reality blurred

The stupid conspiracy theory about Clay Aiken's Apprentice loss, Arsenio Hall's win

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:41:02 -0500

Following Clay Aiken's surprising loss to Arsenio Hall on Sunday night's live Celebrity Apprentice finale, a conspiracy theory emerged suggesting the show was fixed, collusion between Trump and NBC and Comcast and Magic Johnson and quite possibly Voldemort.

After I praised Clay's performance, some of Clay's fans flooded the comments with versions of the theory: Comcast, as part of its agreement with the government to diversify its networks following its purchase of NBC Universal, announced in February that it would carry Magic Johnson's new network, Aspire, starting in June.

Since Arsenio Hall is friends with and was raising money for Magic Johnson's charity, and The Apprentice airs on NBC, that morphed into a specious theory that the whole thing was a fix to give Arsenio a show on Aspire. What?

I may be naive, but I just don't buy this at all. The series was filmed last fall. Comcast ordered Magic Johnson's network this spring. There is absolutely no evidence that Arsenio will have a show on that network--and if he would, not mentioning that on the finale blows the actual chance at real publicity. If he is getting one, and if Comcast wanted him to win to promote that, why didn't they? Fans aren't, by default, just going to seek out Arsenio wherever he lands, especially not on a minor tiny new cable network. If Comcast wanted corporate synergy, they would have used the platform of the finale to promote it. But there was nothing.

There is some evidence that supports part of this theory: On his podcast Monday, Adam Carolla said that after the finale, an unnamed woman told him, "She said, 'Oh, Arsenio's got a deal with NBC or deal with their whatever company, and this is what they're doing, or this is how it works.'" But that's both vague and nonspecific; not backed by any available fact; and has nothing to do with Magic's network, which is what the Claymates pushing this theory really emphasize. Also, Adam talks about the conspiracy theories that are being floated--yet he's now being cited as evidence of those very theories.

Yes, Arsenio's win was surprising, and Adam Carolla says he was "fucking shocked" Clay lost after raising more money and producing a better show, and after all the celebrities--even those on Arsenio's team--said Clay did a better job. But actually, it's not a surprise at all, because there is no doubt at all that the winner has always been arbitrary, because the winners are chosen by Donald Trump. This seems like Claymates once again creating a conspiracy theory to justify their man's loss.

You'll recall that, following Clay Aiken's loss on American Idol 2, his loss was attributed to conspiracies: Ryan Seacrest screwing up the number of votes separating the two, and votes for Clay not getting through, because the telephone system hates him, apparently. Guess what's more likely? Clay just lost. More people voted for Ruben Studdard. A lot of people called and the ones who supported Ruben but got busy signals didn't take to the Internet in outrage because their man won.

The unique passion that Clay inspires in some people lends a few of them to believe, I think, that it's impossible the entire world doesn't view him with the same passion, so they develop conspiracy theories to explain it away. It's pointless to argue, because the lack of evidence just makes believers believe more.

It's likely Arsenio Hall will get a deal to do some kind of television as a result of his appearance on the show; his win may help that slightly, but what he did most this season was aggressively campaign for a TV show. It's also possible that will be with a company Comcast owns, since Comcast owns a lot of things. And sure, it's possible Trump chose Arsenio to set him up for success with that.

But it's also possible Clay Aiken just lost because, for whatever reason, Donald Trump liked Arsenio Hall better. What a strange concept.

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2011-2012's reality shows, ranked by ratings popularity

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:55:39 -0500

Despite the never-ending flood of new and returning series, the 2011-2012 television season has officially concluded, and now it's time for the results show. Once again, the most-popular reality show in the country is American Idol, though it has fallen to number two, behind Sunday Night Football.

Of the seven shows in the top 20, six are singing competitions, and the other is Survivor South Pacific. The least-popular network reality show: The CW's Remodeled, produced by Big Brother's Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan.

TV By the Numbers published a ranked list of all network shows based on their popularity among people ages 18 to 49, the best public indicator of their value to networks.

I removed all the scripted and other shows, leaving only the ones that matter: reality TV shows. As you look at it, keep in mind that ratings matter most in time slots, so a low-rated show here might perform very well for a network in its time slot. But it's also interesting to see how well shows performed overall: Despite airing against X Factor and American Idol, Survivor's fall season remained a top-20 show, while the spring season was 29th.

2. American Idol performance
3. The Voice performance
6. American Idol results
10. X Factor performance
15. X Factor results
16. The Voice results
20. Survivor South Pacific
28. America's Got Talent (Mondays)
29. Survivor One World
30. Dancing with the Stars
33. Hell's Kitchen (Monday at 9)
35. America's Got Talent (Tuesdays)
38. Hell's Kitchen (Mondays)
40. Amazing Race 19
46. Dancing with the Stars
47. Amazing Race 20
50. The Bachelor
54. Fear Factor
65. Biggest Loser 13
66. Biggest Loser 12
72. The Bachelorette
74. American Ninja Warrior
78. Celebrity Apprentice
79. Celebrity Wife Swap
86. Mobbed
86. Undercover Boss
106. Wipeout (Thursdays)
108. The Sing-Off
109. Shark Tank
111. Fashion Star
117. America's Got Talent (Tuesday at 8)
119. Kitchen Nightmares
124. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
127. Betty White's Off Their Rockers
131. COPS
150. America's Next Top Model 11
152. Who Do You Think You Are?
164. Wipeout (Saturdays)
170. Shark Tank (Saturdays)
179. America's Next Top Model: British Invasion
189. America's Next Top Model 11 (encores)
192. America's Next Top Model: British Invasion (encores)
193. Remodeled

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Summer 2012 reality TV debut schedule

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:20:20 -0500

For me, the start of summer is not Memorial Day, but by the start of So You Think You Can Dance, as spring ends with the conclusion of American Idol. But it's June when the onslaught of new and returning reality shows will really hit, from last summer's awesome surprise The Glee Project to ABC's improved-upon version of Big Brother, The Glass House.

The following is a frequently-updated list of officially announced debut dates for new and returning reality series (send updates, additions, and corrections to me any time). For shows that premiered before May 24, see the spring 2012 schedule.

Times listed are ET; TV networks sometimes change their schedules or repeat episodes, so check your cable guide or other TV listings. For up-to-date news on more popular shows, click the [news] link that follows it.

May

So You Think You Can Dance [Fox, May 24 at 8, Wednesdays at 8] news
Duets [ABC, May 24, Thursdays at 8]
On the Fly [TLC, May 24, Thursdays at 9] news
Tattoo School [TLC, May 24, Thursdays at 10]
Gene Simmons Family Jewels [A&E, May 28, Mondays at 9]
Cake Boss [TLC, May 28, Mondays at 9]
Monster In-Laws [A&E, May 28, Mondays at 10]
Extreme Couponing [TLC, May 28, Mondays at 10]
The Catalina [The CW, May 29, Tuesdays at 8]
Design Star [HGTV, May 29, Tuesdays at 9] news
Dogs in the City [CBS, May 30, Wednesdays at 8]
Coming Home [Lifetime, May 30, Wednesdays at 9]
Final Offer [Discovery, May 31, Thursdays at 10]
L.A. Hair [WEtv, May 31, Thursdays at 10]
Mountain Men [History, May 31, Thursdays at 10]

June

Whale Wars [Animal Planet, June 1, Fridays at 9] news
Secret Millionaire [ABC, June 3, Sundays at 8]
Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition [ABC, June 3, Sundays at 9]
BBQ Pitmasters [Destination America, June 3, Sundays at 9]
Ice Road Truckers [History, June 3, Sundays at 9]
Call of the Wildman [Animal Planet, June 3, Sundays at 10]
Hell's Kitchen 10 [Fox, June 4, Mondays and Tuesdays at 8]
Masterchef [Fox, June 4, Mondays and Tuesdays at 9]
The Real Housewives of New York City [Bravo, June 4, Mondays at 9] news
Push Girls [Sundance Channel, June 4, Mondays at 10]
Love in the Wild [NBC, June 5, Tuesdays at 9]
The Glee Project [Oxygen, June 5, Tuesdays at 10] news
Storage Wars [A&E, June 5, Tuesdays at 10]
Kendra on Top [WEtv, June 5, Tuesdays at 10]
Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles [Bravo, June 6, Wednesdays at 9]
Cajun Pawn Stars [History, June 6, Wednesdays at 9]
Fast 'n' Loud [Discovery, June 6, Wednesdays at 10]
My Big Redneck Vacation [CMT, June 6, Wednesdays at 10:30]
The Choice [Fox, June 7, Thursdays at 9]
Cajun Justice [A&E, June 7, Thursdays at 10]
Lives on Fire [OWN, June 8, Fridays at 9]
Flying Wild Alaska [Discovery, June 8, Fridays at 10]
DC Cupcakes: Takes New York [TLC, June 8, Fridays at 10]
Million Dollar Neighborhood [OWN, June 9, Saturdays at 9]
Redneck Island [CMT, June 9, Saturdays at 10]
Real Life: The Musical [OWN, June 9, Saturdays at 10]
Mob Wives Chicago [VH1, June 10, Sundays at 8]
Our America with Lisa Ling [OWN, June 10, Sundays at 10]
Tia & Tamera [Style, June 11, Mondays at 8]
Chicagolicious [Style, June 11, Mondays at 9]
Barter Kings [A&E, June 12, Tuesdays at 9]
Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta [VH1, June 18, Mondays at 8]
Teen Mom [MTV, June 12, Tuesdays at 10] news
RuPaul's Drag U [Logo, June 18, Mondays at 9] news
The Glass House [ABC, June 18, Mondays at 10] news
Miss Advised [Bravo, June 18, Mondays at 10]
Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp [Lifetime, June 19, Tuesdays at 10]
Snooki & JWOWW [MTV, June 21, Thursdays at 10] news
The Great Escape [TNT, June 24, Sundays at 10]
Hollywood Exes [VH1, June 27, Wednesdays at 9]
Wipeout [ABC, June 28, Thursdays at 9]

July

Big Ang [VH1, July 8, Sundays at 8]
Opening Act [E!, July 9, Mondays at 10]
Destination Truth [SyFy, July 10, Tuesdays at 8]
Beverly Hills Nannies [ABC Family, July 11, Wednesdays at 9]
The Franchise [Showtime, July 11, Wednesdays at 10]
Big Brother [CBS, July 12, Thursdays at 9, Sundays at 8, Wednesdays at 8] news
The Real L Word [Showtime, July 12, Thursdays at 10]
Mama Drama [VH1, July 18, Wednesdays at 10]
3 [CBS, July 22, Sundays at 9]
Bachelor Pad [ABC, July 23, Mondays at 8] news
Top Chef Masters [Bravo, July 25, Wednesdays at 10] news

later

Architecture School 2 [Sundance Channel]
High School Confidential 2 [WEtv, 2013]

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Phillip Phillips had eight surgeries during American Idol

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:19:23 -0500

American Idol 11 winner Phillip Phillips' win is a bit more remarkable when you consider that he had eight separate operations for kidney stones during the show. Eight! No wonder he was excused from participating in those awful Ford music video shoots.

Phillip, who's 21, will have yet another operation to have his kidneys reconstructed, but will recover in time to join the tour when it starts on July 6. That's according to his dad, also named Phillip Phillips, who told People, "The recovery's probably two to four weeks. He's healthy, he's good. His kidneys are good. I can't wait for America and the whole world to see him [after his surgery], because he's a big cut-up. He's going to have some fun."

He also said Phillip has "been doing [well], but it's just grueling hours and it's just amazing what he's done through the journey. Eight operations since we started American Idol ... He's hitting 50 percent, but he's still up there swinging away. ... They've just seen a glimpse of what Phillip can do. We can't wait to get him well and 100 percent and really see how he can perform."

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Vote for which Top Model looks best dead with her head mounted on a wall (really)

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:13:43 -0500

Viewer voting is now open for the fall season of America's Next Top Model, and the first photo shoot features the models' heads mounted to wood plaques as if they were hunted, killed, and dismembered. I mean, they are "'wild animal' fierce" according to the show's Facebook page.

Voting ends at midnight ET tonight, because viewers' impressions of the photo shoot taxidermy will be used during judging of the show (which is in production now but airs this fall), so check out the heads now.

Besides the photo, there are brief biographical stats and 30-second videos with each girl introducing herself--talking with their heads stuck through the wall plaque set, so it looks like a fucked up version of the Country Bear Jamboree.

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Phillip Phillips' win, Ace Young's awful proposal to Diana DeGarmo end Idol's lowest-rated finale ever

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:50:50 -0500

Phillip Phillips won American Idol 11 last night, and though he beat Jessica Sanchez by earning the majority of "a world record 132 million votes," according to vote-counters, it was the series' lowest-rated finale episode ever, following the lowest-rated performance episode ever. That may be because his win was rather predictable, or because this season had talent but no soul.

About 20.7 million people watched, and among viewers 18 to 49, that was a drop of "32% from last year's finale and is the lowest-rated finale ever for the series," according to TV By the Numbers. It still remains the number-one show on television, though, having regained that spot from The Voice.

Phillip's win was unsurprising and the finale was surprisingly low-key. The predictably awful group numbers (including a "tribute" to The Bee Gee's Robin Gibb by the men) outnumbered the actually entertaining segments, which included a couple funny bits (Randy Jackson's lack of creativity in his language prompted a sketch of the finalists actually singing the phone book, with Joshua making fun of himself by taking over).

Worst of all was American Idol 5's Ace Young, dressed in tattered sheets, proposing to season three runner-up Diana DeGarmo, for which he got a sponsor, because the best way to class up a classless public, man-centered marriage proposal is to include advertising. Obviously, he learned well from the machine that created him.

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Arsenio Hall won, but Clay Aiken is Celebrity Apprentice's true winner

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:10:28 -0500

Clay Aiken lost his second national reality TV competition on Sunday, losing Celebrity Apprentice to Arsenio Hall, who joked that he was "Skinny Ruben" [Studdard]. Both were deserving finalists and either would have been a satisfying winner, and their friendship throughout the competition made it even more rewarding. Still, I think Clay Aiken was the real winner.

The win itself is meaningless--except for the $250,000 for the winner's charity, which isn't insignificant, of course, but a nice addition to what they already earned. As part of the final task, Arsenio Hall raised $167,100 for the Magic Johnson Foundation, while Clay Aiken raised $301,500 for his National Inclusion Project. Yet Trump chose Arsenio.

First, a preface about the actual decision: Celebrity Apprentice finales are the weakest part of the show, which is odd because the penultimate episode is usually one of the strongest (it's entirely task-focused and Donald Trump is not present). But the finale, ugh: The weak reunion of fired celebrities. Donald Trump rocking back and forth, acting like he cares about the questions someone wrote for him. The padding. The live audience's laughter over the taped segments. And worst of all is Trump's decision, which typically makes less sense than usual, or perhaps that's just what I think because the person I like usually doesn't win. He didn't even offer any rationale on Sunday.

That said, it did seem obvious even last week that Clay would lose, regardless of the amount of money he raised. In the final task, he chose/was saddled with some of this season's problem children, primarily Aubrey "I did everything" O'Day and Debbie "My ego is so fragile if you simply ask me a question I shall cry" Gibson. (Debbie did own her bad behavior though, so props to her; Aubrey, of course, will never know.) And Trump just seemed to be gravitating toward Arsenio these last few weeks.

But here's why Clay wins, in all other senses of the term: He didn't care about his old image, nor creating a new one. He was just himself, and while it wasn't a brand-new persona, it was surprising.

As a result, he transcended the image of the sweet, shy singer/runner-up who has a rabid fan base of middle-aged women, some of whom would jump on any perceived slight and protect their guy (some of them still do that). He's still an amazing singer and someone who cares a great deal about others and his charity, but he also isn't pandering to anyone.

The big surprise is that the actual person who emerged is funny, intelligent, competent, and committed--and not afraid to do or say things that could possibly alienate some fans. He didn't shy away from conflict during the season, embraced being controlling during the final task, and earned the respect of his fellow teammates because and/or despite that. He was, above all else, honest and genuine.

"We're now at plan F for 'fucked,'" Clay said during the second-to-last episode, and in another interview, he actually said, "So fuck Arsenio." Laughing, he added, "Can you use that?" He also can laugh at himself, like when Lisa Lampenelli made an anal sex joke ("achin'") about him during her set at the final charity event.

This from the guy who is still well-known enough to interrupt a kid's baseball game while looking for a shooting location during a task and have the irritated coach/dad do a 180 when he realizes: "Oh my god! I voted for you."

Clay didn't emerge from his previous image because he's willing to say "fuck" on national television, but can you imagine 2002 Clay Aiken saying "fuck" during or post-American Idol? Or can you imagine 2012 Clay Aiken saying "fuck" if he was trying to get something out of Celebrity Apprentice--even attention and cash for his charity? Arsenio admitted he wants a talk show, and hopes the platform will help him get it; even if Clay has similar ambitions, and there's nothing wrong with that, it never came across.

What we saw instead was, perhaps for the first time on national TV, a non-constructed version of Clay Aiken. He emerged from his American Idol box but didn't climb into a new one.

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The Real World (smartly) alienated its original fans by refusing to age with them

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 24 May 2012 06:56:26 -0500

In the nostalgia surrounding The Real World's 20th anniversary on Monday--a day MTV ignored--one thing that's pretty clear is that many of us who found the show in our teens now find ourselves not watching the show we once loved.

That the cast members rarely have lives or ambitions outside of the show is now basically a cliche argument; when the show aired its 10th season in 2001, I wrote that "seven strangers come on The Real World to let the tape construct their lives -- not to have their lives taped."

But what hasn't occurred to me until now is something I explore in The Daily Beast today: the show doesn't care, and that's why it's still around for its 27th season, with a 28th to come. Basically, it insists on being a show that captures the reality of being 18 to 25, and that's unrecognizable to those of us who came of age with the Internet and reality TV, and who don't spend our nights in drunken hot tub orgy fights.

Creator Jon Murray acknowledged as much in CNN's report on the anniversary, which was published after I wrote my piece. He said, "What's amazing about 'The Real World' is that every four years, in a sense, a new audience grows up into it." He said viewers will say, "'That Vegas season was the best (yet),' and they've never even heard of that first Vegas season (which premiered in 2002) with Trishelle (Cannatella)."

As disturbing as that is--oh, kids!--that's the reality of their real world. For better or worse, it's their show now.

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Several NFL teams have rejected HBO's Hard Knocks

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 24 May 2012 06:07:52 -0500

HBO's Hard Knocks didn't air last year because of the lockout, and now, the documentary reality series isn't finding teams willing to be followed by its cameras.

The Seattle Seahawks, "the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins have either declined or, like the Seahawks, stated a lack of interest in appearing in the program ahead of an offer," NFL.com reports.

There is still time for a team to get on board. However, the series, produced by NFL Films, hasn't aired a season every year since its 2001 debut.

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The Real World turns 20 today: seven strangers spawned 27+ seasons, 20 years of reality TV

Andy Dehnart — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:07 -0500

On May 21, 1992, MTV debuted The Real World, with its creators, Jonathan Murray and Mary-Ellis Bunim, taking a cue from PBS' American Family and turning real people's lives into a soap opera. But as the introduction said, this wasn't a pre-existing family, but something else:

"This is the true story of seven strangers picked to live in a house and have their lives taped. Find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real: The Real World.

It's impossible to overestimate the show's impact on popular culture and television today, so I won't even try, but everything we watch today and call reality television started here and carries its DNA.

And, of course, the show gave us a lot of entertainment on its own. Just watch this montage of the first 25 seasons' intros and see how much comes back. I remember getting choked up watching the season finale of Boston, and didn't quite understand that until I realized I'd gotten to know these people and spent considerable time with them each week. That's the show's greatest gift: It showed us how interesting, revealing, informative, and engaging real people's lives could be.

Programming note: I'm taking a badly-timed break (Celebrity Apprentice finale!) to unplug and recharge. Back in a few days.

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SYTYCD will have two winners: one with a penis and one with a vagina

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:03:57 -0500

There's another major change coming to So You Think You Can Dance this summer, besides its new once-a-week schedule and longer season: there will be two winners, one male and one female.

"Girls dance totally differently than guys," Nigel told TVLine, which says that Nigel was "pointing out the apples-vs.-oranges vibe that's pervaded most SYTYCD finales. By naming a male winner and a female winner in Season 9, Lythgoe hopes to avoid that problem."

What problem? The only problem is that Nigel Lythgoe does not understand is that sex does not dictate everything about one's behavior or physicality. As the show has demonstrated season after season, women "dance totally differently" than other women, just as there's a lot of diversity in the way men dance. It's not about their genitalia, it's about who they are as performers, their training, and their genre and style.

This attitude shouldn't be a surprise, because Nigel has made his sex and gender issues very clear over the years; he hates "effeminte boys that mince around the stage" and that he panicked when two men danced together.

Anyway, I think having two winners is interesting, even if they're choosing them based on such arbitrary reasons (it's conceivable that at least one of the two winners won't be the best dancer as a result). In the interview, Nigel also explained how the having one two-hour episode per week will work: Results of the previous week's viewer vote will be revealed toward the end of the episode, and the judges will based their decision on that night's performance and the previous week's performance.

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Viking Shores: Whale Wars goes into Sea Shepherd's mind, and it's a scary place

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:36:37 -0500

After a ridiculously fast season, six hours over four weeks, Whale Wars: Viking Shores concludes tonight with two back-to-back episodes, having taken us into the minds of Sea Shepherd's activists to find its drama. (Alas, Sea Shepherd founder and captain Paul Watson won't be able to watch, as he's in a German jail facing extradition to Costa Rica.)

Animal Planet's spin-off of one of its most-popular series has been fascinating, but it's not at all as dramatic or tense as the original Whale Wars. While it has all of the strong technical work of the original--gorgeous photography, a fly-on-the-wall documentary feel, dramatic cliffhangers (watch for free)--its subject matter prevents it from being as exceptional as the original series, as it lacks the drama of the hunt and confrontations that are part of the Southern Ocean campaigns.

What has been most interesting about this season for me is that it has derived nearly all of its drama from Sea Shepherd's paranoia, and that's often made for frightening moments. The tension comes from what Sea Shepherd crew members think might happen rather than what actually does happen, because with the exception of some annoyed and/or drunk people, nearly everyone they interact with is pleasant and gracious.

The activists haven't faced a single actual threat--or, it's worth noting, a single whale, though I suspect tonight's finale will show them encountering a pod of whales way offshore. Instead, they're constantly imagining threats, like when the Brigitte Bardot crew went diving, and panicked about a group of people watching from a nearby bridge. At least in the edited version of the series, Sea Shepherds always consider the worst (they could kill us by throwing things into the water!) than the most likely (they're curious about this strange-looking boat and camera crews). Meanwhile, it's grating and awkward to watch Sea Shepherd's attempts to communicate with the Faroese, like interrupting a celebration to just randomly ask about whaling.

The net result of that drama-from-paranoia alongside the Sea Shepherd land crew's less-than-smart attempts to engage the Faroese is a series that takes the moral authority away from Sea Shepherd and actually invites sympathy for people who kill non-endangered whales, as they have for centuries, using methods that are brutal to watch but probably better than what we do to the animals we kill for food in the United States.

My major complaint with the series is that, despite the very welcome attention to the Faroese point of view--cameras have spent considerable time with a whaling foreman and his family--it hasn't explored the complexity of whaling in the Faroes. Its time limitations and need to build a visual narrative and drama probably make that challenging, but still, it's necessary to make this stand as a clear picture of what's happening there.

For one, not everyone in the Faroes supports or cares about whaling, though perhaps those who don't were unlikely to be interviewed on camera, making including that challenging to include on a TV series. Also, as I wrote about in Playboy, whale meat isn't the only source of food in the Faroes, and the government actually has guidelines restricting its consumption because of toxins. They don't subsist on it, basically, but I'm not sure viewers would know that after watching the series, which tends to feature Faroese people defending whale meat as both tradition and necessity.

While Sea Shepherd definitely brought attention and a spotlight to the Faroe Islands, if their goal was to stop whaling, I'm not sure they succeeded, because they never saw any whales or stopped any grinds, although several happened right after they left. (Last year, a not-atypical number of whales were killed.) If their goal was to win over the Faroese and viewers, it definitely seems like they also didn't succeed.

But Whale Wars: Viking Shores did succeed, in the sense that it gave us a more thorough look at Sea Shepherd's work and its consequences, good and bad.

Whale Wars: Viking Shores: B+

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Top Model adds viewer voting; new judge, mentor named

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:42:18 -0500

America's Next Top Model has named its new judging panel, but those judges won't have all the say: viewers will be able to vote each week.

Following the firing of the judges, the new panel will consist of Tyra Banks, Kelly Cutrone, and "international male model" Rob Evans; stylist Johnny Wujek will be the new mentor, who the show is calling a "creative consultant."

As to voting, the show won't air live when it moves to Friday nights this fall, but viewers will vote based on photos online starting next week. The CW said in its announcement that "fans will have two opportunities each week to vote online at www.cwtv.com and choose their favorite contestants based on photo shoots taken during production. These scores will be used by Tyra Banks and the judges to help determine who is eliminated each week." It's not clear how they'll be used--will the viewer favorite get immunity? Or will the judges just mention who has the most votes from viewers but make their own decisions?

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After firing Top Model's judges, The CW moves it to Fridays

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:18:54 -0500

America's Next Top Model is being moved to Friday nights after 16 seasons on Wednesdays. The CW has also fired the show's panel of judges: Nigel Barker, Jay Manuel, and J. Alexander.

The CW has themed each night of its 2012-2013 schedule, and says in its press release that "Fridays are filled with fierce females," as the show will be paired with Nikita, starring Maggie Q.

Top Model has aired on Wednesdays since its third season, moving to 9 p.m. for its last three seasons; previously, it aired on Tuesdays.

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Swamp People's Mitchell Guist died of natural causes; fans invited to his funeral

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:01:27 -0500

Swamp People star Mitchell Guist died Monday of natural causes, according to an autopsy. He'll be buried Saturday, which would have been his 48th birthday, and fans are invited.

The Baton Rouge Advocate reports that "Ascension Parish Sheriff Jeff Wiley said the parish coroner, Dr. John Fraiche, determined from preliminary autopsy findings that the star of the popular reality television show died of natural causes. Guist, who appeared in segments of the series with his brother, Glenn, died after collapsing Monday morning while working on a houseboat he was building on Belle River."

Fans are invited to the Friday (4 to 9 p.m.) and Saturday (9 a.m. to noon) visitation and funeral (noon) at the Ourso Funeral Home in Gonzales, La.

A note posted yesterday on the brothers' Facebook page suggested that fans are buying merchandise to support the family, although it doesn't actually help them: "the Guist family does not profit from Swamp people merchandise purchased from the History channel website. To show your respect and support of the joy Mitchell brought into our lives and into our homes, please visit guistbrothers.com for your Guist Brothers memorabilia."

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