Popular Reality TV

TNT’s competition series The Hero has reached the point at which viewers get to select Patty O’Neil as the hero, giving her $610,000 and the title. Because honestly, is there any way that she will not win? Last night’s penultimate episode was blatantly edited and structured to set her up as an actual hero, saving the challenge and stepping up to face her fear. Also the other people are annoying, kind of like the show. But I couldn’t stop watching, mostly for its host and executive producer, Dwayne Johnson. The single best part about the show is The Rock, especially when he’s jumping out from behind things and scaring the contestants, before he offers them some kind of bribe and/or choice. It’s hard to underestimate how awesome he is as a host, combining personality and pathos, and also a lot of humor and self-deprecation. It’s his charisma, yes, that makes it fun to watch him, whether he’s encouraging a contestant or screwing with them, but it’s also clear that he’s really engaged in...

It’s nearly the end of 2011, and thus I’m required by media law to recap the previous year. In reality television, it was a year of ups and downs, as usual, from Jesus’ active involvement in Survivor to revealing behind-the-scenes moment Recapping the year is an exhausting, daunting challenge, however (and something I just don’t have time for this year, for reasons that will become obvious shortly). That’s in part because I have a terrible memory, but even reviewing just my posts isn’t comprehensive, because I don’t write about every moment on every show. When I mentioned this on Facebook, a suggestion from commenter Nels Highberg caught my attention, and I’m taking his advice and asking you for help. So, you tell me: What stood out to you this past year, both good and bad? That could be a moment, a trend, or an entire season. E.mail me or comment below, and I’ll update this post with my favorites. (Links, such as clips on YouTube, are welcome, even encouraged.) I’m interested to s...

Big Brother producer Allison Grodner has listed her top-10 moments from the 12 seasons she’s produced. They include Dick and Jen’s fight, Dick and Daniele winning season eight, the Ex Factor twist, Marcellas’ veto screw-up, Will Kirby’s season seven veto speech, Jeff’s coup d’etat usage, and America’s Player. So, a lot of the twists she created, basically. The full list is in CBS Watch! Magazine , and includes her rationale for each moment. Some of the moments definitely belong on the list, but others don’t make much sense. For example, her #1 moment is season five’s twin twist, which barely registers with me; she cited the excitement of watching “how long a twist like this can last.” Also, I wouldn’t have chosen Kaysar being voted back into the house during season six, because that was a dud, but instead chosen his realization that everyone was playing in secret pairs, which upended the game. Grodner focuses on the fact that he was from Iraq and viewers voted him back in anyway, whic...

« Dancing with the Stars: Lesson of the Day–Don’t Break Kelly Osbourne’s Heart | Home | The Bachelor: Melissa Rycroft Strickland to Publish Memoirs » December 28, 2010 01:00:17 by Shayla Perry The people over at Extra made a list of 2010’s Top Moments in Reality TV, and among them was the fight between Jersey Shore’s Snooki and Angelina on MTV . What other moments made the list? Keep reading to find out! 1. The Hills Comes to an End: In July, after six drama-filled seasons of hot hookups and over-the-top breakups, MTV’s “ The Hills ” came to an end. The end shocked fans when the camera panned to reveal Kristin Cavallari saying goodbye to Brody Jenner, not on the streets of Los Angeles, but instead on a Hollywood backlot — ultimately poking fun at people over the years trying to figure whether or not the show was real. 2. ‘ Amazing Race ‘ Contestant Smacked by Watermelon: Ouch! There was a major stunt mishap on Season 17 of “The Amazing Race” when Brook and Claire (Home Shopping T...

In the middle of the Detour task Nat and Kat selected, Nat said “it’s like painting by numbers but with accordions.” This episode of The Amazing Race was similar: familiar elements, lots of screw-ups, nothing special. The best part was the suspenseful ending: Chad and Stephanie checked in before Michael and Kevin, but were told by Phil they had to go get their bags and pay their cab driver first. Kevin and Michael showed up, but they got a 60-minute penalty for failing to follow directions twice, something that was foreshadowed when Michael said, “Don’t miss a word.” When Chad and Stephanie finally checked in, they got a 30-minute penalty, which meant they were in and Michael and Kevin were out. And with them go some of KevJumba’s fans who showed up for the race for the first time and are now throwing tantrums because they don’t understand how the show works. Kevin’s optimism, enthusiasm, and encouragement had waned a bit by the end, but they were still a great team—excluding, of cour...