Popular Reality TV

The cast of The Amazing Race 19 was announced this morning, and it includes, as we’ve known since June, Survivor winners Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca . The race debuts Sept. 25 and will also feature two new elements: a double elimination and an element called the hazard. The cast of 11 teams includes other “teams that have competed at a very high level,” Phil says in the preview below; that’s a reference to a team of Olympic snowboarders, Andy Finch and Tommy Czeschin; Zac Sunderland, who sailed around the world by himself at 16; and a former NFL player, Marcus Pollard. The twist does not sound promising, because it’s about handicapping one team somehow. CBS’ announcement said that “Teams will be tested early and often and met with a new penalty called the ‘Hazard,’ which will impact one Team’s future on the Race right from the starting line.” In promising news, we have Ethan and Jenna, who literally are the reason I will watch this fall instead of giving up on the show, which is wha...

The returning designers who form the cast of Project Runway All-Stars have been announced, as have the new judges (Isaac Mizrahi and Georgina Chapman), mentor (Joanna Coles, who edits Marie Claire), and host (supermodel Angela Lindvall). The show’s winner will guest edit Marie Claire for a year, in addition to getting $100,000 cash and other prizes. The designers are Austin Scarlett (season one, 4th), Kara Janx (season two, 4th), Elisa Jimenez (season four, 10th), Rami Kashou (season 4, 2nd), Sweet P/Kathleen Vaughn (season four, 5th), Jerell Scott (season five, 4th), Kenley Collins (season five, second runner-up), Gordana Gehlhausen (season six, 4th), Anthony Williams (season seven, 5th), Mila Hermanovski (season seven, second runner-up), April Johnston (season eight, 5th), and Michael Costello (season 8, 4th), Mondo Guerra (season eight, 2nd). Lifetime calls this “a clean design slate, a fresh perspective on their art and a different mentor providing her own counsel and insight” the...

Celebrity Rehab ’s fifth season cast has been confirmed by VH1, and besides the previously revealed cast members , the group includes Stephen Adler, the Guns ‘n Roses drummer who appeared on the show’s second season and its spin-off, Sober House . The cast consists of “Long Island Lolita” Amy Fisher; baseball player Dwight “Doc” Gooden; Baywatch’s Jeremy Jackson; actor Bai Ling; and Michael Lohan, who VH1’s press release calls a “celebrity dad.” Survivor’s Sugar Kiper replaced Michaele Salahi, who was kicked out . Also on this season: Jennifer Gimenez, the actor who ran Sober House and is herself a recovering addict, and Dr. John R. Sharp, who VH1 says specializes “in the integrated treatment of depression and bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, attention deficit disorder, and addiction.” View the original article here

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/11/2011 The Bachelorette's next star will be formally announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday, ABC has announced. In addition to the announcement, the Jimmy Kimmel Live broadcast -- which will air at midnight, one hour after ABC airs the finale of The Bachelor's  fifteenth season and its subsequent After the Final Rose special -- will also feature an interview with the newly-crowned The Bachelorette star. Earlier this week, Chris Harrison acknowledged that eliminated fifteenth-season The Bachelor bachelorette  Ashley Hebert is a favorite for the role. "Ashley H, as far as fans go, is a big front-runner," Harrison told TV Guide about the 26-year-old dental school student from Philadelphia, PA. However, while rumors that Hebert will be The Bachelorette's seventh-season star have circulated for several weeks, Harrison had recently insisted the show hadn't selected its next Bachelorette yet. "There will be a Bachelorette ...

X Factor »     by Andy Dehnart / May 8, 2011, 5:54 PM Live auditions in front of audiences begin today for Fox’s fall series The X Factor , and the network officially confirmed the last bit of unconfirmed but already known news: that Paula Abdul would join the show as its fourth judge. This has been dragged out for 15 months, since Paula first hinted she’d be on the show in Feb. 2010. The real question with Paula is whether she will be crazy Paula Abdul or subdued Paula Abdul. On Twitter, Paula thanked her fans for their patience and gave them a hug , and tweeted a photo of herself and Cheryl Cole . Yesterday, the network announced the show’s hosts: Nicole Scherzinger, who has appeared on many reality TV series since her debut on Popstars in 2001, and Steve Jones, a model turned British TV host. Piers Morgan reported last fall that Nicole would be a judge , but although she did that job as a guest judge on the UK edition, she was pretty awful on The Sing Off , the NBC series she pres...

« Tori & Dean: sTORIbook Weddings – Tori Spelling On the Arabian Nights Wedding | Home | The Biggest Loser: Makeover Week With Tim Gunn! » May 3, 2011 06:20:27 by Candace Young When Ashley Hebert debuts as the newest Bachelorette on Monday May 23, she’ll be introduced to 25 eligible men. The list of bachelors for Ashley’s season was announced today – so keep reading to find out their names, ages, and details! Today, ABC released the names of the 25 men who will be vying for a chance at love on the upcoming season of The Bachelorette featuring Ashley Hebert. The perky 26 year-old, who is currently completing her degree in dentistry in Philadelphia, made it to the final three on Brad Womack’s season of The Bachelor . Among the lucky gentlemen who will get a shot at impressing Ashley are two lawyers, a construction company CEO, a chef, a dentist, and a divorced, single dad who may be there for the wrong reasons! Here’s the list: Ames , 31, a portfolio manager from New York, N...

« Survivor: Redemption Island — The Most Important Duel | Home | American Idol: Carrie Underwood Shares Her Thoughts On New Judges » April 5, 2011 12:00:08 by Allyson Wells While The Amazing Race did not air this week, CBS announced the season finale for the Unfinished Business season.  The racers assembled from previous seasons for a second turn around the world will wrap up their trip in May. CBS has announced that the season finale will air on Sunday, May 8.  The finale will be two hours and air from 8 to 10 pm EST.  CBS also recently announced that The Amazing Race has been renewed , but for only one season.  The new season will mark the show’s 19th voyage across the globe.  Casting is currently underway for the newest cycle. Based on other announcements, we know that the current cast will still be traveling to Vienna, Austria, Switzerland, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil .  The remaining pairs are Ron and Christina, Gary and Mallory, Kent and Vyxsin, Zev and Justin, Kisha and Jen,...

The teams for The Amazing Race Unfinished Business have been announced, and unsurprisingly, they do not include many of the teams who were in the preview , such as Brook and Claire. However, beside calling Kynt “Kent” (did he change his name?), the announcement does elaborate on the name for this twist by explaining what each team’s “unfinished business” is, which is simply the reason they were eliminated, which means that every single team who’s ever been on the race has unfinished business, but whatever. Here are the teams, who were previously revealed by fans following the race’s progress , and CBS’ description of their “unfinished business,” which is often hilarious in its attempt to make something special out of nothing special: Gary and Mallory (17): “Gary and Mallory were unable to avoid elimination after getting lost in Oman for over nine hours.”Kisha and Jen (14): “LaKisha and Jennifer missed out on a spot in the final three by minutes after stopping to use the restroom in C...

The cast of The Celebrity Apprentice 4 has been officially announced, although it’s been known since last fall, as the contestants competed rather publicly in several tasks . While NBC called it “the stellar celebrity lineup of candidates,” it is actually a group of people who are mostly best known now for their appearances on reality TV shows : Gary Busey, Jose Canseco, David Cassidy, Hope Dworaczyk, Richard Hatch, La Toya Jackson, Star Jones, Lil Jon, NeNe Leakes, Meat Loaf, Marlee Matlin, Mark McGrath, John Rich, Lisa Rinna, Niki Taylor, and Dionne Warwick. This casting is usually near-perfect on this show, and this cast at least has a sense of humor about itself, as NBC calls them crazy (“crazy good”) in an exclusive piece of marketing released exclusively to Entertainment Weekly , and they play up their eccentricities and show that they are pretty bad actors. But it’s sort of a weird choice to promote the show, considering the series itself the opposite: its format does an excell...

« American Idol: Harry Connick, Jr. Says “Idol” Plans Fizzled Out | Home | Worst Cooks In America: Lina Yu Blames Timing For Her Elimination » January 10, 2011 11:00:17 by Paula_Kosowski CBS reveals names of Survivor: Redemption Island new contestants today. Read more for their backgrounds and Survivor’s new twists… CBS announced 16 of the 18 new contestants for the 22nd season of Survivor . The other two remain a mystery for good reason: they’re both former contestants coming back for a second chance and redemption. The show’s new twist is, you guessed it, an opportunity for redemption. Eliminated castaways will be able to come back and compete for the million dollar prize. They’ll still be sent packing when voted off at the Tribal Council, but instead of going home contestants will be exiled  to “Redemption Island.” Once another contestant gets on the island, the two will have to duel for their right to stay on the show. The winner will return for another fighting chance to b...

« The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Camille Grammer Apologizes, But Still Sticks with Her Friends | Home | Tabatha’s Salon Takeover: Tabatha Coffey on the Phun Sisters’ Salon » December 19, 2010 08:00:28 by Shayla Perry NBC and Mark Burnett’s new singing competition, The Voice of America , is getting ready to hit the road auditioning solo acts for the chance to compete on the show. Keep reading for all the deets on audition dates, locations, and more! Want to audition to be on Mark Burnett’s new singing competition, The Voice of America ? Here’s your chance! Check out the audition dates and locations below to see when they’ll be in a city near you, and be sure to stay tuned for more information as it becomes available! The Voice of America Open Call Audition Dates & Locations January 14: Chicago, Illinois [Superior St.-2744 W. Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60612] January 15: New York, New York [S.I.R. Studios-520 W 25th St. (b/n 11th & 12th Ave), New York, NY 10001] Ja...

« The Bachelor: Brad Womack Says He’s “Very Much in Love” | Home | Top Chef: Dale L. Calls his Elimination a “Compliment” » December 17, 2010 11:00:25 by Shayla Perry NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? is returning for a second season this February, and the producers of the show are promising even more star power this time around! So which of your favorite celebrities will be getting a look into their family histories? Keep reading to find out! This season, the celebrities appearing on NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? are Gwyneth Paltrow , Tim McGraw, Rosie O’Donnell, Steve Buscemi, Kim Cattrall, Lionel Richie, Vanessa Williams, and Ashley Judd, and according to the network, each of the celebs will be led through a “journey of self-discovery as they unearth their family trees that reveal surprising, inspiring, and even tragic stories that often are linked to crucial events in American history.” “I’ve been a fan of the U.K. version of Who Do You Think You Are? for a long time, so it...

November 11th, 2010 by Lisa McGarry. No comments Romola Garai (Emma, Atonement), Dominic West (The Wire, The Devil’s Whore) and Ben Whishaw (Bright Star, Criminal Justice, Brideshead Revisited) lead an all-star cast as filming begins on The Hour, a thrilling six-part series which takes viewers behind the scenes of the launch of a topical news programme in London 1956, written and created by Bafta award-winning Abi Morgan (White Girl, Sex Traffic, Brick Lane, Murder) and produced by Kudos Film and Television. With a highly competitive, sharp-witted and passionate love triangle at the heart of the series, it’s through the lives of enigmatic Bel and her rivals, Freddie and Hector, that viewers will witness the decade on the threshold of change – from the ruthless sexual politics behind the polite social façade of the Fifties to the revelations that redefined the world for a new generation. Over the six episodes, the interplay and intense ambitions between our rising news team play out ag...