison Predicts This Season’s Favorites And Villain | Home | Taylor Swift & Harry Styles Call It Quits » January 08, 2013 07:00 AM by Donna W. Martin Following the release of photographs alleging that Justin Bieber was smoking marijuana, pranksters posing as Bieber fans orchestrated an elaborate hoax trying to convince real fans of The X Factor guest judge to cut themselves. Say what? Keep reading for all the details. According to Zap2It, pranksters started a sick online hoax on Monday that caused #CutForBieber and #CuttingForBieber to start trending on Twitter. Shocking images depicted slashed wrists, blades, and blood and urged Bieber fans to cut themselves as a way of convincing him to stop smoking marijuana. Members of the 4chan message board started the hoax. One user said, “Let’s start a cut yourself for bieber campaign. Tweet a bunch of pics of people cutting themselves and claim we did it because bieber was smoking weed. See if we can get some litt

Home > Drama > Doctor Who & Sherlock go head to head at National Television Awards – as will Matt Smith & Benedict Cumberbatch! January 8th, 2013 by Lisa McGarry. The National Television Awards will take place later this month and it seems there will be some serious competition in some of the categories this year. Stars and crew from some of the year’s biggest TV hits and most popular dramas and soaps will be at the 2013 awards ceremony when it takes place at the 02 in London and the leading men from two of the BBC’s most talked about series will be going head to head on the night. The full list of nominations was released earlier today and it’s been revealed that long running sci fi show Doctor Who and detective drama Sherlock will compete for the title of ‘Best Drama’. The leading men will also engage in a battle, as Matt Smith and Benedict Cumberbatch go head to head in the ‘Best Male’ actor category. Merlin’s Colin Morgan and Ronnie Biggs star Daniel Mays have al

by ANTM Blogger Tyra has a “Top Model” reunion when she invites judges Paulina Porizkova and Nigel Barker to the talk show. First, she sits down with Paulina to discuss her tumultuous childhood, her true feelings about modeling and how she experimented with drugs during her career. Nigel joins them to talk about how his modeling led to his career as a fashion photographer, how he feels about being a sex symbol and his most crazy encounter with a fan. Then, viewers who are aspiring to be models walk Tyra’s runway and receive brutally honest advice from the judges about their future in modeling. This is an extremely interesting edition of the show, and should not be missed by any Top Model fans! Top Model Judges Unedited gives a unique insight into how each of the judges go to where they are today within the world of modeling. This brilliant episode is certainly one which any Tyra fans will want to watch again and again. The judges also give modeling tips that can help everyone in real

by ANTM Blogger Well, it’s been a year since this site has seen any love (sry), but that’s changing. No, we didn’t fall out of love with Tyra or the top models or the show — in fact, we watch it religiously each week — we just couldn’t find the time to properly write about it. But, after the recent “meat episode” we were inundated by hate mail from people who don’t understand the meaning of a fan site and couldn’t quite comprehend that we had nothing to do with that episode nor could we do anything about it and they just wasted 10 minutes of their life even writing us an e-mail. Hmm, guess that wasn’t a complete waste of time because it did rouse us (and this site by proxy) from our slumber and you can expect to see episode commentary here beginning next week with the Cycle 10 season finale. Also, we’re going to try and get some of the previous episode recaps up as well. That’s a tall order and it will take some time, so be patient. On another note, if you’re a fan of the show and w

by ChicagoGirl Hell yes you do TyraBot, AlphaJ, and BetaJay! Season 11 has premiered one hell of an awesome and satisfying episode. First off, the Alpha/Beta J’s haircuts. I felt like I was watching a Street Fighter character or something for BetaJay with a splash of Elvis. Loved the silver blonde bowl cut on AlphaJ cause the fro was getting old. The whole people from the future/technology theme was fierce and worked well and also kind of explains TyraBot’s haircut. [I love the damn nicknames so much I don't want to stop using them but I should. Maybe next time.] The body scan of the girls was cute and so was TBots entrance. So the season starts off in LA with the fromthefuture J’s and Tbot. The studio is all sleek and white and clean. The girls get the cut down from 33 to 20 girls by getting their hand scanned to see if access if granted or denied. Blah Blah. The girls do a photo shoot and we get to know some of them. Already I absolutely hate Kacey. She tells a stupid story abou

X Factor 2 »    by Andy Dehnart / December 13, 2012, 10:30 PM The X Factor judge L.A. Reid won’t return for season three, quitting the show after being two seasons and arguably its break-out star, if this disastrous mess of a show can have such a thing. L.A.’s announcement comes as viewers are leaving, too: Survivor easily beat X Factor again last night, among overall viewers and viewers 18 to 49; it dropped 7 percent compared to the previous week (though, in fairness, Survivor also dropped by 3 percent). A month ago, though, the reverse was true, as the Fox series was beating the CBS series. Overall, X Factor ’s numbers aren’t terrible, but they are far from what the money and hype should be earning. “I have decided that I will not return to The X Factor next year. I have to go back and I have a company to run that I’ve kind of neglected and it saddens me a little bit, but only a little bit,” Reid told Access Hollywood. He also said that being on the Fox series “was fun! I had a