Posts tagged reality TV
First Look: Fear Factor Is Back
Oct 21st
Here’s one for all you lovers of explosions, insect eating and frat boy antics – yep, Fear Factor is back!
I know – it’s hardly been off the air – but given the ratings black hole that NBC is currently in they’re probably better off bringing back a tried and tested format than serving up more flops like Free Agents and The Playboy Club (and let’s be honest Prime Suspect is not long for this world either!)
Fear Factor originally ran for 6 seasons from 2001 to 2006, hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who’s also returning for the reboot. Personally I was never a huge fan of the show – it was all a tad too Jackass for my taste – but I can certainly appreciate the spectacle of the series (and the immense work that goes into a production like this behind the scenes). And I do think it’s a smart idea for NBC to resurrect the show given their current ratings doldrums.
Besides they’re not exactly busting at the seams with great reality shows – The Biggest Loser is falling apart this season (they should never have let Jillian go), The Apprentice only works as a celebrity format and The Sing More >
Coming Soon: Take The Money And Run
Aug 1st
When Does It Start: Tuesday 2nd August at 9pm EST on ABC
In A Nutshell: Reality goes cops and robbers…
What’s It About: Could you hide $100,000 for 48 hours? Where would you put it? And could you hold up under questioning?
That’s the dilemma facing contestants on Take The Money And Run, the latest reality show from the creators of The Amazing Race. Each team of two is given a suitcase containing $100,000 that they have one hour to hide – and then must keep hidden for two days. But a crack team of real life detectives are in pursuit and if they find the cash the players get nothing!
101 Ways To Make TV Better: Stop The Copycat Shows!
Jul 14th
Have any of you been watching ABC’s Expedition Impossible this summer?
I finally checked out the show a few days ago and I have to admit my jaw literally dropped! Why? Because the show is staggering in the way it rips off the long running CBS hit The Amazing Race.
I’d suspected as much when I wrote my Coming Soon piece prior to the Expedition Impossible premiere, but even I have to admit I was stunned by just how staggeringly unoriginal the series was. Why spend all that money on a show when the original Race has been running for years and let’s be honest, is kind of on its last legs?
I’m always puzzled by the rampant lack of originality networks demonstrate when it comes to ripping off their competitors – and sometimes even themselves. History scored big with Pawnstars, so of course Tru TV had to unleash Hardcore Pawn. Cake Boss was a smash for TLC so suddenly you end up with dozens of cake baking shows! Soon NBC will unveil Fashion Star, their take on Project Runway, another show that’s firmly past its peak. And let’s not even get into the hordes of dance and music competition shows, celebrity docu-soaps and More >
Coming Soon: Love In The Wild
Jun 28th
When Does It Start: Wednesday 29th June at 10pm EST on NBC
In A Nutshell: It’s Survivor meets The Bachelor!
What’s It About: 10 single men and 10 single women head to the jungles of Costa Rica for a unique, once in a lifetime adventure. The 20 contestants will be paired up in potential love matches and then placed in challenging situations to check how compatible they are when the pressure’s on! Adventures include paddling down crocodile-ridden waters, navigating through bat-infested caves and hanging 200 feet above the rain forest floor.
Each week one winning couple will enjoy a luxury 5 star bungalow for the night, while the other contestants have to slum it. Each show culminates in an elimination ceremony in which players are allowed to switch partners – and two unlucky singletons are sent packing.
Coming Soon: Expedition Impossible
Jun 21st
When Does It Start: Thursday 23rd June at 9pm EST on ABC
In A Nutshell: It’s The Amazing Race meets Survivor!
What’s It About: 13 teams of 3 race around Morocco, taking on a series of intense and terrifying challenges along the way. Teams will find themselves rappelling down sheer cliff-faces and negotiating white water rapids – plus lots of camel riding. The last team to arrive at each checkpoint is eliminated until just one team remains to scoop the show’s grand prize.
Are Reality Show Results Fixed?
May 12th
I’ve largely given up on American Idol this season but last night I tuned in for a while to see what Lady Gaga could do with the remaining four contestants.
As predicted even the new Queen of Pop struggled to get a performance out of Lauren and Scotty (whose act was straight out of the 1950’s). But what most caught my attention – and judging from the blogosphere, everyone else’s to – were the blatantly biased critiques Hayley received and the free passes handed out to her three fellow finalists. Hayley was crucified on the show – and not for the first time. So have the judges got an agenda this season?
Um – yep! But since when has that been news? American Idol has a long history of ‘pimping’ certain contestants over others. Sometimes the audience fall in line but more often than not we all see it for what it is and do our best to undo the judges’ blatant favoritism.
Donald Trump: Is He Hurting NBC?
Apr 29th
We generally try and avoid politics here at Remote Patrolled but with all the press coverage Donald Trump’s been attracting recently the worlds of entertainment and politics seem to have come together as one!
By now you of course know the full story. Celebrity Apprentice bigwig Donald Trump is considering a Presidential run in 2012 and has been talking a big game over the last few weeks – attacking President Obama and forcing him into revealing his birth certificate. Of course now that the certificate is out Trump STILL isn’t happy and is questioning Obama’s college grades and taking more potshots at the President.
It’s a juicy story for the press and they’ve certainly obliged The Donald with plenty of coverage. Meanwhile several Hollywood celebrities – notably Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby and Cher – have all weighed in and attacked Trump. Meanwhile let’s not forget Donald still hasn’t officially announced he’s running for president – and says he won’t and can’t make any announcement until the current season of Celebrity Apprentice finishes in a few weeks time.
Big In Britain: My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
Jan 29th
Hello all my American friends… here’s a little look at the hottest show currently airing on the OTHER side of the pond – Channel Four’s My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding…
Basically it’s Vh1′s My Big Friggin Wedding but with gypsies.
In the UK, gypsy culture is a favorite tabloid whipping boy with communities demonized as thieves, unhygienic and scroungers. Gypsy Wedding is the first show to really lift the lid on gypsy culture – by documenting their frequently over the top wedding ceremonies – a cacophony of color, spectacle and at times, seriously bad taste (take a look at the teaser below and you’ll see what I mean!)
And boy has the show taken off! The concept started as a one off documentary special in Feb 2010 which scored terrific ratings – 4.5 million – and was subsequently commissioned as a series. The regular show started a couple of weeks ago… and last week peaked at 8 million, achieving the networks highest ratings in 4 years and acres of tabloid stories… I have a feeling the series will also be great news for the gypsy community in the UK….
Full disclosure – I actually know the team behind the show. The series is produced by More >
Unreality TV: Joan And Melissa: Joan Knows Best
Jan 26th
Regular Remote Patrolled readers will know I’m a big fan of Joan Rivers and think she’s hugely underrated by the comedy snobs who rule TV.
But even I have to admit that Joan’s new We TV reality show probably isn’t her finest moment.
Last night I caught the first couple of acts of Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best in which Joan abandons her NYC lifestyle to move in with her daughter in LA. The show is glossy and slick but once again I found myself shaking my head in frustration. The problem – once again the show feels fake – with story lines straight out of a producer’s script-binder. Joan is funny and ferocious so why the need to stage such ridiculous scenarios? Didn’t anyone watch the acclaimed documentary ‘A Piece Of Work‘…? Uncensored Joan is a delight to watch…
Take a look at the clip below (from an E! news report) for a prime example… So Joe Francis, head honcho of the Girls Gone Wild franchise wants Melissa Rivers to pose naked for one of his videos. Really? Melissa Rivers? In what universe does that happen….?
Melissa refuses – so Joan ‘decides’ to intervene – taking candid snapshots while Melissa is in the shower. All while the More >
TODDLERS AND TIARAS: MAKENZIE IS BACK!
Dec 30th
Most networks are asleep at the wheel at the moment – but TLC does seem to be the rare exception this holiday season.
There was the final episode of Sarah Palin’s Alaska (CAN there even be a second season?), my current favorite competition show, The Next Great Baker – and last night saw the return of Toddlers and Tiaras, the bizarre beauty pageant show that features more fake hairpieces and nails than a season of Ru Paul’s Drag Race.
I don’t watch Toddlers on a regular basis, but I’ve certainly dipped in here and there. It’s one of those shows, like Bridezillas, that you can’t help but watch when channel surfing!
Last night’s premiere saw the return of Makenzie, the 4 year old diva with the seriously bad attitude (um, are any of these brats well behaved?) Check her out in action in the teaser below…
So did you watch Toddlers and Tiaras last night? Are you a fan of the show? And what do you think of the whole child pageant world?
