Couch Potato: Thoughts on reality TV
By Casey Gillis on Jul. 28, 2010
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I hate to sound like host Chris Harrison, but “The Bachelorette” sure has had one of its most dramatic seasons ever.
Poor Ali has had to deal with two- (possibly three-) timer Justin; Kasey, the creepy one who wanted to “guard and protect her heart;” Jonathan, the crying, whispering weatherman; and Frank, who dumped her in last week’s episode for his hometown ex-girlfriend.
That’s more than anyone should have to deal with in a lifetime of dating.
Luckily, our girl can’t really go wrong with her final two suitors, the dreamboats who are Roberto and Chris, in what has got to be one of the best final match-ups this show has ever had.
Roberto, who won Ali over with a salsa dancing lesson on the first night, is hot hot hot, with a sweet personality to go with it.
Chris, whose relationship with Ali started off slowly, but has heated up in recent weeks, is tall, handsome and hilarious. He’s also incredibly family-oriented; a former inner-city schoolteacher, he quit his job to move home to Cape Cod so he could take care of his dying mother.
My prediction is that Ali will choose Roberto, and I’m OK with that. I want Chris for myself!
The finale airs on ABC at 8 p.m. Monday.
Here’s what I’m thinking about some of this summer’s other reality TV offerings:
Big Brother (CBS, 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays)
The Brigade is driving me nuts.
Enzo — or, excuse me, maybe I should use his totally cheesy, self-imposed nickname, Meow Meow — is obnoxious and would probably be more at home on an episode of “Jersey Shore” than “Big Brother.”
His alliance members include the buff, but not very bright Lane; the cute, but not very bright Hayden; and the just plain not very bright Matt (are you noticing a pattern here?), who likes to tout his role as the house’s diabolical, evil genius.
Dude, if you have to tell us that’s what you are, that’s probably not what you are.
As of press time, Matt the Diabolical, Evil Genius had won the Head of Household competition and nominated Kathy and Andrew for eviction, much to the chagrin of the Brigade, who were gunning for lovebirds Brendon and Rachel.
With this group, I don’t even know who to root for anymore.
The Next Food Network Star (Food Network, 9 p.m. Sundays)
Serena went home this week, and it was definitely time. She seemed like a nice enough person, but her fast-talking and one-note recipes were getting old.
I’m rooting for Aarti or Tom to win it all.
Aarti’s bubbly personality is perfect for television. Her British accent certainly helps; I love imitating the way she says the name of her potential show, “Aarti’s Party.”
And Tom regularly cracks me up.
Brad is another contender, for sure. But there’s something about the cute chef that is off, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it’s the hat he insists on wearing every time he’s on camera?
Rounding out the field are Herb, whose erratic behavior is annoying to say the least, and Aria, who started out as a frontrunner but has gone downhill fast.
She’s struggled with both her food and on-air persona, and the way she interrupted Aarti during this week’s star challenge was pretty ridiculous (and exactly what Dzintra did to her in an earlier episode, much to Aria’s then-horror).
The Real World: New Orleans (MTV, 10 p.m. Wednesdays)
Ryan has got to be one of the most bizarre MTV reality personalities to come along in quite some time (and this is in a field that includes Puck and the entire cast of “Jersey Shore”).
In one of the season’s first episodes, he had a hissy fit when one of his housemates, McKenzie, got drunk at a bar and didn’t pay attention to him.
Later, cameras caught him lying in bed, fully clothed and blowing a hair dryer on himself to stay warm.
He’ll also cuddle with gay housemate Preston and, within the course of an episode, start spewing hateful homophobic remarks his way.
I can’t help but wonder if his behavior is completely genuine, or if some of it is a ploy to get more screen time.
Work of Art: The Next Great Artist (Bravo, 9 p.m. Wednesdays)
I am loving this show, which has artists competing in weekly challenges that test their abilities and creativity.
Just like “Project Runway” or “Top Chef,” it’s fun to watch people create things — other than drama, like those “Real World” or “Big Brother” kids — they’re passionate about.
Abdi and Miles have been my favorites since the first episode. Both have done a lot of interesting work, and I hope they stick around until the end.
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