Author: Shane

America’s Next Top Model 9 Episode 1

Tyra Banks is back in America’s Next Top Model cycle 9, one of the few shows to survive the UPN/WB merger not just intact but as strong as ever. 33 girls, some of whom are actually attractive, will be narrowed down to 13 on a one week cruise.

The first task is a runway show, where they show off the latest fashion… life preservers. About half the girls are completely inexperienced and receive a lot of criticism. It’s not long before the cattiness comes out, with insults and name calling. Later, they meet up with Jaslene, the America’s Next Top Model 8 winner, on the beach, where they do their first photo shoot.

Then Tyra attempts to sing. Don’t do that.

Chantal impresses the judges with her natural modelling ability. Heather was diagnosed with Asperger’s, a form of autism, at age 13 and is awkward just in general, but the judges are pleased with her overall. Victoria is a Yale student who started this competition as a joke but now looks forward to getting what she can out of it. Marvita has a sad story to tell about her childhood. Mila is so perky she’ll very quickly get irritating. Jenah doesn’t get along with girls. Sarah’s not quite a skinny model and not quite a plus size model either. Lisa’s an exotic dancer, which makes her a good choice just based on the fact that it’ll shock people into talking. Bianca thinks Ebony’s a bitch, and she’s probably right.

13 girls are eliminated, as the other 20 board another ship. Who was among them and who wasn’t I have no idea. Just a bunch of names flashing by so fast it was impossible to catch them all, let alone figure out who was eliminated. It’s kinda like Kid Nation, where there’s so damn many people in the cast that learning who’s who becomes a difficult task. At least this will be a bit less hectic next week when we’re down to just 13 girls.

Without missing a beat, following the next commercial break, the 20 girls discuss why they should be America’s Next Top Model, then Tyra makes her decision which 7 to cut. The girls who make the cut are: Mila, Bianca, Jenah, Chantal, Ambreal, Victoria, Sarah, Saleisha, Kimberly, Ebony, Janet, Heather, and Lisa. Here is the full America’s Next Top Model 9 cast list (name, occupation, age, location… in summation, it’s basically a bunch of students age 18-21).

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for a recap of America’s Next Top Model 9 episode 2, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on The CW, with Encore presentations at 9/8c on Sundays.

Watch Free TV Online

Three of the major networks have announced an enhanced web presence of their television content on the Internet in recent days.

NBC will offer NBC Direct beginning in October. It will allow users to download shows, which it says will offer higher quality and more reliability than streaming videos currently do. The first shows to use this service will be Heroes, The Office, Life, Bionic Woman, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Late Night, and The Tonight Show.

This announcement follows on the heels of NBC and Fox’s Hulu, scheduled for launch later this year, which will offer video content to AOL, MSN, Myspace, and Yahoo.

ABC announced a deal with AOL TV to offer its shows online one day after they air on TV. Users will be given the option of either streaming the videos or downloading them. Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Pushing Daisies, Cavemen, Big Shots, Carpoolers, Dirty Sexy Money, and Private Practice are among the shows included. NBC, CBS and Fox also have deals with AOL.

Lastly, and least excitingly, Fox has announced a deal with iTunes to allow users to download four season premieres for free: Prison Break Season 3, K-Ville, American Dad, and Bones.

Survivor South Africa: Malaysia Episode 5

In Survivor South Africa: Malaysia episode 4, following a tribe shuffle, we finally saw the boot of Elsie, even if it was only because she was injured rather than her big mouth. Unfortunately, I fear we’re still stuck with Lisa for quite a while longer.

New Iban’s not at all sad to see Elsie go, and instead of working on getting the numbers in their favor, they immediately begin plotting to get rid of another member of ex-Bajau, Rijesh, who’s thought he’s been so smooth all along, despite the fact that everybody knows what he’s doing.

As expected, Lorette has gone from a provider with limited knowledge to happily going under Hein’s tutiledge. Grant is similarly blown away and willing to learn.

Angie appears to be flipping. She wasn’t too thrilled with Irshaad to begin with, and she is happy with Dyke’s fishing ability, so it’s an easy move to make, especially considering the other tribe’s still got the majority. Despite getting the shaft in the tribe shuffle in terms of island quality, Dyke remains positive.

The reward challenge is a combination of basketball and slip and slide. Reward is mosquito nets and pillows. Irshaad scores the first point. Grant gets the next point to tie. Dyke retakes the lead. Amanda and Nichal get into a marathon shooting fest, with Amanda coming out on top, to give Iban the victory. With this new gear, Iban is able to get lengthy, uninterrupted sleep, which should help prepare them for the immunity challenge.

Lisa says she feels like working when she’s on her new tribe. Huh? What happened to her? She blames it on not liking being told what to do on her old tribe. Not that she did anything when she wasn’t told either.

In the immunity challenge, one person must get into a hamster ball, which the rest of the tribe must push through a maze/obstacle course. Lorette and Lisa sit out for Bajau. Iban has a slight lead throughout the challenge. Nothing particular that I saw that caused this, but it was enough for Iban to win immunity.

Iban’s immunity win is followed by a bit of luck, with Irshaad stumbling upon some food in the form of potatoes of some sort.

The boot consideration comes down to a question of who’s pulling their weight. The choices brought forth are Lisa (ex-Iban) and Nichal (ex-Bajau). Lorette, a swing vote, is fully willing to consider either of them, regardless of ex-Iban’s current numbers advantage. I think they’ve got a greater shot at talking some sense into Nichal than Lisa. Mandla, similarly, doesn’t like Lisa either.

Votes:
Nichal
Lisa
Nichal
Nichal
Nichal

And Lisa skates by again. I’m hoping having a useless ally with him will come back to bite Grant in the ass eventually, but in the meantime, Nichal has been eliminated 6-1.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of Survivor South Africa: Malaysia Episode 6, and don’t forget the live recaps of Survivor: China.

Survivor: China Episode 1

Throughout the week, CBS has been providing us with various Survivor: China videos to prepare us for the new season. The Survivor: China cast has also been revealed (name, age, location, occupation). Beyond that, we do know a couple tidbits. Obviously, the show will take place in China, which is a first for a major American television production. Also, CBS has finally acknowledged that Exile Island was a mistake and stupid (okay, I added the stupid part). It will be replaced by allowing the winning team to kidnap one person from the other tribe. From a strategic standpoint, I think this will add a whole new element to the game, something that Exile never did. Does this new person give away information, or are they more concerned with seeing what they can take away? It also will potentially help form cross-tribe bonds that would not be possible otherwise, so we may not be stuck with the traditional Pagonging. With that said, it’s time to jump right into a live blog of episode 1 of Survivor: China.

The Survivors start off in a temple. Jeff points out that it’s not a worship ceremony. Peih-Gee, who as the name probably gives away is Chinese, is especially touched by the experience. Courtney couldn’t care less. Yeah, she’ll be the spoiled brat of the season. Leslie, the Christian radio talk show host, gets up and walks out.

Going back to buddhist beliefs, they leave behind their worldly possessions, meaning their suitcases. Not good for the women with high heels or the one who doesn’t have a bra. Oh, and wet jeans? Can you say chafing?

Frosti, Dave, Jaime, Eric, Peih-Gee, Sherea, Ashley, and Chicken are on the yellow tribe, Zhan Hu. Jean-Robert, Leslie, Amanda, Courtney, Denise, James, Todd, and Aaron are on the red tribe, Fei Long. Everybody is given a copy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

When they get to camp, they find out they have received rice, something that’s normally provided when there won’t be much food available on the land. Courtney gets sick to her stomach by people being nice to each other. Because that’s a bad thing apparently.

Jean-Robert figures out right away that Todd’s the clever guy. Be interesting to see whether he’s right. Todd acknowledges he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win. Based on his pre-show interview, it does appear that he’s a student of the game who’s here to prove to people that Survivor is still Survivor, and based on that, he’s got my vote for sticking around a while.

Sherea immediately begins whining. Chicken tries to voice his opinion, but he does it in a way that’s perceived negatively, rather than offering up a solution. He then goes to the exact opposite extreme of pretending he doesn’t know anything about anything. Peih-Gee fears she’s on the lazy tribe that doesn’t want to do anything productive.

James, the gravedigger, is used to being alone. He’s worried that he won’t be social enough for this game, but in terms of work ethic and challenges, he should be a great asset. Leslie is very impressed by him and gives him some advice.

Ashley, who thought she was well prepared by her WWE wrestling experience, gets sick on the first night following a bad storm. Easy target if they lose immunity.

Fei Long decides to read Art of War before the challenge. After hearing the part about the commander, Todd volunteers Aaron to be the tribe’s commander. Can be a curse, but as long as someone’s not bossy about it, it could also be good.

Each tribe will carry a Chinese dragon/tiger through a maze, one person will go through an obstacle course and rejoin their tribes to continue through a swamp, and lastly a puzzle. The winning tribe gets immunity and flint, as well as their running shoes. It’s neck and neck through the maze. James has trouble getting unclipped, so they take off dead even in the obstacle course. Going into the next phase, it’s still even as James and Frosti return to their teams. Fei Long takes a bit of a lead going into the final stage, a puzzle of the correct order to put their poles in. Fei Long wins immunity.

On the Zhan Hu tribe, it’s Dave who takes the obvious leader role, likeable enough of it should work out well for him. Peih-Gee also tries to take a leadership role, but she does it in a less likeable way. She tries to get an opinion out of Chicken, who refuses to offer one. Ashley says she feels a lot better. Dave would prefer to keep Chicken around for his experience, even if he won’t share any of it.

At tribal council, Jeff Probst asks whether anyone wants to be the leader. Dave and Peih-Gee both raise their hands. Everyone says the decision will be based on contribution. Chicken acknowledges he doesn’t fit in but believes he’s worked. Ashley votes for Peih-Gee. Chicken votes for Ashley as promised. Peih-Gee votes for Chicken because he lived up to his nickname and is afraid to step up and do anything.

Votes:
Chicken
Ashley
Ashley
Peih-Gee
Chicken
Chicken
Chicken

Chicken is the first person booted out. Well deserved. He foolishly went too far out of his way to not be seen as controversial, to the point where he became no use at all.

It looks like James and maybe Dave are the two who are out of the gates early as potential fan favorites, and possibly Ashley if she’s popular with the wrestling crowd. Who’s your favorite so far?

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live blog of Survivor: China Episode 2, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on CBS.

The Biggest Loser 4 Episode 2

In The Biggest Loser 4 Episode 1, we saw pretty much the most obvious outcome ever, with the person who started off as a dumb pick proving to be as bad as everyone thought, as Amber was eliminated after threatening to quit repeatedly.

We start off with the first weigh in for the black team.

Isabeau: 290 lbs (-8)
Julie: 216 lbs (-2)
Hollie: 244 lbs (-11)
Jez: 329 lbs (-16)
Jim: 350 lbs (-11)
Bill: 313 lbs (-21)
Total: -69 lbs (3.81%)

Jillian’s got her work cut out for her. By comparison, the red team lost 4.43%, and the blue team lost 5.81%. A couple of these people are just lucky to have not been picked because bootinig either Isabeau or moreso Julie would be completely justifiable.

Phil would like to lose the weight to be able to pass fire department tests. Julie wants to lose the weight to increase her odds of having another child. Amy is afraid of getting diabetes like others in her family. Patty doesn’t want to die young.

On the hike to the top of the hill, Neil has trouble with his knees. Bob advises him if he has a problem, he should turn back. He decides to just push through it.

More of the primitive training conditions in the desert. This workout consists of lugging logs around. Jillian looks forward to the air conditioned gym, as it will be like a walk in the park compared to working out in the 96 degree heat.

Brian grabs string cheese and Jell-O for his meal before a workout. Kim is unimpressed. She decides to make tacos out of turkey. Then it’s time for the pre-challenge workout, where Amy starts whining.

Next, it’s Hollie’s turn. During the workout on the beach, she falls and starts crying, but she gets what she’s working toward and gets up and finishes.

It’s climbing time. The next challenge is climbing stairs at a 10 story building (up and back down). The reward is immunity for one person. Neil is unable to compete due to his injury earlier. Ryan, also from the blue team, is unable to compete due to irregular blood levels. The red team must choose who to sit out, and they pick Lezlye. Kae gets off to an early lead for the blue team. Patty retains the lead. Bryan catches up a bit but is still behind. Phil takes a slight lead, but it’s neck and neck going into the home stretch. Phil inches out the win for the red team, beating out Gerry. Immunity is determined by who flips the correct switch at random. David wins immunity, though he probably wouldn’t need it.

Neil can’t stomach eating, but Bob emphasizes that the body needs food to lose weight.

Bob is thrilled with what he’s getting from his team and says they’ve pushed harder than anyone before. Kim is not so thrilled because her team, or at least the girls, keeps whining, so she’s going easier on them. She’s really impressed with the guys, but she lets the girls know she’s sick of them. Lezlye starts mocking her, and Amy just walks out.

Amy makes an alliance with Lezlye because she thinks it will help her stick around longer. I got a better way: work harder.

The black team makes their way back into the house in time for the weigh in. Upon walking into the weigh in, the blue and red teams are greeted by the black team waiting for them, ready for battle. Even Bob and Kim weren’t expecting the twist.

Blue Team:
Gerry: 256 lbs (-10)
Nicole: 265 lbs (-6)
Patty: 265 lbs (-2)
Ryan: 349 lbs (-10)
Kae: 200 lbs (-5)
Neil: 389 lbs (-10)
Total: -43 lbs (2.43%)

Red Team:
Bryan: 325 lbs (-6)
Amy: 285 lbs (-2)
Lezlye: 243 lbs (-3)
David: 344 lbs (-4)
Phil: 372 lbs (-5)
Total: -20 lbs (1.26%)

Black Team:
Hollie: 242 lbs (-2)
Isabeau: 285 lbs (-5)
Jez: 320 lbs (-9)
Julie: 213 lbs (-3)
Bill: 301 lbs (-12)
Jim: 334 lbs (-16)
Total: 47 lbs (2.70%)

With no help from the women on the team, the black team wins the weigh in. The red team, meanwhile, as a whole, did poorly this week, and they have lost the weigh in again. At just 6 pounds, Bryan is the biggest loser on the red team, so he is safe, as is David with immunity. Amy tries to talk David into believing Phil’s too big a threat to keep around. She then realizes he’s not getting rid of Phil, so she drops the alliance and works on her own behalf.

Phil: Lezlye
Lezlye: Phil
Amy: Phil
David: Lezlye
Bryan: Lezlye

By a vote of 3-2, Lezlye has been eliminated. Today, Lezlye weighs 200 pounds, down 55 pounds from her starting weight of 255 pounds.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Biggest Loser 4 episode 3, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.

Survivor: China – A Day in the Life of Jeff Probst

Survivor: China premieres tonight, and I’m looking forward to it (or at least hoping it stops sucking). As usual, I will be doing a live blog from the east coast during episode 1. Anyway, in this video, we take a behind the scenes look at Jeff Probst’s day on day 15 in Survivor: China from waking up to after tribal council’s over.