American Idol finds a problem with their voting methods

    The American Idol producers, Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe, have noticed a particular pattern when it comes to voting habits of their viewers. Since their target audience is mainly girls and women they are noticing some negative consequences. During the past five weeks girls have been voted off the show. It seems to be that women are only voting for the guys on the show. This leaves are the girls on the show in the dust.
    The producers are trying to come up with a plan on how to change this outcome. They have three ideas. One is to limit the amount of phone and text votes per viewer. Another is to model the voting style of another reality TV show, Dancing with the Stars. They vote off contestants with not just the viewers votes, but also the judges. Their last idea is to model the style of  So You Think You Can Dance. They have the public vote. Then they take the bottom three and let the judges decide who to vote off.
    They are not going to change any rules during the rest of this season. They will save that for more seasons to come. I think that this is a great idea and would be a great addition to the show. After all the public doesn't really know who should be voted off. I think the ultimate decision should be left up to the professionals.

Sister Wives

    Sister Wives is a relatively new show on TLC. This show follows the lives of a polygamist family from Utah. Kody Brown is the head of the household. He has four wives and sixteen children. Technically he is only married to one woman and the other three marriages are only spiritual. This is how he can get away with it. The whole reason that this family even agreed to do the show is to make the public more aware of their customs as polygamists. 

    Robyn has been the latest addition to the family. During the first season they showed Kody courting her. They eventually married also in this season. It has been 16 years since they had added another women to this family. Robyn has three kids from a previous marriage. The couple is now expecting their first child together. The other wives are very supportive and Robyn is even considering having a home birth. This child will make the 18th child to the family. 

"I'm overjoyed," Kody, 43, told People magazine. "This connects Robyn and me together in a way that nobody can take away."

    I do not understand how they can live like this, but I guess it is a personal choice. I myself could not take the thought that my husband was having a child with another woman or even that he was dating another woman. I would also be a weird thought to figure out how my children and my husbands children were related. Half-siblings? Cousins? Who knows?

Chris Brown upsetting the dancers on Dancing with the Stars

    Cheryl Burke is a professional dancer on the reality hit TV show Dancing with the Stars. She got extremely upset when she found out that Chris Brown was going to be preforming on the show. Chris Brown was just convicted in 2009 of abuse. He plead guilty to the felony charges in June of 2009 after he beat up his ex-girlfriend Rihanna. The couple was driving a rented car in Los Angeles when Brown choked, hit, and bit Rihanna. He also tried to push her out of the car. He was sentenced to 5 years probation and 6 months of community service. (He deserved a lot harsher punishment.) He also is not allowed within 100 feet of her unless they are preforming at the same event. There were two previous incidents of abuse that were reported on Chris Brown's probation reports. One was in Barbados and the other in Europe. The reason why Cheryl is so upset about this is because she suffered from domestic abuse previously. "As a victim of domestic violence, I don't agree with him coming on the show, but it's out of my control," the Dancing with the Stars dancer told Extra after Monday night's show.

Teen Mom 2

    I do not understand the concept of this show. I get that its full of drama and even I'll admit to watching an episode or two, but I just don't get it. Maybe the concept is to show girls that are also 16 and have a kid that they aren't alone. I just feel like most of these girls aren't good role models and shouldn't be looked up to by younger teens.
    I just read an article that stated that the girls of Teen Mom 2 are being paid way less for their season then girls on the first season of Teen Mom. I wasn't even aware that they were getting paid, yet alone the astonishing amount of money that they do receive. After Amber from the first season was taken to court, she was forced to reveal her income. She stated that she received $140,000 from MTV for a 6-month contract. Two of the girls from this current season were beside themselves on hearing that amount. Jenelle and Kailyn (two girls from season 2 of Teen Mom) only got paid $9,000 for their season.
    This to me is just paying these girls for a mistake that they made. They should have to work hard to receive their money to support them and their child. They shouldn't just be rewarded for their mistakes.

American Idol contestant charged with DUI

    The judges' wild card vote, Stefano Langone, always seems to make a big deal about his accident in 2009 when he was his by a drunk driver.


"May 28, 2009, my life took a 180-degree turn. I was in an accident that changed my life unfortunately for the worst. I woke up to a firefighter and I'll never forget -- he looked down at me and he screamed to the EMTs, 'He's alive! He's alive!'" said Langone about the accident which reportedly left him with two broken arms, a fractured pelvis and several other injuries.

"They told me that I wouldn't either walk the same, be able to walk right, or be the same, and I got on my feet in less than four months. Living through that and being in a wheelchair and not being able to play my piano -- that just makes you so much hungrier -- and that flame in you that says, 'I want this,' It burns more than anything."

    What no one knew until now is that Stefano was charged with his own DUI in 2010. He was first pulled over by police when he changed lanes without signaling and was speeding. He then failed multiple sobriety test. One of which was to recite the alphabet and he also blew above the legal limit. He was then put in the police car and brought to the station. While in route he began singing to the officer. It's amazing that his accident involving a drunk driver did not leave that much of a lasting impression on him. 

Ronnie might get to go to Italy

    If you did not know Jersey Shore's fourth season is set to be taped in Italy. This is a big change from Seaside Heights, New Jersey. I was very excited for this next season until I learned that Ronnie might not be on it. Not having Ronnie on the show would take away from the drama that the show needs to be a hit. If the show was drama free, I know that I would not be a fan.
    On season one of Jersey Shore Ronnie got into a scuffle and allegedly assaulted a 27-year-old named Stephen Izzo. He was drunk and a verbal argument quickly escalated to a physical one. Izzo not only filed a criminal lawsuit but also a civil one. He also filed lawsuits against MTV and the Jersey Shore producers.

    Ronnie needs a visa to travel to Italy, but people that are currently in a criminal process cannot be issued visas. Now he is applying a pretrial intervention program that will allow him to obtain his visa. Ronnie will not know whether he has been accepted into the program until he appears before a superior court judge on June 6, but just the application will allow him to go to Italy to start filming the fourth season of the show.

Update on the reality tv couples

    After my last post I found an interesting website that told all about the Bachelor couples. Interestingly enough, seasons one through fourteen eventually ended in heartbreak. Most couples leave from the final rose ceremony all giddy and excited to start their new life with their new found love. Too bad that once in the real world and out of the spotlight of the tv show their romance is gone forever. I can see how it must be really easy to fall in love with someone when you get to go on dates to the most romantic places around the world.

Season One

This is the show that started it all. Bachelor Alex Marshall chose Amanda Marsh in the final episode. Interestingly, he passed over Trista Rehn who would later find true love in the first edition of The Bachelorette. Sadly, it seems Alex was unsure about his final decision, and his reported attempts to stay in touch with Rehn strained the relationship with Marshall to the breaking point.

Season Two

Handsome Aaron Buerge picked bachelorette Helene Eksterowicz and won America's heart by paying for her diamond engagement ring himself. It seems that the fireworks were limited to the show because the couple called it quits shortly afterward and the ring was sold at auction on eBay. Such a cynical way to end a romance.

Season Three

This edition saw Andrew Firestone, heir to the Firestone fortune, choose Jen Schefft for a longer test run. Firestone seemed reluctant to make a firm commitment and the two split shortly thereafter.

Season Four

Charmingly goofy Bob Guiney, Trista Rehn's reject from The Bachelorette, got his time to shine and chose the elegant Estella Gardinier as his lady love. Guiney did not propose, but instead used his mileage from the show to forward his music career. Apparently Gardinier didn't want to play groupie to his rock star and the two ended the relationship.

Season Five

In a decidedly unromantic finale, former Giants back-up quarterback Jesse Palmer chose beautiful Jessica Bowlin. However, instead of offering her a ring, Palmer presented Bowlin with a plane ticket. It comes as no surprise that this pairing also did not last.

Season Six

Fisherman Byron Velvick selected Mary Delgado from the field of 25 in this edition. The couple has lasted longer than most of the others, but Delgado was reportedly arrested on a domestic battery charge for punching Velvick in the face in 2007. Amazingly, the couple still planned to carry on with a wedding in 2008. Eventually, however, they went their separate ways.

Season Seven

Goodtime Charlie O'Connell, brother to actor Jerry O'Connell, singled out cutie Sarah Brice from the herd. They broke up and then reunited in 2008, but split for good in 2010.

Season Eight

ER doc Travis Stork wound up with kindergarten teacher Sarah Stone in the season finale. However, a scant week after that finale aired, the couple held a news conference to reveal that they were no longer together. They cited the fact that they were obligated to remain apart during the four months between the show's wrap and final airing caused the romance to fizzle.

Season Nine

Prince Lorenzo Borghese morphed back into a frog after choosing Jennifer Wilson in season nine. Once their relationship ended, he reportedly tried to rekindle his interest in runner-up Sadie, but to no avail.

Season Ten

Navy Lieutenant Andy Baldwin surprised everyone with his choice of Tessa Horst in the season finale after all but telling runner-up Bevan that she would be the one. Baldwin proposed, but the couple wound up postponing the engagement while still remaining together. At last report, the two have gone their separate ways.

Season Eleven

In what proved to be one of the more outrageous season finales, wealthy entreprenuer Brad Womack professed to be in love with both finalists Deanna and Jenni. After telling a tearful Jenni good-bye and contemplating the ring in his jacket after her departure, the audience was led to believe he'd propose to Deanna. Womack even requested that the show's producers fly her father in for the finale. The shocker - Womack told Deanna he wasn't in love enough to marry her either and left her in tears.

Season Twelve

English financier Matt Grant chose Shayne Lamas, daughter of actor Lorenzo Lamas. He proposed, and the two briefly took up residence together, but Grant apparently got cold feet and moved to an apartment of his own. The two reportedly ended their relationship in July of 2008.

Season Thirteen

Bachelor Jason Mesnick returned from his stint as runner-up on season four of The Bachelorette to search for love. He gave his final rose to Melissa Rycroft, but during the After the Final Rose follow-up show, he broke up with Melissa and went back to his runner-up, Molly. Jason and Molly were married in February, 2010.

Season Fourteen

Commercial pilot Jake Pavelka chose Vienna Girardi at the end of season 14, which had been dubbed "On the Wings of Love." Sadly these wings weren't strong enough to keep the couple flying high on their love, as they broke up soon after the finale aired.

http://reality-tv.lovetoknow.com/What_Couples_are_Still_Together_from_The_Bachelor

    I also found a website that told their readers about the couples that actually made it. Even though one of them doesn’t really count in my book. I am referring to The season 13 Bachelor, Jason, that picked one girl, Melissa, and then on live television dumped Melissa and then confessed his love for the girl that he rejected, Molly.

Trista and Ryan
If there was a match made in heaven, Trista's 'Bachelorette' courtship with Ryan Sutter has got to be it. We all saw the twinkle in Ryan's eyes as he fought for Trista's hand in the final episodes. Now after six years of marriage they are the proud parents of 6-month-old daughter Blakesely Grace and 20-month-old Max.

Molly and Jason
While their romance didn't exactly happen under the most ideal circumstances, season 13 bachelor Jason Meznick and Molly Malaney (pictured here) finally announced their engagement this October after a one-year long-distance romance. Jason became America's most despised bachelor when he proposed to first choice Melissa Rycroft and then dumped her on live television professing that he "still had feelings" for Molly. Only time will tell if Jason and Molly's romance will last but for now, we're all hoping to see another televised wedding. Hopefully, Jason won't change his mind this time.

Sarah and Charlie
Actor Charlie O'Connell, brother of Jerry O'Connell, was the bachelor in season 7 and he gave a promise ring to his chosen love, Sarah Brice. The two dated for two years but broke up in 2007. A year later they announced that they were giving the relationship another try. O'Connell reportedly told US, "I'm happier with her in my life."

Ed and Jillian
Despite the tabloid rumors, Ed and Jillian are still going strong. Last month, the couple was spotted dining with friends in Chicago.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/12/03/bachelor-and-bachelorette-couples-whos-still-together/

Looking for love for all the wrong reasons

    Most people that have been on the Bachelor/ Bachelorette were there for the right reason. The reason I speak of is, "to find love." While other girls are hiding behind this and just looking for attention. Some people actually walk away from this experience having made a name for themselves. Brad Womack, this season's Bachelor, made a name for himself by leaving without proposing to any girls. Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth was a bachelorette and soon after she was also on the reality tv series, The Apprentice. No one can forget Kasey Kahl, the guy that got a tattoo on his for arm for the last Bachelorette.
    Other people just go on the show to get ahead in their careers. The two most well known examples are Justin "Rated R" Rego and Wes Hayden. Justin was the pro wrestler who went on the show. He would always wear around his black tshirt with giant letters that said "Rated R". All the guys on the show would always tell Ali that he wasn't there for the right reason and it turns out he wasn't. He actually still had a girlfriend at home. (Too bad he made it pretty far in the show.) Wes Hayden was the country singer on the Bachelorette a few seasons ago. He would constantly serenade Jillian with beautiful songs. She later found out that he had a girl back home and he was only trying to become a famous country singer.
    I love the concept behind these shows, but I am not sure that they really work. It worked the first time around with the first Bachelorette, Trista, and her husband, Ryan. None of the Bachelor couples are still together and only a few of the Bachelorette couples are. I think it is pretty obvious that this isn't working.

Face Off

    Last night I was channel surfing through the awesomeness that is dorm room cable trying to find something to fall asleep to when I stumbled upon something new and different. It was a new TV show called Face Off. I had seen shows like this before. A group of contestants trying to create something good enough to make it through each elimination and eventually win the show and whatever prize came along with it. Shows like this would include Project Runway, Top Chef, and Shear Genius. All of these shows have the same plot but with different attributes. Project Runway is where the contestants have to make the best outfit. As you can guess, in Top Chef the contestants have to have the best food dish. The show Shear Genius has contestants fighting to have the best haircut.
    So what exactly was it that intrigued me about this new show, Face Off? It may not have been an original idea, but I had not seen anything like it. In this show the contestants are fighting to be the best makeup artist. I am not just talking about putting eyeshadow on a girl and calling it good. I am talking about making a cilicon mask and applying it to a model to completely transform them into an entirely different person. The episode I watched last night was about horror movies. The contestants had to make up there own horror movie and then turn their model into the main killer in that movie. All the killers were completely different and actualy pretty original. My favorite was a man that grew up away from everyone in a closet and starts killing people. Needless to say I think I might be tuning in more often.

Spoilers

    I normally despise spoilers, but sometimes they are needed. For those of you who don't know what a spoiler is, let me inform you. A spoiler is a slang term for a part of a summary or description of a show/ movie that reveals a plot element which gives away the outcome of a certain episode within the show/ movie, or the conclusion of the entire show/ movie. I just can't bare to watch a whole 10 weeks of a show when I can just read about the whole thing in 5 minutes.
    I watched the first two episodes and then became too busy with homework and whatnot that I didn't really care anymore. That was until I found a website today called celebglitz.com. I was looking through it and I found the Bachelor spoilers 2011. I read through the whole thing and I know exactly what happens and I didn't even have to lift a remote. Now is where I am going to reveal what happens at the end of the Bachelor, so if you do not want to know that please don't read this.
    After Brad goes on his hometown dates with Emily, Chantal, Shawntel, and Ashley he eliminates Shawntel. (Which I say thank god. That girl is crazy!!) Ashley is then eliminated after an overnight date. This leaves Emily and Chantal as the final two. If I were him, I would pick Emily. But he of course does not do this. He chooses Chantal, which happens to be the girl that slapped him on the first night after she got out of the limo. All I can say is that I see their marriage ending in a divorce and that Emily better be the next Bachelorette.

Define Reality TV:

   I have come to realize within the past couple weeks that my definition of reality tv is different than most. Turns out that I would include shows into this category of television that other people wouldn't. Even the dictionary doesn't agree with me.
   This is the definition from Dictionary.com:

Reality TV -n: television programmes focusing on members of the public living in conditions created especially by the programme makers.

   My definition is completely different. I would define reality tv as... A television program that documents actual events. Most readers of my blog would only include certain shows in this category. (American Idol, Survivor, The Bachelor, Jersey Shore, etc.) I, on the other hand, would include show such as: Pawn Stars, Toddlers and Tiarras, True Life, Showcases of dance competitions, Most shows on Animal Planet, and Most shows on TLC, etc. So, keep my definition in mind as your read my posts.

I lost my remote!

   Unfortunately, I lost the remote to my television and since I am too lazy to go change the channel I have been watching whatever came on Animal Planet today. Today, apparently, was a full marathon of Pitbulls and Parolees. Thankfully, this is a great show.
   This show is about a rescue for pitbulls called Villalobos. It is owned by Tia Torres. In this show we follow around the employees, which happen to be ex-convicts on parole. Tia is nice enough to employee these parolees, because no one else will. This show is unbelievably heartwarming and I love the message behind it.
   I have done various speeches and reports about aggressive dog breeds. Pitbulls have a horrible reputation for being a mean breed of dog. Not all pitbulls are aggressive. They are bred to be that way. There are still nice pitbulls that are in need of a loving home and that is what this show is all about.

Channels I wouldn't expect to LOVE!

   If you would have asked me two years ago if I would watch a show on either the Discovery channel or the History channel, I would have told you, "No." This is hard to believe now that both of these channels have been on my favorite list on my television for almost two years now. I do not care what show it is, I will watch it so intently that I wouldn't even know if there was a fire in my room.
   My "go to show" is definitely Pawn Stars on the History channel. It is a show about this pawn shop in Las Vegas, NV. People bring in their old collectibles or just items that they believe to be worth some money and the workers get the item appraised then they will sometimes buy the item. It probably doesn't sound all that intriguing and now that I have read over my description of the show, I don't find it that intriguing, but I promise you it'll have your attention for hours.
   My new favorite show is on the Discovery channel. It is called Auction Kings. I found the show while channel surfing with one of my roommates. It reminded me a lot of Pawn Stars, so I made my roommate watch it with me. In this show there is this company that people can take their old items to and the company will put them in their auction. So they get their items appraised and then put in the auction. Here is an example: an employee of a used book store brought in one of the very first copies of The Great Gatsby. It was appraised for around $200 and it sold in the auction for around $300. I also don't know why this show appeals to me.
   The point of this post is to let everyone know that there is more to reality tv than people think. I don't just sit around a watch American Idol or Jersey Shore all the time.  There are other shows out there that people would even consider to be reality tv. Not all reality tv shows are filled with drama and offer an award at the end.

Tosh.0 and Women

   Last night I sat down to watch Tosh.0 like I do every week. It has to be in my top five favorite TV show. I have never missed at episode. The only thing that was different last night, was that I watched it with one of my friends. This particular friend had never seen an episode of Tosh.0 before. She had always heard great things about it though. We had just got done watching Glee, so we switched over to Comedy Central and watched the two old episodes leading up to the new Tosh.0 at 9 pm. This is where the tables turned.

   Some of you may not know what Tosh.0 is. It is a half- hour of stand up comedy performed by Daniel Tosh. He shows various video clips of people doing stupid things and he makes comments on them. I will admit that most of his comments are a little rude and racy, but that's why people, including myself, love him.

    So back to last night, my friend and I started watching the new episode. I thought it was interesting that she barely found any of his jokes funny. I was sitting there with sore abs from laughing so hard and she seems uninterested. I couldn't believe that I had found someone that hated Daniel Tosh, one of the best comedians ever! So she sat there for an hour and a half looking less than amused. Finally when the show was all over I asked her what she thought. I was not expecting her answer.

    She was disgusted by Daniel. She said that she had never heard someone talk so poorly about women in her life. Granted Tosh.0 is filled with jokes about how women cause 100% of car accidents and the many ways that men are better than women. This just never bothered me. I always thought everything was funny, but apparently she took everything he said to heart. I never realized until last night how many condescending remarks Daniel makes about women, but never the less I will always remain a faithful fan.

Communication

   I thought that I was over the top with reality TV until I moved in with my current roommate. She isn't about all reality TV, but the certain shows she does watch, she watches nonstop everyday. This is why I thought she was the perfect candidate for this interview. In this interview I asked her about how she thought that people communicated in reality TV shows.
   I asked her about how she though that people communicated. She thought that people in reality TV shows communicate with the camera almost as much as with other people on the show. In every reality show there is always a segment where people sit down and talk directly to the camera. This is what she was referring to. I then asked her what are some things that people might make a generality about this certain topic. She thinks that a lot of people find reality TV to be fake, but this is not something that she believes in herself.

Jersey Shore Episode 5

Thursday night I sat down with my two roommates and watched episode 5 of Jersey Shore. I used to watch this show religiously during the first season. I wasn't too excited about season 2. I just couldn't get over the fact that they let Angelina come back even though she quit halfway through the first season. I didn't find myself excited about the third season either. I just presumed that the show would be just be the same as the first two seasons. I'll admit that I was wrong. This season is just as good at the first.
The last episode was the best one to date. If you know the show pretty well then you know that Sammi and Jenni hate each other because of something that happened last season. You also know that Sammi and Ron have a very unhealthy relationship that consists of mostly Sam blowing up on Ron for the stupidest reasons.
The clip that I have posted in this entry is from the latest episode. In this episode Sammi freaks out on Ron for another stupid reason and then pouts in her room and expects Ron to apologize for not even doing anything. Ron gets upset and goes outside where Jenni approaches him and they basically restore their lost relationship. Sammi, who still hates Jenni, runs outside and starts screaming at him, because she was told that Ron and Jenni were talking. This is where the video picks ups. I should also let you know that the next day Sam and Ron make up and start dating again. Their relationship gives me a headache.

Is it just a bunch of malarkey?!

   I have come to a conclusion that if the people in the show don't even know if it is real then it must be fake.
   Tonight for two hours I watched The Bachelor. This years season (number 14) is just as crazy as the rest. It is filled with crazy girls attacking each other for the attention of one guy that is too busy to notice they are all CRAZY because he is busy making out with other girls. Just in case you didn't know, this is the basic plot of all The Bachelor shows.
   The thing that caught my surprise during this particular episode was something that season 14's bachelor said. Brad Womack, after talking with one girl said something along the lines of, "This almost seems like real life." Those weren't the exact words, but they had the same effect. Did he just give it away that this show is all scripted?! Who knows anymore?

First Post!!

Hey there! Welcome to my blog about Reality TV!!