Category: reality tv

reality TV spoilers, recaps, news

Beauty and the Geek 4 Episode 1

Nate and Jennylee are back and in search of new beauties and geeks. First stop is Boston. Just how much of these auditions is for real and how much is just made up for television? We may never know.

Do you know who won the Civil War? “Who was that between?” I’ve actually asked people that question before and gotten an answer not too far off that, so perhaps this is not that far fetched.

Mike then heads to Washington, DC.

What are you an expert at? “Being pretty.” Someone smack this chick.

Nate and Jennylee then head to Raleigh-Durham, NC.

Nate gets lost in a conversation about Risk. Yeah, you can tell he’s still a geek.

Table tennis is otherwise known as ping pong. “Not to me.”
What do you like in a guy? “Money.”
What is your IQ? “Slightly over not too dumb.”
What is your favorite part of your body? “Does my shoes count?”
“You’ve probably seen Forest Gump before. He’s one of my heroes.”

Next stop for Mike: Chicago.

What are the three branches of the US government? “There’s branches?”
When was the last time you kissed a girl? “Well, there was one ‘incident’ back in January.”
What’s the last book you’ve read? “Well, since I’ve been in school, I haven’t been reading.”

Nate and Jennylee then head to Little Rock, Arkansas. Where they have time to do their nails. Yep, nobody’s showing up there.

What is your IQ? “I don’t know. I’m like a 3 point… B average.”

Mike should have more luck finding people in LA. While there, he runs into Tyson, who insists anyone can learn to do Rubik’s Cube. Then it’s time for the auditions.

Do you have a girlfriend? “No. Are you kidding me?” Why? “Math makes me very excited.”
“I like foreign languages.” Do you speak a foreign language? “No, but I tell people I do.”

Nate and Jennylee go to Vegas, wondering if there’s any chance they’ll find geeks there. Nope, just a bunch of women with fake boobs.

What is your IQ? “Like 7 maybe.” Yeah, she’s not exaggerating either.
Who wrote Beethoven’s 5th? “I don’t read books.”

Geeks:
David
Jesse
John
Josh
Joshua
Luke
Tony
Will
William

Beauties:
Amanda
Erin
Hollie
Jasmine
Jennifer
Katie
Natalie
Rebecca
Shalandra

More info (age, profession, hometown) is in the cast revealed post.

“I just don’t go places where there are people that… study,” reveals Jasmine.

Nobody wants to go first to meet the beauties, but Will finally volunteers. He’s a fan of music of science fiction and fantasy. He thinks it might be better to live in a fantasy world. Hollie plays Betty Boop at Universal Studios. Dave enters with his LARPer (live action role playing) routine. He actually does seem to have impressed the girls with this, though. Amanda, an aspiring Playboy model, is proud of having paid $8,000 for her boobs. Josh is the president of a rubber band club.

Jen’s big on being fit and can probably benchpress more than all the guys in the house at 135 pounds. Rebecca goes to school for massage therapy. Luke volunteers very quickly for a demonstration. William is disastrously nervous. Natalie is the “ultimate Hooters girl.” She ties a cherry stem with her tongue. Joshua’s very nervous and ends up calling his mother so she can explain why he’s a good partner.

Shalandra likes to sing, dance, and shop. Luke designs robots. Katie’s good at finding Waldo in Where’s Waldo? and makes great peanutbutter & jelly sandwiches. Erin asks if anyone goes to a salon to get their hair done. That would be a no. Tony teaches the girls how to tie a bowtie. Jasmine was a cheerleader and does a cheer for the guys.

After there are introductions, Mike reveals that they won’t be picking teams. At least not right away. They’re going to give everyone a night to sleep on it together, at the first Beauty and the Geek slumber party under the stars. This actually makes sense. Much better than just picking someone at random based on a few minutes and first impressions. They get into a hot tub, where it’s revealed some of the guys need to shave their backs, and pretty much everybody is on top of each other. They must then pick cabanas, some coed, some not. Even still, there’s concern that they don’t know each other well enough to start picking people.

The first challenge is that the girls will undergo an intellectual analysis, while the guys will take a social skills analysis.

The guys must draw their ideal girlfriend. They must then kiss a mannequin. This is followed by an inkblot test. Horribly uncomfortable because it’s obvious the woman administering the test is a shrink, and they know she’s being shrinklike. The girls must name, in alphabetical order, as many countries as possible. Then it’s time for a math word problem. Lastly, they have to read something including big words.

Shay says, “The guy who created math, I mean, he obviously had nothing else to do that day because… it’s so boring.”

Shay and Joshua are called up and think they got the highest scores, but they actually got the lowest scores on the tests… which means they won the first challenge. With that, they are allowed to choose their own teammates… and everyone else’s. Lame twist, but it does add an element of strategy to the game.

At least they get an hour to do it so that the others can tell them who they want to be with. Shay asks whether they should team up together, and Joshua points out that they’re the worst two and as such wouldn’t make a good pair. Somehow, she gets her way. Joshua’s rationale is that they won’t be seen as a threat.

The teams are:
Shay & Joshua (nobody else gets why either)
Amanda & Tony (at Amanda’s request)
Jasmine & David (he’s not happy, and she doesn’t know who he is)
Erin & Jesse (Erin’s pleased)
Natalie & John
Jen & William (he’s surprised and disappointed)
Rebecca & Will
Hollie & Josh (she and Luke both wanted to be with each other)
Katie & Luke (she’s happy because Luke’s the ringer this year who’s not really that much of a geek)

Now it’s time for one last twist. One beauty is a man, and one geek is a woman. They will be the tenth and final team. And that’s where we leave off.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live blog of Beauty and the Geek 4 episode 2, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on The CW.

The Bachelor 11 Contestants Revealed

ABC previously revealed the bachelor to be Brad Womack, and now they have released information about the 25 women who will be competing for 15 minutes of fame alongside him.

Bettina, 27, realtor, Washington DC
DeAnna, 25, realtor, Neunan GA
Erin, 25, publishing sales exec, Tampa FL
Estefania, 26, executive assistant, Atlanta GA
Hillary, 27, registered nurse, Philadelphia PA
Jade, 24, boutique sales, Nashville TN
Jenni, 27, Phoenix Suns cheerleader, Wichita KS
Jessica, 27, news anchor, Lady Lake FL
Juli, 24, law student, Chicago IL
Kim, 31, realtor, Woodbridge CT
Kristy, 29, acupuncturist, Chicago IL
Lindsey, 25, model, Livania MI
Lori, 33, biology teacher, Annapolis MD
Mallory, 24, nanny, Honolulu HI
McCarten, 26, account manager, San Diego CA
Melissa, 28, event planner, westchester NY
Michelle, 30, realtor, South Brunswick NJ
Morgan, 24, graduate student, Tempe AZ
Natalie, 25, law student, Duncanville TX
Rigina, 31, account representative, San Diego CA
Sarah, 23, bar manager, O’Fallon IL
Sheena, 23, marketing exec, Walnut Creek CA
Solisa, 25, esthetician, Georgetown TX
Susan, 35, project analyst, St Charles IL
Tauni, 31, emergency room nurse, St Louis Park MN

The Bachelor 11 premieres Monday September 24th at 9:30/8:30c on ABC.

Survivor: China – The Walk to a Challenge

Survivor: China starts in just two days (all I have to say is this: let’s just hope it sucks less than Big Brother 8), and instead of being silly and suing Youtube like their old owners at Viacom, CBS has lately become smart enough to use it as a marketing tool. In this video, Jeff Probst takes a behind the scenes look at what it takes just to simply get to a challenge, along with a quick look at one of the challenges from this season.

The Amazing Race Wins Another Emmy

In what is becoming an annual tradition, the Amazing Race won an Emmy for Outstanding Reality-competition program. This marks the fifth year in a row that the show has won this Emmy.

The Amazing Race came out ahead of Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, Top Chef, and American Idol. Even if CBS wants to put it on the backburner and relegate it to midseason status, it’s still the subject of critical acclaim.

“We are so proud to win this again, it’s extraordinary,” said Bertram van Munster, creator and executive producer.

The Biggest Loser 4 Episode 1

I know I’m late with this, but I’ve got excuses. I think. Anyway, it’s time for season 4 of Biggest Loser. I’ve seen season 1 and bits and pieces of the other two, but it’s apparent there’s a big following already established here at this site, so I figured I’d get back into it and start recapping it. As reported previously, the big change this year is that Caroline Rhea has been replaced by Alison Sweeney, a younger, less heavier model. I liked Caroline Rhea, but I never did think she fit in too well with this show considering its theme. This season, there’s also a third team, the black team, led by Jillian Michaels, who returns after her hiatus last year. Bob Harper and Kim Lyons will be returning as well.

We start off in the desert with a lot of hills and sand and heat. Bob and Kim are flying overhead preparing to jump out of a plane. The weight loss starts here. It’s a race to get to them. The first person to catch Bob is the captain of the blue team; the first person to catch Kim is the captain of the red team. The captains will pick the teams, but they can only pick 5 each. The show pretends the other 6 will be going home, but we know better.

Gerry, at age 62 and the oldest contestant ever on Biggest Loser, was the first person to reach Bob. He doesn’t seem quite as out of shape as some of these people, even if he is a lot older. Ex-college football player Phil, 27, was the first person to reach Kim. Amber, 30, finished quite a ways behind everyone else, and once they realized she still hadn’t finished, everybody went out to greet and support her.

Blue Team:
Gerry, 62: 297 lbs
Kae, 27: 225 lbs
Neil, 25: 421 lbs
Patty, 34: 280 lbs
Nicole, 26: 279 lbs
Ryan, 29: 374 lbs
_____
1,876 lbs total

Red Team:
Phil, 27: 403 lbs
Bryan, 29: 346 lbs
Amber, 30: 295 lbs
Amy, 28: 297 lbs
David, 31: 368 lbs
Lezlye, 34: 255 lbs
_____
1,964 lbs total

So that leaves us with a black team of:
Bill, 40: 334 lbs
Hollie, 28: 255 lbs
Isabeau, 21: 298 lbs
Jez, 24: 345 lbs
Jim, 40: 361 lbs
Julie, 34: 218 lbs
_____
1,811 lbs total

As the bus is leaving, it passes a motorcycle going the other way. Now it’s time to break the news to the people and end their agony of being rejected, as Jillian’s back. She will train the black team in secret for a week and a half before they enter the game.

After the weigh in, we go back to Jillian in the desert, and she’s as hardcore as ever. Nothing like working out in the heat of a desert. Pretty primitive workout environment, utilizing tires and sandbags, but it’ll definitely get results. Isabeau falls apart on the hill, which Jillian is displeased with, but she doesn’t quit.

Bob has his first workout in the gym. Everybody says it’s tough, but there are no clear slipups. Kim has her team working out in the yard. Amber, who had so much trouble with the first task, breaks down crying and says she doesn’t want to be there any more. She’s lucky she got a sweet trainer like Kim. If she got Jillian, she would have gotten smacked upside the head. Kim works with Amber to get her to finish.

Next, it’s time to tackle the diet. Bob suggests gum instead of candy bars and emphasizes protein at every meal. Kim’s philosophy is about balance, with carbs, protein, and fat at every meal and snack. They then blindfold their teams and lead them into a room with the lights off. As the lights go on, they reveal on tables what everybody eats in a week, a shocking reality check to all the contestants.

Before the next challenge, everybody must get the amount of luggage across the finish line that equals the weight they hope to lose. Seems like a pretty arbitrary way to pick a task, as anybody who shoots high is gonna have a lot to carry. Ah, but there’s a catch. The luggage will be onboard a plane, which weighs 21 tons, and the players must drag it after loading their luggage. As a reward, letters from home will be waiting at the finish line for the winning team. Blue team comes up with a good strategy of having a couple of the players who are likely to run/carry slower just load the plane. Red team catches on to this but not before giving the blue team a lead. Red team, however, comes up with a much better strategy for towing the plane. Phil lines up like the anchor in tug-of-war, while two of the women get down by the wheels and turn the wheels. Red team wins by a good margin.

The first weigh in:

Red Team:
Bryan: 331 lbs (-15)
Lezlye: 246 lbs (-9)
Amy: 287 lbs (-10)
David: 348 lbs (-20)
Amber: 288 lbs (-7)
Phil: 377 lbs (-26)
Total: -87 lbs (4.43%)

Blue Team:
Patty: 267 lbs (-13)
Ryan: 359 lbs (-15)
Nicole: 271 lbs (-8)
Neil: 399 lbs (-22)
Kae: 205 (-20)
Gerry: 266 lbs (-31)
Total: -109 lbs (5.81%)

Awesome job by Kae. Down 9%, easily doubling, if not tripling the percentage of most others. Being that she is the smallest, if she keeps this up, though, she won’t last very long. With her numbers, it became pretty obvious the blue team would win. But to make it a complete blowout, Gerry steps up there and puts up over a 10% loss, and his 31 pound weight loss is a new record. As the smallest guy, he faces the same potential early elimination.

Phil, with a 26 pound (6.5%) weight loss, is the biggest loser for the red team, so he’s safe. Amber’s boot’s a pretty safe prediction here. With that said, the whole group immediately turns on her for lack of drive and repeated talk of quitting. Of course, regardless of what she may have done or not done, it ultimately came down to the other team doing so ridiculously well that they weren’t winning whether she lost another few more pounds or not.

Lezlye: Amber
Amber: Lezlye
Amy: Amber
David: Amber
Phil: Amber

As expected, Amber has been eliminated. Since that time, Amber has continued on the right path, and she has lost a total of 65 pounds and is now down from a size 28 to a size 18. Her goal by the finale is to be a size 10.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of Biggest Loser 4 Episode 2, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.

Big Brother 8 Episode 32

Warning: Tonight’s show has the potential to be one of the worst, most irritating shows in the history of Big Brother. This is CBS’ attempt to convince us their storyline was great. Dick/Danielle fans may love it. Anyone else, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Just in case anyone still cares, welcome to another live blog of Big Brother 8. It’s a recap episode, so basically a way to waste time. We get to take a look back at the season with one of the more horrendous final twos in the show’s history. Great. An hour with Delusional and his daughter, More Delusional (and whiny). And she’ll probably still be whining, despite her place in the finals.

We start off with her day one supposedly not having talked to him for two years because he loaned her money once or something. Back when she didn’t want to even hug him. At least now she pretends she wants to hug him. Then three weeks later, she gets upset with him and storms off. Then the next day, more whining and crying. Oh god. This show’s going to suck worse than I originally anticipated.

Now we’re looking back at day 74 and the HOH competition. This was last week. Why do we need to see this crap again? It didn’t work to convince us the season was fair the first time, and it’s not working tonight.

Good. We’re done with that garbage. Now a look back at something that’s somewhat more interesting. Starting with Dick attacking Jen. He’s going to be pissed off when he gets out of the house and realizes he personally made Jen one of the more popular houseguests. I’ve got bad news for you, Dick. Jen actually talks to her father, and is far less self centered than Danielle.

Next, the moment CBS considers pure gold: Dick’s “brilliant” attempt to get himself so hated that he gets kicked out of the house. Wouldn’t it have been smarter to just wait for veto, then go off on everybody after it was over? Nope, not Dick. Act first, think later… maybe.

Then it’s time for some more prayer with Jameka and Amber, followed by Dick mocking their religion and lots of aruging. Yeah, because this wasn’t uncomfortable enough to watch the first time.

And of course, this recap show wouldn’t be complete without Danielle’s “love interest,” the guy she knew for like three weeks, Nick. This is as ridiculous as Janelle and Michael, which lasted all of about two minutes once they got out of the house and realized not only did they not love each other… they didn’t even like each other. Does anybody honestly care about Danielle and Nick? I see more hope in the Jessica/Eric relationship, so the look back at these two is not quite as nauseating.

Then we go back to when everybody hated Jen, when she cried about her picture on the wall. Hey, CBS, you forgot that the currently #1 houseguest on your popularity poll is Zach, though that’s largely in protest of the final two. Don’t forget to try to make us hate him, too. The crying over the picture is followed by when people started to really like Jen, when Dick dumped iced tea on her head, then when she got revenge by destroying his cigarettes, and when CBS allowed him to get away with burning her and physically intimidating her.

Did we need to see an Amber crying montage and her delusion over being a model, of course, followed by her going insane and pretending Eric is evil?

50 minutes into the show, we finally get something not bitter, hateful, and mean-spirited. Zach streaking, Eric dressing in Jessica’s clothing, Jen and Eric wrestling, various fun veto competitions (since HOH is never fun). After that, Dick and Danielle start planning their trip to Europe, and Danielle makes sure she says they won’t be going together, also emphasizing that if she wins, he ain’t getting any of it. Yeah, great reunion. About three minutes of being positive. Could there possibly be a worse final two in this respect, too? Nick notwithstanding, these two hate and have absolutely no use for anybody else in the house, including each other.

Well, that wraps up a particularly pointless episode. Why didn’t they just reveal the winner tonight? Speaking of the winner, I will be doing a live blog of the finale on Tuesday… again, just in case anybody cares.

Next Survivor to be Survivor All Stars 2?

There’s been buzz about a second Survivor All Stars since the first one ended, and that has been gaining steam lately since it’s been a few years since the last one. The first one was season 8, so it’s only natural that they would do one for season 16, which would be the one after Survivor: China.

Nothing’s official and probably won’t be until December or January, though no doubt a cast list would be leaked prior to that, but Reality TV World reports that Jeff Probst told reporters that “We’re going into our sixteenth season, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.” This follows Probst’s comments in May that the show is “due” for a second all star season.

“The only thing I can say is that I’ve come around to understanding that even though the All-Stars we did was a pain-in-the-ass from a production point of view, it was one of our best seasons,” Probst said. “And it was our best season because we had our best people back. I get that.”

Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that the original Survivor All Stars was a huge success. The premiere to 33.54 million viewers was the highest rated Survivor since the season 2 finale and the second highest rated premiere other than Outback, the average viewers of 21.49 million is third all time (behind seasons 1 and 2), and the 28 million people who tuned in to watch Rob propose to Amber was similarly highly ranked for a reunion show. Not to mention that CBS has been able to milk Romber for all it’s worth since then, very successfully in the case of The Amazing Race 7. Since All Stars, ratings have slowly eroded, to a series low of just shy of 15 million viewers in Fiji (still good enough to be a top 20 show, though).

Is the show just getting old, now in its 8th year? Are attempts to “ethnically diversify,” which seems to not be the case in Survivor: China, the least diverse cast since season 12, just neither working to keep old viewers nor draw new viewers? Are people tired of the complete lack of strategy lately? Does everyone just think Exile Island is stupid (which it is, but thankfully they’re killing that concept for China, to be replaced by the reward winners being allowed to kidnap a member of the losing tribe until the next immunity challenge, which is a concept that I do like)? Have competing networks finally found something to crack Survivor’s stranglehold on Thursdays at 8PM? Whatever the case, based on the performance of the last one, an All Stars 2 may be just the shot in the arm this thing needs to keep going.

Update: as annouced during the Survivor: China finale, this season will actually feature half lifelong fans and half former players. It will be Fans Vs. Favorites.