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reality blurred
Babysitting reality TV's bastard child every day, with news and analysis about the best and worst of reality television
- Ellen DeGeneres quits American Idol
Ellen DeGeneres has quit as an American Idol judge after one season, and Fox will apparently announce Simon Cowell's replacement--and perhaps an entirely new panel of judges--on Monday. In a statement posted on her web site, Ellen wrote that she actually quit a while ago, "A couple months ago, I let FOX and the "American Idol" producers know that this didn't feel like the right fit for me. I told them I wouldn't leave them
- Lisa Wu Hartwell quits Real Housewives because producers wanted scripted drama
The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Lisa Wu Hartwell won't return as a full-time cast member for the show's third season, though she will appear in a few episodes. Black Voices reported that she left "amicably" over "creative differences," and won't be part of the opening sequence but will appear in up to three episodes. According to an anonymous production source, "They basically wanted to script elements of Lisa's life and make her amp
- Survivor Africa, Survivor Marquesas (finally) on DVD
Seasons three and four of Survivor, which have long been missing from the available full-season DVD sets, are now available for pre-order on Amazon.com and have quickly become among the best-selling TV and movie DVDs. However, they still don't have a release date, and they are being manufactured on-demand on DVD-R discs, which comes with a disclaimer on the product pages noting that it "may not play in other DVD devices, including recorders and PC
- Saboteur twist returning; Big Brother producer loves it, thinks Brendon, Rachel will marry
The limp and rapidly deflated saboteur twist on Big Brother 12 will return in some form, and we'll learn exactly how on tonight's episode. The producers of the show revealed this in an interview, during which they expressed their love for the Rachel and Brendon showmance, and denied manipulating the show. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Allison Grodner said, "The saboteur may not be dead after all! You'll find out more tonight
- SYTYCD's Lauren hospitalized for dehydration; Nigel Lythgoe already thinks he's on Idol
After an episode in which all the remaining finalists actually danced, the Nigel Lythgoe-declared So You Think You Can Dance front-runner Lauren Froderman was hospitalized for dehydration after the show last night. At the end of the show, Cat said she was being seen by medics. Later, previously eliminated injured contestant Alex Wong, who was in the audience, wrote on Twitter that "I think Lauren will be fine to compete next week. She was dehydrated
- A dictionary for Big Brother 12's morons
The Brigade's plan to "backdoor" Brendon or Rachel backfired on Big Brother 12, largely because the alliance of morons does not understand what "backdoor" means and failed to plan for a backdoor from the initial nominations. This, alas, is what the houseguests are most notable for this year: their stupidity. There's a lot of ridiculousness as stupidity, like Andrew cleaning things that are already clean, and Lane going hunting with a machine gun and shooting
- CBS' The Talk stars talk about the talk that Julie Chen got the job because of her husband
Panelists on the new CBS daytime talk show--which is basically The View but with a panel of mothers, most of whom are also associated with reality series--faced TV critics yesterday. That's the show Bethenny Frankel was in the show's pilot but isn't on the panel; had she replaced Leah Remini, the entire panel, with the exception of the show's creator Sara Gilbert, would have been formed of women involved with reality shows. The show has
- Gordon Ramsay's new show does well, while Tony Robbins fails to inspire
Fox's new Gordon Ramsay-fronted cooking competition MasterChef drew younger viewers, more than America's Got Talent, but the weak new NBC series Breakthrough with Tony Robbins failed to draw any viewers. MasterChef had 5.75 million viewers overall, and thus was beaten by Wipeout, America's Got Talent, and NCIS: Los Angeles, but among viewers 18 to 49, it placed first at 9 p.m. Breakthrough with Tony Robbins came in fourth place, drawing just 3.13 million viewers, beating
- Survivor Nicaragua cast photo released, minus faces, plus a preview of Tribal Council
As part of the surprising amount of information being released pre-season, CBS sent the media a photo of Survivor Nicaragua's cast. Because the network has yet to release their names and identities, which are already online, the photo is cleverly obscured with an important promotional message: In addition, at CBS' day of press tour--the gathering of TV critics and journalists where networks present their new shows via press conferences with stars and producers--there are napkins
- The Hills almost had a different ending
A report says that The Hills' final scene, which acknowledged the show's scripted nature, was one of two options, and each of the show's two executive producers wanted to end the show on an entirely different note. The other ending would have had Brody Jenner and Lauren Conrad in a relationship. The New York Post's Page Six reports that "creator Liz Gateley pushing for a 'realistic' scene with Brody Jenner on a movie set. But
- Survivor Nicaragua cast list leaks as CBS confirms tribes split by age
Another leaked detail about Survivor Nicaragua has been confirmed: its tribes are split by age, with one tribe of people under 30 and another over the age of 40. The entire 20-person cast has now been identified, too, although not yet officially. Previously, Survivor Panama split its four tribes by age, but also by sex, and the age division wasn't as clear cut. The network describes the "young vs. old" split like this:"The Espada Tribe,
- Justin Rego says he's been threatened with a lawsuit by The Bachelorette's lawyers
Justin Rego, known as "Rated R," said that he didn't participate in Monday's The Bachelorette 6 reunion because he no longer trusts the show's producers, and that the show has threatened to sue him because he is talking about "how manipulative" the show is. He was accused of infidelity but denied both cheating and doing the show for fame, which, of course, enraged Chris Harrison. Justin posted a message to Facebook that said "I did
- American Idol auditioner Ian Benardo sues for $300 million, claims anti-gay discrimination
American Idol 6 auditioner and season nine finale performer/crasher Ian Benardo is suing the show for $300 million, claiming that he was the victim of anti-gay harassment and discrimination. He told TMZ that he wants to "bring American Idol down" because show employees called him a "fag" and "homo," among other things. He says his on-stage "Kanye moment" while Dane Cook was performing was encouraged by producers who wanted him to act gay. In the
- Nigel Lythgoe returning to produce American Idol, and may replace all the judges
So You Think You Can Dance executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe may return to his previous job as executive producer of American Idol for its 10th season, according to reports. And that might be bad news for judges Kara DioGuardi, Randy Jackson, and Ellen DeGeneres, who could be replaced by Justin Timberlake and other new panelists. "Ryan Seacrest would probably be the only 'Idol' personality with job security" because "in May, Lythgoe said in
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