Tag Archives: reality shows

“House Hunters” Is Fake And Everything In My Life Is A Lie

Winona Dimeo-EdigerJune 14, 2012 //
House Hunters
Why I love to hate this show. Read More »
Reality TV Lessons
reality tv photo
Life lessons gleaned from reality TV. Read More »
Imagined Conversation
An imagined conversation with a couple of House Hunters. Read More »

I’ve written before about my obsession with “House Hunters” and “House Hunters International,” how I watch approximately three episodes per day, how much I love to hate it, how I always end up yelling at the TV like a crotchety old man because the subjects of the show tend to talk about paint colors in the kinds of hushed, serious voices usually reserved for presidents facing a nuclear crisis. But now I’m feeling crotchety for a different reason: apparently the show is totally fake. Here’s a quote from a former House Hunter describing her experience:

“They didn’t even ‘accept’ us being a subject for the show until we closed on the house we were buying.  So then when they decided to film our episode we had to scramble to find houses to tour and pretend we were considering. The ones we looked at weren’t even for sale…they were just our two friends’ houses who were nice enough to madly clean for days in preparation for the cameras!” Keep reading »

Evening Quickies: Whitney Houston’s Family Gets A Reality Show

Jessica WakemanMay 11, 2012 //
Cocaine Nearby
Whitney Houston died with cocaine in her hotel room. Read More »
Bobbi Kristina Drama
Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina
Whitney's daughter allegedly has a drug problem of her own. Read More »
Morning Quickies
john travolta photo
A third man has accused John Travolta of sexual assault. Read More »
Houston Family Reality Show photo

You’ll Want To Watch Oxygen’s “House Of Glam”

Annika HarrisOctober 4, 2010 //

The success of Bravo’s “The Rachel Zoe Project” has proven that people want a behind-the-scenes look into the fashion industry that goes beyond a bunch of designers competing to show at fashion week. Oxygen has answered this call with “House of Glam,” which features the team at The B. Lynn Group, an image consulting agency that has worked with Rihanna, Tyra, Jamie Foxx, and other celebrities. The team is made up of several high-profile wardrobe stylists, makeup artists, hair stylists and groomers, and even a personal trainer. Think of The B. Lynn Group as a one-stop shop for a celebrity looking to create a cohesive and noticeable image. But unlike “The Rachel Zoe Project,” there doesn’t seem to be one person the group kowtows to or one person who gets all the credit. Each artist is in charge of his/her career, but as with any art, even fashion and beauty, egos certainly get in the way. And that’s where the drama makes “House of Glam” worth watching. Check out another video, in which a stylist and a celebrity publicist butt heads over a catsuit, after the jump. Keep reading »

“You’re Wearing That?” — The New Solution To Improving Mother/Daughter Relationships

Annika HarrisAugust 19, 2010 //

Mothers and daughters tend to share many things. Facial features. Mannerisms. Bad style? Yes, that too. But WeTV is trying to change that with a new makeover show. “You’re Wearing That?” features mothers and daughters who make over each other for a special event. These women get help from personal stylist and host Luciene Salomone, who uses her years and expertise in the fashion industry to steer these women in the right style direction. Luciene will inspire both daughter and mother to re-style the other’s wardrobe, and in the process, each woman will gain confidence in her look. Because, as Luciene says, “The more you put effort into the way you dress, the better you get at it.” Keep reading »

Singer Monica Comes Back On The Scene With “Still Standing” Show

Annika HarrisOctober 28, 2009 //

R&B singer Monica has been virtually MIA since releasing The Makings of Me, her worst-selling album to date, in Oct. 2006. She’s popped up here and there, making cameos at Atlanta-based events and on reality shows like “Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is,” but in the fast-moving music industry, this hasn’t been enough to keep her relevant to the masses. So what does she do to generate buzz about her new album? Star in the reality show “Monica: Still Standing” on BET to chronicle the making of her next studio album, like so many other celebs have done. Genre overkill much? Keep reading »

Would Michael Jackson Tell A&E’s Reality Show To Beat It?

Annika HarrisOctober 14, 2009 //

Michael Jackson did his best to shield his three children, Prince, Paris, and Blanket, from prying eyes and the media, even when dangling an infant Blanket over a balcony railing. When he was alive they often wore scarves or masks in public. So, I wonder how he would feel about his children appearing in an upcoming A&E reality show, the latest Jackson family sideshow act. Keep reading »

Meet The “Southern Belles”

Annika HarrisMay 21, 2009 //

“Southern Belles: Louisville” premieres tonight on SOAPNet at 10 p.m. At first, I thought this show would be a knockoff “Real Housewives” because some of the same themes come up — breasts, men, wealth, and ambition. But after watching a clip of Shea, Hadley, and Emily on “The View” today, I realized that “Southern Belles” might be exactly what a single lady needs for a night at home alone. These women are younger than most of the housewives from Orange County, New York City, and Atlanta, and they’re all single. The drama on “The Housewives” often centers around the single women — Gretchen Rossi was a gold digger, Kim Zolciak was a homewrecker, Bethenny Frankel was “pathetically single.” So, what will the Belles talk about? Old money vs. new money is one. Egos will clash. The women say their goal is to debunk the Southern girl stereotype. Learn more about the Belles after the jump.

Keep reading »

Bravo’s “NYC Prep” A Lot More Boring Than “Gossip Girl”

Annika HarrisMay 15, 2009 //

Bravo decided to combine “Gossip Girl” and “The Real Housewives of New York City,” and the result is “NYC Prep.” On this reality show, which premieres June 23, cameras will follow five wealthy teens as they navigate Manhattan’s social scene, shop, apply for college, and work on charity events. They lead lives unfamiliar to most New York kids — or adults, for that matter — despite Bravo’s claims to the contrary. What will be familiar to you are the I’m-not-in-the-cool-crowd feeling you had in high school because your parents didn’t consider how their features would mesh into one face and didn’t see fit to replace your silver spoon with a Black AmEx. “Gossip Girl” is fun because it’s fiction, and the characters, although teens, deal with adult issues. I don’t think “Gossip Girl” would have been a success if we had to watch Jenny Humphrey sketching and sewing her designs or Blair Waldorf filling out her Yale application. “The Real Housewives” is entertaining because it provides all the fun of gossiping without the guilt. “NYC Prep” will have to bridge the gap between making teen life entertaining to adults and ensuring the kids don’t become too adult-like in order for this show to be successful. And Bravo has to get these kids to stop ending every statement with an inflec-tion? Keep reading »