reality blurred

Next week: give thanks for Jon and Kate Plus Eight's finale, and Mythbusters, Deadliest Catch, Dirty Jobs marathons

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:49:06 -0500

Next week is Thanksgiving week, and while I'll update with breaking news for the first part of the week, I'll be taking some time away from the TV, so there will be a double Amazing Race post on Nov. 30. Here's what to watch if you need to get away from family or friends during the holiday week:

The Past

There was lots of conflict this week, on screen and off: Tabloid TV went after Speidi, TLC went after Jon, Jon sued TLC, and Adam Lambert went after a magazine after it made claims and headlines about his management's demands. The week also offered blurred bulges and another porn star reality show contestant, plus a short new top model. Old standbys offered both bland finales and amazing episodes.

The Forward

Sunday, Nov. 22 The Next Iron Chef 2 [Food Network, 10 p.m.] ends its run with a kitchen stadium face-off, and either Jehangir Mehta or Jose Garces will become the next Iron Chef.

Monday, Nov. 23
The premiere of the family reunion/weepfest show Find My Family [ABC, 9:30 p.m.] follows Dancing with the Stars' [ABC, 8 p.m.] final performance episode of the season, but it's Jon and Kate Plus Eight [TLC, 9 p.m.] that has its final episode ever. It's an hour, but who cares, it's over! Hallelujah! Also tonight: <Intervention [A&E, 9 p.m.], Hoarders [A&E, 10 p.m.], and Pawn Stars [History, 10 p.m.] all return with new seasons.

Tuesday, Nov. 24
Dancing with the Stars gives a shitty mirrorball trophy to someone after wasting two hours during its finale [ABC, 9 p.m.]

Wednesday, Nov. 25
The Biggest Loser airs a two-hour "where are they now?" special [NBC, 8 p.m.] that tracks down more than 40 former contestants to see how they've done with their weight loss since being on the show. So You Think You Can Dance [Fox, 8 p.m.] votes off two more and gets its top 10.

Thursday, Nov. 26
All day long on Thanksgiving, Discovery will air a Mythbusters marathon [9 a.m.to 3 a.m.]. It's so easy to get sucked in and watch them have fun testing myths and, well, things that only loosely qualify as myths but are still fun to watch. (Discovery will also air Deadliest Catch all day Friday and Dirty Jobs all day Saturday, which is even better). I love Survivor, but I don't love its clip shows, one of which airs tonight [CBS, 8 p.m.] and looks back at "the first 27 days."

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Tie vote leads to Laura being voted out during an episode that was "good shit," as Erik said

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:57:07 -0500

At the end of last night's Survivor Samoa episode, jury member Erik excitedly whispered, "Man, this is good shit." He was thrilled that Galu was getting its comeuppance, but he could have also been talking about the whole episode. There was a lot of great stuff, like a tie vote, Natalie dangling by her legs during the reward challenge, and Russell finding a third hidden immunity idol (though this time with a video clue, at least, although he still found it despite being chased). It was the kind of episode that proved Survivor is still going strong 19 seasons later.

That was almost derailed by a nearly half-episode advertisement for Sprint and the Palm Pre, which was unnecessarily long and awkward just when Jeff Probst announced that the winning tribe would take a phone along with them to take photos on their reward and make memories. But it didn't stop there. Probst didn't' do well with ad copy that clearly wasn't written in his voice, and Survivor didn't do well extending the product placement, which went so far as to have contestants talking about it (triple ugh) and name-drop features while getting the hidden immunity idol clues off the phone. I'm all for shows making money and even placing products or logos, but it has to be organic and not pull us out of the moment. A prize can be organic, but an extended commercial is not.

Anyway, at Tribal Council, Russell again had an immunity idol but didn't play it, because he wasn't Galu's target: Natalie was. With Shambo switching sides, there was a tie vote between Laura and Natalie. With the threat of a random elimination from drawing rocks, John decided to change his vote during the re-vote and thus save himself, unwilling to gamble on the rock draw like Dave and the other members of Galu were. That sent Laura home, much to the delight of Shambo and, of course Russell.

Laura has long been a target--of Russell, Shambo, and even John--and I talked with her about that a few minutes ago. Laura said that Russell's problem with her went back to their initial interaction, when she told him "don't threaten me. He knew that he couldn't control me, and he can't have that." Laura said that "at that point, I wasn't nervous" because Galu had numbers.

Of course, Galu screwed itself by turning on its own, and Laura told me that while "I regret voting him out because I like Erik as a person," she said she doesn't regret the vote because "I was on [Erik and John's] chopping list." She said she was thinking, "I have five, six people running after me to get me. I just pick up a weapon and fire." Of course, she said, "in hindsight, looking back, we should have kept Erik."

As to her conflict with Shambo, which has led to criticism of Laura's behavior, Laura said she can only "assume what it was" that Shambo didn't like about her. "If I would have to guess why, she wanted to be the strong girl on the tribe, she wanted to be the go-to girl on the tribe," Laura told me. But instead, Galu often chose Laura to do physical tasks in challenges or asked her for advice, and combined with Shambo's immediate exclusion of herself, led to that conflict.

Laura said that "it's frustrating to watch it and kind of get cast as the mean one," and challenged anyone to "show one thing that I did that was mean to her. If CBS had footage of me being mean to her, they would show it," Laura said. Instead, Laura said that it was Shambo who "would constantly come after me," and our perception of Laura's meanness "is only what Shambo said. Just because it was her perception" doesn't make it true.

However, Laura told me, "I did call her Gilligan in my confessional, I totally own that," and separated that from the things Shambo said about Laura to others in the game, rather than in confessionals. Still, Laura added, "I did apologize to her after the show, and I took somebody with me. I said, 'If there was something that I did that hurt your feelings and made you feel no apart from the group, I sincerely apologize.' I don't know how it was received; I haven't talked to her since."

Laura--who told me pre-game that she wouldn't do anything to "mar my character or mar Christ's character"--said that her portrayal has been "really hard" and that it surprised her, because "my fear was going to be that I [came off as] cutthroat, competitive. I won't let my kids win checkers or Hi Ho! Cherry-O. Mean-spirited, that's the last thing that I am."

Laura told me that they were aware that the tie-breaker would be a rock-draw up until the finals (presumably the final four, but unclear) and said that "we were all prepared" to draw stones. The vote-for-John plan was their attempt at changing that, and Laura said that her tribemates were "willing to put their game on the line for me." John, of course, did not, which Laura said was "the perfect situation for him" and "excuse" to get rid of her, because "I knew he was coming after me," she said. While she's "disappointed," "I totally can't blame him for it," Laura said, even though it "put the rest of my tribe in danger."

What it did was make Galu irrelevant as a tribe, and make the Foa Foa alliance dominant, assuming it holds together. Or we could be finally into individual game territory, where splinter alliances matter more than original-tribe loyalty or disloyalty.

It'll be two weeks until we find out what happens next: Thanksgiving's episode is a clip show, and the break is great, but the clip shows pretty much never are.

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Lifetime's Project Runway 6 finds a winner, and it's not viewers

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:09:39 -0500

Seven months after the three finalists presented collections at Fashion Week, Project Runway 6 ended, with the win going to Irina Shabayeva. Although Heidi told her the judges were "disappointed in [her] lack of color," Michael Kors said Irina had "the best sense of showmanship." After she won, Heidi told her that her collection was "sleek, modern, and cohesive, and it told a story. And you knew what kind of woman you were designing for."

Carol Hannah Whitfield was eliminated first for her collection featuring "structured draping." That was despite having "impeccable" tailoring, as Heidi said, never mind many fans who thought she should win. The judges told her they "admired your collection's strength and energy, but it lacked a collective thread."

Runner-up Althea Harper didn't win, probably because, as Heidi said, the judges were "not entirely convinced" that she accomplished her goal of creating clothes of the future, even though she showed "modern staples of a new generation." Also, Nina Garcia said that Althea's "last three pieces were off" because "perhaps you tried to hit too many notes."

The finale was, well, blah, kind of like the whole season. As to the heavily-promoted Tim Gunn meltdown, well, it wasn't that big of a deal. He was just upset that the models and designers weren't ready to walk on the runway, and looked stressed out, but it's not like he kidney-punched a model or something. "Designers, I am about to lose it. We should be lining up right now but we can't because maybe 10 percent of you are dressed. Get your models here, get them into your looks, please. This is crazy," he said.

Then, just before a commercial break, he turned and looked right at the camera, and made a face that perfectly summed up this entire season:

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Heather: Hell's Kitchen sponsors "not going to completely trust someone they saw on TV"

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:59:09 -0500

It's no surprise that Hell's Kitchen doesn't have a great track record of awarding its prizes to its winners, but its winners have rarely discussed that. In an interview with the New York Post, season two winner Heather West--who worked as a sous chef during season six but was pretty much invisible the entire season--mentions not getting her own restaurant like the show said she'd receive.

"Honestly, they're really not going to completely trust someone they saw on TV with a multi-million dollar restaurant," Heather said.

However, she added that her experience there was positive. "I did work at all the restaurants in the resort, learned a huge amount, and a lot about promotion and marketing," she said. Heather is now the head chef at Monterey Restaurant in Long Island.

'Hell' and Back [New York Post]

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NBC's United Plates of America's prize called "biggest ever": a restaurant chain

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:07:45 -0500

NBC has announced a new series that will award what it calls "arguably the biggest prize in reality show history," which is "a new restaurant chain in four cities across America." United Plates of America is a competition judged "by a panel of real investors who fund the chain of restaurants with their own money," according to an NBC press release.

Exactly how the show will work is somewhat ambiguous, but NBC says "the investors will put the chosen few through rigorous challenges to discover whose plan has the greatest potential for success." It sounds like a combination of Shark Tank and Chopping Block.

While NBC hasn't had much success with new reality show concepts recently, never mind cooking shows (The Chopping Block was pulled off the air), there is good news: The producers are Magical Elves, who produce Top Chef for NBC's sibling network Bravo.

NBC Announces New Competition Series 'United Plates of America'... [NBC press release]

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Top Model has its shortest, youngest winner yet in Nicole Fox

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:49:32 -0500

Nicole Fox is America's next next next next next next next next next next next next next top model, winning the short model cycle of America's Next Top Model.

She joined other winners in near-immediate obscurity and non-top model status after beating Laura Kirkpatrick in a final runway show involving wind, rain, and other elements, such as previously eliminated models and a few seconds of Eddie Murphy, whose daughter Bria was a model in the show. (Correction: Bria was not a contestant.)

By the way, Nicole is both the youngest winner ever, at 18, and the second Nicole to win the show, following season five's Nicole Linkletter.

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After being beaten up by Insider panel, Spencer apologizes, Heidi will try to be "more positive"

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:57:26 -0500

The Insider's panel of pseudo-journalists and C-list celebrities may be establishing itself as the go-to jury for taking down reality stars who need to be challenged. As ironic as it is, a tabloid TV show--a genre that usually revels in publicist-fed fluff or sensational non-news--is doing the work journalists should do.

After taking down Jon Gosselin, The Insider's panel went after Heidi and Spencer yesterday, and were challenged on Spencer's attack on Al Roker and on their bullshit in general.

At time, I wish the panel had gone further in challenging Heidi and Spencer, and avoided taking the childish, ad hominem attack route, which Chris Jacobs does. But when he goes after Spencer, the couple relents. Heidi says, "We will work on being more positive," and Spencer actually apologizes to Al Roker, and even writes a live apology tweet.

Of course, I don't believe they'll change their self-promoting ways, or that Heidi will ever get a clue about what Spencer is doing, but these eight minutes are pretty awesome, at least:

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HBO's Terror in Mumbai and PBS' Mumbai Massacre docs use audio, interviews from terrorists, victims

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:46:28 -0500

One year ago on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, 173 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in Mumbai as a result of 10 simultaneous terrorist attacks. Two documentaries debuting on TV in the next week examine those events from the perspective of both the terrorists and the victims.

Tonight at 8 p.m. ET, HBO debuts Dan Reed's film Terror in Mumbai, which the network calls "a 360-degree view of a terrorist act, recounting in harrowing detail the bloody events of that 60-hour period." It's an updated version of the documentary that debuted this summer on Channel 4 in the UK. Narrated by CNN and Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria, it includes "exclusive audio tapes of the intercepted phone calls between the young gunmen and their controllers in Pakistan, and testimony from the sole surviving gunman," according to HBO.

Here's a (brief) preview:

Next Wednesday at 8 p.m. on PBS, Secrets of the Dead: Mumbai Massacre tells the story from the victims' perspectives, including "first-hand survivor accounts, closed-circuit footage of the chaos from within the hotels and actual words spoken by both victims and terrorists," according to PBS. Th documentary is narrated by Liev Schreiber, and executive producer Jared Lipworth says on PBS' web site, "This film offers an unprecedented, inside view into the attacks. It not only reveals how the victims and terrorists acted during the massacre, it highlights how consumer technologies and social media gave the victims a chance to survive, while also putting them directly into the line-of-fire of the terrorists who were hunting them down."

Here's an (also brief) preview:

Terror in Mumbai [HBO] Secrets of the Dead: Mumbai Massacre [PBS]

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Survivor starts casting for seasons 21 and 22, which would tape next summer

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:45:13 -0500

Survivor is now casting for seasons 21 and 22, although it has not yet been officially renewed by CBS, nor has Jeff Probst announced whether or not he's returning as host, since his contract expires at the end of season 20. However, it's typical for the show to start casting before being officially renewed, and if the show is renewed, pre-production would likely begin in January.

The application [PDF] is for both seasons 21 and 22, and says "[f]ilming is presently scheduled to occur for cycles 21 and 22 in summer to fall of 2010," and I'd bet the show will again film two seasons back-to-back in the same geographic location. That may be rougher on the crew, but it saves money.

Applications are due Jan. 6, although it's far less likely you'll be cast this way than in if you're in the L.A. area and walking around the street looking hot. For Survivor Samoa, just four of the 20 contestants actually applied, and that includes Mike Borassi, who applied last season and was asked back this season after being pulled pre-game. Of the other 15, four applied for other shows (like Amazing Race) and were cast instead for Survivor, which means 12 were recruited off the street.

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Chef Academy's Emmanuel DelCour is porn star Jean Val Jean

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:07:04 -0500

Bravo tells us on-screen that Chef Academy cast member Emmanuel DelCour is a "graphic artist," and on its web site says he "has acted in commercials and television series and worked as a personal trainer" and "enjoys swimming cage free with Great White Sharks, drawing and graphic design."

But guess what else he likes to do? Let's turn to always-reliable Wikipedia's entry for Jean Val Jean, who's "the premier straight porn practitioner of analingus on female co-stars." They are the same person, according to IMDB's entry for Emmanuel, which details his TV work (most notably an appearance on CSI) and puts his previous career more gracefully, saying he "made a successful cross-over from modeling in straight adult entertainment."

The show will apparently address this--the season preview shows one of the cast members looking at a computer and saying, "one of our guys is a porn star"--but for now, Dudetube has NSFW screen captures that show "Emmanuel DelCour was prolific straight porn star Jean Val Jean in his past life." Porn.com has info about Val Jean's career and clips like one in which he describes how the French determine perfect breast size.

Yes, it appears another reality star has a porn past, although he may also have a reality TV past, too: As this Adult DVD Talk forum discussion reports, he appeared on an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians called "Khloe Wants to Act." Here's the scene, in which she takes an acting class and does a scene with him, and he "stuck his tongue down [Khloe's] throat," Khloe said. That may be more embarrassing than these photos.

At least this is all a lot more interesting than Chef Academy.

Daily Dudetube [Dudetube]

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A&E previewing Steven Seagal: Lawman online tonight; "this is not Hollywood; it's for real"

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:55:58 -0500

The most anticipated celebrity-doing-a-job-that-seems-wildly-inappropriate-yet-somehow-perfect series has to be A&E's Steven Seagal: Lawman, although he faces heavy competition from Tony Danza teaching high school English for his A&E series.

Anyway, the network is previewing Seagal's series tonight online, competing with prime-time TV on the east coast by showing the first episode two weeks before its Dec. 2 debut. It starts at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on A&E's site.

Here's an extended preview in which he teaches actual cops how to protect themselves and later throws a perp to the ground. It all looks, well, awesome, particularly when he reminds us in his trademark raspy voice that "this is not Hollywood; it's for real." Then again, in the trailer, which follows below, he also says "it's not a job, it's an adventure" after he slams a guy's head against a cop car. Fun!

Here's the trailer:

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TLC and Kate make Jon look better by trying to make him look bad

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:28:37 -0500

Monday night's penultimate Jon & Kate Plus Eight was composed of "never before seen footage," and it was titled "Broken Dreams, Broken Promises, Broken Episodes." From the opening moments, when Kate made dinner for a charity and said it should be signed "love from Jon and Kate plus eight--minus Jon," it was clear that it should have been titled "Kate and TLC beat up on Jon."

Even non-Jon focused segments, like Kate at a book signing or event, seemed designed to show how amazingly popular yet still grounded Kate is, unlike that deadbeat Jon. Of course, TLC doesn't have new footage or Jon to interview, but refuses to just end the madness until every last drop of blood/money is squeezed out, so this kind of episode is the result.

In the opening scene, the family got passports at AAA, and Kate told one kid Jon's photo "looks like a mug shot," and their kid said, "yes it does." Jon then criticizes Kate for confusing Korea and South Korea, and thus discloses to everyone where they are going on their secret trip. Kate gets mad in her typical way, but because she's the only one doing interviews, gets to take the high road: "I don't think I handled that too well," she says.

The episode was punctuated by odd, over-written narration that Kate did a poor job of reciting, and most of that seemed designed to contextualize negativity as Jon's fault. After the passport segment, she added that they never went because Jon didn't want them to go and that was sad because she really wanted the kids to learn where their ancestors were from but couldn't because it was all Jon's fault.

There were moments like that all through the episode, from unsupported lines like, "Jon typically doesn't do projects with the kids," to the way Kate gave Jon credit for getting an electronic fence for the dogs, but then added "maybe we should have used a collar for other people." She then blames Jon for the dogs' behavior getting "worse."

This is dangerous territory, because there's nothing like trying to make someone look unsympathetic to make us sympathize with the person being beaten up. And it's not like Jon deserves our sympathy, despite his attempts at self-deprecation.

This clip from the episode is a perfect example: Kate complains about Jon being on the phone all the time as TLC gives us footage of Jon ignoring one of his kids while he uses his phone. It's definitely great footage, and pretty damning. Kate quickly realizes that this accusation could be used against her, and counters her hypocrisy by insisting it's different for her because "I'm not on the phone unless I have to be," and says it's only for work. Yes, the business of exploiting your family for fame.

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Dancing with the Stars 9 has its final three

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:43:23 -0500

Dancing with the Stars 9 is down to three, um, stars and their professional partners: Donny Osmond, Mya, and Kelly Osbourne.

Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough were eliminated last night, surprising people who are actually still watching the show, who surprise me.

The season ends next week with a 90-minute performance show on Monday and a two-hour finale on Tuesday.

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Julianne Hough won't return for Dancing with the Stars 10

Andy Dehnart — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:23:28 -0500

Julianne Hough won't return for Dancing with the Stars 10 next season after skipping season nine, which means her second attempt at quitting seems to have stuck.

This morning, she was on Ryan Seacrest's radio show, and said she's currently working on the Cher and Christina Aguilera film Burlesque, which she'll follow with Footloose, and she's also still working on her music.

Julianne told Seacrest--who literally said to her, "I was Binging you" (Ryan, you shameless whore)--that she won't be back. "No, not next season." As to season 11, she said, "We're going to cross that bridge when we get to it," although she qualified that by saying "I love the show."

So much that you're no longer on it.

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Adam Lambert to Out: "refrain from projecting your publications' agenda onto my career"

Andy Dehnart — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:07:11 -0500

Adam Lambert responded to Out magazine's editor's claims that Adam's management and publicists didn't want him to appear "too gay" in the magazine's coverage of him by addressing Out editor Aaron Hicklin on Twitter, writing, "Chill! Guess ya gotta get attention for the magazine. U too are at the mercy of the marketing machine." He followed that by writing, "Until we have a meaningful conversation, perhaps you should refrain from projecting your publications' agenda onto my career."

Hicklin has clearly been hearing from Adam's fans, writing on Twitter, "It's tough when 10 billion Glambert fans hate you."

In a more detailed response, After Elton editor Michael Jensen writes that he's "disappointed in how much of the gay media is covering all of this. Adam's first album comes out shortly and to be attacking one of the most famous gay musicians in the world right now over how gay he is in the press, doesn't seem like it's going to do much for the gay community in any respect."

If anything, all of this leaves me with more respect for Adam: Despite whatever his publicists and management may or may not have wanted, his interview with Out was thoroughly honest and insightful, and he's not shy about addressing things directly, whether it's his sexuality, his fans, or the media.

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