Reality Bytes
Archived Posts from this Category
Fri 24 Oct 2008
Reality Bytes- Part 2
With a set of fraternal twin girls (Mady & Kara, age 8 ) and a set of sextuplets, (Collin, Leah, Joel, Hannah, Aaden & Alexis, age 4) the Gosselins a.k.a. Jon & Kate Plus 8 are hardly your typical American family. The show follows the family through their daily lives, focusing on the challenges of raising multiple children. While part of me feels this show has run it’s course, another part of me would really miss seeing this family each week. All of the kids have their own unique personalities and you can’t help but to fall in love with each and every one of them. Jon, 31 is very laid back….Kate, 33 not so laid back. The show has documented, and given us a chance to see these kids go from babies to preschoolers. The love and interaction between them is heart-warming and I believe, genuine. One of my all time favorite scenes is, while being potty trained, Leah, with a scrunched up nose informs a camera man, “Hannah pooped. Hannah pooped in Hannah’s underwears.” Priceless!! You truly get a sense from this show of what it would it would be like to raise multiple multiples. We, at least have the option of turning the T.V. off if Mady is throwing a tantrum, the six younger ones have the flu and are vomiting one after another or Kate is having a mini-breakdown. But this is the ‘reality’ of their life! Kate is often criticized for her obsession with cleaning and organization as well as “verbal attacks” on her husband. In her defense, one would have to be organized in a household with 8 children, 8 and under. As far as verbal attacks, she does have a tendency to lash out at Jon out of frustration but I have not witnessed anything I would really consider a “verbal attack.” More recently, concerned viewers have expressed they believe the show ($$) has changed the Mr. & Mrs. They are afraid their motives have changed and they are now at the point of exploiting the kids. One quote reads, “What started as a documentary has turned into dangerous distortion of childhood, parenting, and what passes for acceptable risk in the age of the Internet.” Like I said, while part of me feels this show has run it’s course, and maybe it’s time to turn out the lights….another part of me would really miss seeing this family each week. Perhaps I’m being selfish, perhaps they are. 
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Premiering in 1996, Judge Judy is an American reality-based court show, featuring a former family court judge. Judge Judy Sheindlin is known for tackling real-life small claims in her courtroom. With her no nonsense attitude, you may often hear her saying; ay! QUIET!”, “Do I have stupid written over my forehead?”, “I think you ought to be quiet. You know, they don’t need anybody stirring up the pot. You’re a pot-stirrer.” As much as I love this show, I am deathly afraid of this woman. A sweet looking elderly woman dressed in a black robe, her bench side manner is not for the weak. With an 8 second opportunity, this woman would have me on the ground begging for forgiveness…..guilty or not. Generally dealing with conflicts that irritate people and give them stress, JJ deliberately avoids serious cases like child abuse saying, “I’m an entertainer, and I’m paid as an entertainer.” She adds that court T.V. shows are not the place to hash over cases that could lead to “life-altering decisions.” Ummm….good call. Although entertaining, the reality of it is, neither Judge Judy nor her bailiff are acting as actual court officers on the show. JJ is acting as an arbiter, her “bailiff” a private security guard. I guess that means when she awards money in one of her rulings, it’s the producers who pay up. I’m sorry but no amount of money is worth 15 minutes of fame, losing every ounce of dignity all the while laying on the ground begging for forgiveness…..guilty or not. (I would have given this three stars, I went with four out of fear!) 
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Based on the previews, I knew I would never be able to sit and watch this show in it’s entirety. Much to my surprise, after just one episode I was hooked. I can’t quite put a finger on what it is I find so intriguing, but after talking with others I’ve learned I am not the only one with this guilty pleasure. Million Dollar Listing takes an inside look at the top agents in Los Angeles’ tough real estate market, who stop at nothing to close the deal. The show follows three of the area’s top agents – Josh Flagg, Madison Hildebrand and Chad Rogers as their paths cross and they compete and expose the intense work that it takes to move the hottest listings in the City of Angels. Josh, 22 is just plain old creepy. Probably last season’s top seller, most of his listings are estates of his wealthy grandmother’s (who discovered polyester) deceased friends. My creepiness instincts weren’t far off as reports later surfaced that Josh was arrested for allegedly stealing ridiculously expensive art that was part of an estate he was handling. Madison, 27 who was recently featured in playgirl, is the pretty boy of the three. He is openly gay or bisexual, although he prefers the term “polyamorous.” As he struggles with his sexuality, he often turns to his ex-girlfriend, Lauren for advice and support. Chad, 30…who appears to be 16 is annoying, yet intriguing. He is constantly checking his bowl-cut hair in the mirror and although he mentions he is employed by Hilton and Hyland Real Estate (thee Paris Hilton’s dad) 146 times an episode, I can’t recall him ever closing a deal. He has an organizational obsession with plastic bags that an be carried out to the detriment of the anal-retentive. My biggest gripe is this guy always has spit in the corner of his mouth! Creepy + Pretty + Annoying = Conflict. While Chad and Josh have an ongoing rivalry, Madison as usual, remains friendly with both sides. (No pun intended!) This somehow makes for good T.V. So, as I hide behind my computer screen in my virtual world, I confess….I’m hooked.Â
…stay tuned for more Reality Bytes!
Sun 19 Oct 2008
Reality Bytes- Part 1
Intervention profiles people whose dependencies on drugs and alcohol or other compulsive behavior has brought them to a point of personal crisis. Agreeing to appear in a show documenting their addiction, these people have no idea they will soon face an intervention. Each participant has a choice: go into rehabilitation immediately, or risk losing contact, income, or other privileges from the loved ones who instigated the intervention. This is one of my favorite shows and I cry buckets every time I watch it. It concludes with an update of the person’s progress, which 9 out of 10 times is positive. I love the way each episode begins, having the person state their name, then spell it. I often wonder if this started out as a cruel joke. A prerequisite; you must at least be sober enough to know and be able to spell your own name.
* side note, I just watched an episode last night of a girl dealing with an addiction to “dusting.” “Dusting” involves inhaling compressed air from aerosol cans, specifically computer dusting products. The statistics are quite startling…33% of users die the first time they try it!
My name is Heidi, H-e-i-d-i, Heidi.
I am 45 years old, and I am a reality show addict.
I really didn’t think I watched that many….but if I actually sat down and made a list, I would probably be ashamed.
“Due to the graphic nature of this program, viewer discretion is advised. COPS is filmed on location with the men and women of law enforcement. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.” COPS follows police officers, and sheriff’s deputies during patrols and other police activities. It is one of the longest-running television programs in the United States and the second longest-running show on Fox. I don’t think I have seen any recent episodes of this show but because of it’s long history, there are plenty of re-runs I have yet to see. The concept of this show when it first aired, quickly made it one of my favorites. It gave you the ability to be in other peoples business…secretly, making it the first reality show. It consists of calls anywhere from shootings to burglaries to cats stuck in trees. You get a first hand glimpse at how stupid people are, how desperate they can be, and how many innocent victims are affected. It is both thrilling and heartbreaking….from high speed chases to domestic violence. You begin wishing you had the money and power to take in and protect the children whose parents were just busted for running a meth lab or just watched daddy beating mommy senseless. It’s a reality that be be shocking to even those with the toughest of hearts. Each episode will contain at least two of the following; a) mullets b) a beat down trailer park c) a drunk d) a trans-sexual e) a prostitute. One of my favorite parts of the show is knowing that just about every person who appears on COPS must sign a release giving their permission for the events to be shown on TV. You know there are parents beaming with pride everywhere!! (SPOILER ALERT: It remains to be one of the only completely unscripted and unplanned “reality” shows…..I know, huh?)
A spin-off ‘reality’ series of the VH1 series Hogan Knows Best. (…he obviously doesn’t know everything, but he’s learning. For example; if you cheat on your wife with one of your daughter’s best friends, she will leave you.) While brother Nick serves time in jail for charges of felony reckless driving, Brooke Knows Best focuses on the aspiring pop star and daughter of Hulk Hogan. The show is about Brooke dealing with her family problems, her (failing) music career, and life her own. No longer the innocent and somewhat sheltered girl portrayed in daddy’s show, Brooke is breaking out of her shell and exploring her new found freedom. Now living in a penthouse in South Beach, Florida she and gay roommate, Glenn decide they need third roommate, Ashley to help make ends meet. I guess it made for a good storyline but the penthouse is actually paid for by VH1. Shocking, I know. Brooke is probably the most likeable of the Hogan’s, I only wish her clothes were as big as her heart. Her micro-mini skirts and belly-baring shirts make her look cheap and desperate for attention…which reminds me….mom, Linda has made a few appearances looking as classy as ever. (cough) Not only does she try and look twenty-something, her attempts of trying to be a friend instead of a mother are embarrassing. I guess the caked on make-up on her overly tanned skin, bleach blond 80′s hair, and tacky wardrobe are working for her, she has recently snagged herself a boy toy younger than Brooke! Daddy, Hulk has also had his share of visits, but you get the impression he is on the verge of wearing out his welcome. His motives are one of the following: a) he is genuinely concerned for his little girl. b) a last ditch effort to steal the spot light before his skin turns to leather. c) to see if Brooke has any new, single friends. Give this girl some room to breath! I’d be lying if I said I never watch this, but it’s definitely not the show you make time for. If nothing else you learn to appreciate your parents. 
The reality show, The Girls Next Door focuses on the lives of Hugh Hefner 82, and his three girlfriends who live with him at the Playboy Mansion. Just starting it’s 5th season, the series not only showcases events at the Playboy Mansion (e.g. Fight Night, Fourth of July celebration, the midsummer celebration etc.), but also sheds light on other Playboy related events such as the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, Operation Playmate etc… Holly Madison, 27 is Hef’s ‘main girlfriend’ and the only one that shares a room with him. She is probably the most serious and laid-back of the three. In recent years she also began working at the Playboy studios as an intern and later a junior editor. She also helped design and put together the girls’ 2008 The Girls Next Door calendar. After 7 years together, Madison recently announced she has moved out of the mansion and is no longer romantically involved with Hef. Although Hef is said to be devastated, he has already moved 2 pretty young thangs in to console him. Bridget Marquardt, 35 is the brains of the bunch. She is way to happy…about evertything, almost to the point of being annoying. Although she comes off as a real bimbo, she actually earned her Master’s Degree in Communications in 2001 and later went on to take a graduate level course in broadcast journalism through UCLA Extension. Kendra Wilkinson, 23 is by far the goofiest and has no shame. She is probably best know for her laugh and ‘blond moments.’ A huge sports enthusiast, her aspirations are to be a massage therapist or sports announcer. Denying rumers she is engaged to Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett, she recently admitted she was in a relationship with him. Bet she’s out the door next! They say the bunch is already committed to another season….which if true should be quite interesting. I guess this proves…money can’t buy everything. This show is entertaining at it’s best, the shock factor is what brings you back for a second glance. Reality, smeality. 
More coming soon….you all know now, I have no life. Pathetic as it may be, that’s the reality of it!!
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