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Do you have tons of money and questionable taste? Do you enjoy wine and granite countertops and outdoor swimming pools full of desperation residue? Then why not rent the house made famous on this season of The Bachelor?! More »
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This weekend's episode of Big Brother Brasil featured a disturbing scene: a female contestant apparently being touched by a costar while she slept. Now she thinks she may have been raped, and many are criticizing the show's producers for quite literally standing by and watching it happen. More »
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Remember Sarah Palin? Of course you do. You had weird dreams about her for the second half of 2008, and the sight of her randomly stringing conservative buzzwords together on TV like she's some kind of expert causes you to question the value of your college degree. But just when it seemed like she was riding off into the sunset on a red, white, and blue snowmobile, she returns to reignite speculation that she might run for President in 2012. The Nightmare Before Christmas, indeed. More »
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The busybodies at the Parents Television Council, which most recently objected to Glee showing kids it's okay for 17 and 18-year-olds to have safe sex with their long-term boyfriends, has released yet another breakdown of how TV is warping kids' minds. While it's already generally accepted that reality TV is one of the lowest forms of entertainment (with the exception of Project Runway), the PTC found that it's women who make these programs so awful — particularly when you only look at MTV shows known for their troubled and erratic female cast members! More »
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TLC insists that it totally isn't mocking the folks featured on its upcoming special Virgin Diaries. The trailer makes that abundantly clear by intercutting shots of a virgin describing her hopelessly idealistic image of her wedding night with scenes of her yelling, "I'm scared," and "Ow, it hurts!" while she and her fiancé play on a seesaw. More »
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Sales of tabloid magazines have been floundering for quite some time, and Ok! was hemorrhaging money until it was sold this summer. So, how do you maximize profits at a time when we're saturated with celebrity gossip and people are buying fewer magazines in general? Create a brand new magazine that follows the petty, producer-instigated arguments and Walmart excursions of America's least talented stars! More »
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Wall Street Wives —the show that doesn't need to exist but might anyway because some unknown portion of the population wills it to— may still be in the process of being shopped to networks but landing Kenneth Starr's wife ought to help matters. More »
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The Girl Scouts of America, those delightful scamps, keep tirelessly working to promote not only delicious cookies, but also real social issues affecting girls today. The latest output from one of the last Feel Goodery outposts of American girldom addresses reality TV, and the results are in. Turns out, reality television is making being a girl even shittier than it was before. More »
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Teen bride Courtney Stodden shocked America when she sauntered into the news after marrying former Lost actor Doug Hutchison, and it's been impossible for us to tear our eyes away from her since. Hutchison, at 51, is 35 years her senior, but their age difference is the least of what's compelling about this pair. There are the interview histrionics: Courtney spends every interview alternately licking her lips and staring at Doug's mouth, laughing at inappropriate moments, and generally acting totally tweaked out while Doug, in Sincerity Mode, insists that their love is real. There's Courtney's "80's-porn-star-trying-to-make-a-comeback-in-the-90's" sartorial choices, the reality show rumors. But the most compelling and important product of this holy union is, by far, Courtney's completely bonkers Twitter account, which reads like a sexual mad lib written by a troubled fifth grader combined with a spambot combined with a Craigslist ad for erotic massage as composed by someone working from an outdated ESL dictionary. She mostly writes about being naked and licking things or touching herself, and it always seems implied that she's on the brink of orgasm, unless she's tweeting a scripture verse that demands the reader let the Lord direct all your paths. It's simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking and confusing. One must laugh so one does not cry. More »
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A show reminiscent of American Idol has gained popularity in China. But now authorities are cracking down on it and other "vulgar" programming, and planning to replace them with more wholesome, government-approved fare. More »
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Christian Siriano's boyfriend, the musician Brad Walsh, wrote a long and impassioned blog post about what he perceives to be the fashion establishment's bias against Siriano's work because he came to prominence on a reality show. Noting that many writers still place Siriano's collections in the context of Project Runway, a show that taped nearly five years ago, mention his Payless shoe collection disparagingly, and at best make back-handed compliments about how Siriano is "shak[ing] off his reality-show roots," Walsh asks, "is it mostly, as I suspect, that he's accomplished all of this without their help? The precious few were told Christian was good — they did not deem him good — which makes their objection to him almost childish." Walsh mentions an encounter with "a reporter from a website that extensively covers fashion" who found the designer, in conversation with Anna Wintour and Carolina Herrera, at the ballet: More »
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We've been hearing whispers for the better part of a week that Kelly Bensimon, Alex McCord, and former Gawker intern Jill Zarin have been fired from the Real Housewives of New York and now it seems like it is official. Goodbye, sweet, sweet ladies. More »
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From the moment the imperious music began and the narrator intoned that the Republicans wanted to "kick out" Obama from the White House, CNN left no overwrought TV styling untried. More »
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The last time we checked in with Susan Boyle, she was completely choking on The View. But on tonight's America's Got Talent, SuBo returned with a vengeance to debut "You Have To Be There," the first single off her upcoming album—and she was pretty good! Video of the performance is above. More »
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One of my favorite things (okay, the only favorite thing) about Sarah Palin is her beautiful hair. So perhaps it's only fitting that her hair salon, the Beehive, should get its own two-part reality show. More »
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Another season of The Bachelorette has come and gone. Exhale. But last night's heartbreaking/heartwarming extravaganza nailed all the necessary points in the franchise's finale routine. More »
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For Dance Moms' Cathy, it's not really that she's trying to live vicariously through her 6-year-old daughter Vivi-Anne's dancing. Rather, it's like she's creepily trying to program a sad robot into being a chipper, enthusiastic solo dancer, right down to the way that she enunciates her words so that they sound...happier. Mostly, Cathy is trying to make her young daughter be more like her — an perky, eternally smiling psycho whose scenes feature scary music. More »
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Every 20 minutes, a new reality show is born. Okay, so maybe we totally made that up, but doesn't it feel that way? And literally thousands of people are signing up for their shot at their 15 minutes (or more, if they're Bethenny Frankel). Given the sheer quantity of participants, it's not surprising that some reality TV subjects would have a random connection to the adult film industry, but it's actually much more common than one would think. And it's become obvious that as reality television shows increase in leaps and bounds each year, so do its similarities and connections to porn. They're the peas and carrots of the entertainment industry. More »
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There's troubling news today for those of us consuming a steady diet of Jersey Shore and Kardashians-related programming. According to a new study, the entertainment we consume can influence our emotions and behavior. If you've been experiencing the urge to assault a close friend or wax your sister's nether regions, we may have found the culprit. More »
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Last night, 20/20 aired a special about reality television, interviewing creators and producers of some of the genre's biggest hits. SallyAnn Salsano, who developed and executive produces Jersey Shore, let the cameras follow her to Florence, Italy, where she's currently filming the fourth season of the show (surely you've heard). Salsano says she shoots about 700 hours of footage for every one of hour of Jersey Shore, because one of her golden rules is to always keep the cameras rolling. She told 20/20 that she stays awake for literally days on end watching the live feeds and daily footage of the cast — and that she loves it. She even has the feeds set up in each room of her apartment in Florence and takes the speakers into bed with her when she finally does sleep, just in case something crazy happens. More »
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We thought Married Young, MTV's new reality show in the 16 and Pregnant mode, was a pretty dumb idea. Then we realized it wasn't even new. More »
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There have been seven divorces that have occurred on The Real Housewives franchise in the five years since its premiere. The most recent casualty of this "divorce curse," Vicki Gunvalson, blames reality TV for her marital troubles telling CNN recently, "We didn't have 90 percent of the problems that we have now and I truly believe it is the show." But can a television show really be at fault, or does it merely shine a spotlight on the cracks that were already present in the foundation of a marriage? Whatever the case, divorce and reality TV have gone hand-in-hand since the very first show in the genre in 1973, when PBS' An American Family, which featured the breakup of the Loud family. More »
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I'll be honest: I was rooting for my girl Alexis Mateo, because she seems so super sweet. And then, I had this vision that maybe Manila would win, because she has been so consistent. But of course, the winner is… Raja. Naturally. It seemed kind of obvious from the beginning that Raja was blowing the judges away with her high fashion sense and untouchable, frosty attitude. I spoke with Raja at the finale party last night, and she said: One of the most rewarding things about the show, for me, is getting to reach out to kids. Little sissy youth, little butch youth, little boys and girls who feel like they might be born in the wrong body. Kids who feel different, or get picked on. Having those kids write to me and email me — they're so cute! They're 13 years old, telling me how seeing me has allowed them to open up conversations with their families. In some ways I wish I had someone to look up to… But I did, actually: RuPaul." I kind of warmed up to Raja after that, to be honest. More »
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495 Productions, responsible for quality programming such as Jersey Shore, Tool Academy and Shot At Love, is searching for outgoing mother/daughter duos from across the country. The ladies should be highly social. And by social, I mean sloppy drunks. The casting notice reads, in part: More »
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Once upon a time, it might have been big news that The Bachelor was coming back for a second chance at love; that he had a criminal record; that he had a love child. This season, these revelations were met with a resounding "meh." Too dull for camp, too contrived for drama, The Bachelor is a relic from an earlier time in reality TV. And it's no coincidence that ratings have steadily slipped. More »
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Doggie Moms is a new reality show that chronicles that peculiar breed of people: those who not only belong to a subculture, but admit to it and share it with the entire TV-viewing public. In this case, obsessive dog-lovers. More »
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Dylan was a DJ with asymmetrical hair and over-sized glasses. I had the same hair with confetti crosses and rhinestones glued to my face, so it wasn't so weird that our mouths collided in a club. What was weird was learning that this kid I'd made out with a few times was on a reality TV show…about the "art" of picking up women. More »
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Just what America needs, you grumble, a show about rich ladies who spend a lot of money on their dogs, so that we can all feel better about ourselves. But wait! It might not be horrible! More »
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Michael "The Situation" Sorentino is reportedly considering leaving Jersey Shore after next year, just in time to celebrate his 40th birthday. More »
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The unfortunately titled reality series is a bonanza of elaborate dresses and culture clash. But how much of it is editing — and how much is still worryingly real? More »
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Faces of Rejected Bachelorettes is an idea perfect in its simplicity, tragedy, and modern pathos. All that's needed is the follow-up expressions of relief when their bachelor hits the Enquirer a few months later. More »
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The new season of RuPaul's Drag Race began last night, and reality show enthusiasts saw some folks they recognized! More »
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TMZ is reporting that the fourth season of the hit MTV reality show will be shot in Italy, with producers scouting locations right now. A "source" says that Vinny's Italian relatives will host the cast for an authentic Guadagnino dinner. More »
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Snooki and Kim Kardashian have apparently met and conversed. Are they filming the pilot episode for the world's most inane reality show? Or discussing the nuances of string theory? I'm mesmerized. More »
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New A&E show Heavy, which premiered last night, is not a competition game show like The Biggest Loser or Dance Your Ass Off, nor is it a gimmicky makeover program like The Swan or Bridalplasty. More »
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In case you were under the illusion that going on The Millionaire Matchmaker would somehow improve your life, think again: a bunch of former clients claim she ruined their lives. And they're getting together to kvetch about it. More »
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With Shibuhara Girls, Reality TV comes to Japan. (With a little help from MTV.) More »
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Reality show producers love to manipulate us! The Fashion Show's breakout star — cantankerous, belligerent, rude Calvin Tran — has been portrayed as a heartless jerk. Last night, he revealed that he does indeed have a heart, and it's breaking. More »
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Last night's season finale of Hoarders saved the most extreme for last. Glen is a gentle, pretty chill guy who has been hoarding rats. Rats! What started as three caged pets ballooned into a population of thousands, overrunning his house. More »
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Last night's episode of Millionaire Matchmaker featured a plus-size publicist named Robin. She's worth $1.7 million and in search of a Matthew McConaughey type. What happened to her was painful. More »
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