I've mentioned before that I have a great love of Reality TV competitions based on artistic skills. One of my favorites is the SyFy Network's special-effects based show, Face-Off. It often embodies the best parts of the genre without the more troubling and annoying aspects.
The contestants on Face-Off are all professionals in the movie make-up business, mostly specializing in Horror and Science-Fiction effects. Each week the contestants are given a theme that they must build an original make-up around, ranging from straightforward (vampires) to the unusual (zombified Alice in Wonderland characters). While there is a strong horror bias to the show's set-up, there are frequently challenges that veer off into less terrifying areas, such as super-heroes; however, if given the opportunity, the contestants tend to bring everything back to horror if they can.
The show has a large number of positive attributes. First of all, the sheer creativity evidenced by the contestants each week is pretty amazing, and provides lots of intriguing visuals. Secondly, the judging doesn't seem to be swayed as much by personal aesthetics as other competitions; in cooking shows judges might have different palettes, and on fashion shows judges might have different ideas of what is or isn't in style, but on the special-effects show most can agree if the look is sloppy or shoddy. And finally, one of the best aspects of the show is the the contestants actually help one another out. And this isn't the "oh, I will help someone out at the beginning of the show but at the end its every man for himself" spirit that might happen on other such programs, but instead is more a sense of professional courtesy that has pervaded every season so far. Yes, there are occasionally contestants with big egos, but on the whole there's very seldom been any big "villains" to cheer against on the series. And while conventional wisdom might hold that having a good villain is key to having a good reality show, my enjoyment of Face-Off tends to put that idea to the test.
The latest season of Face-Off is about to end this week, with one episode airing Tuesday night and the finale airing on Wednesday. This year they're switching things up for the finale: they're allowing the public to vote on who the winner is, a la American Idol. I'm not 100% sure I like that idea, as often the judges can see things up close that don't translate as well on TV; on the other hand, since the make-ups are usually designed to be seen on film, audiences judging by what we're able to perceive on screen does make sense. I just hope that voters are voting more on skill than on personality. Of course, the lack of a "villain" makes fair voting more likely.
I would encourage anyone who's a fan of reality TV competition shows or who just has an interest in special-effects in general to give the last two episodes a try.
Showing posts with label Reality TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reality TV. Show all posts
Monday, October 29, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Countdown to Halloween Day 8 -- Tricks With Treats: A Review of "Halloween Wars"
I'll admit it: I'm a sucker for Reality TV competition shows, especially the type that focus around contestants with a particular skill set, whether it's the chefs of Top Chef, the designers of Project Runway, the song writers of Platinum Hit: if your competition shows creative people being constantly challenged to reach higher points of creativity week after week, I'll probably be watching it. That's why I was looking forward to the return of Food Network's Halloween Wars last night.
Working with a limited number of episodes due to its seasonal nature, Halloween Wars features 5 teams of 3 who compete against each other to create Halloween themed set-pieces; and, since this is a Food Network show, you know those set-pieces have to be edible. Yes, each team is made up of a pumpkin carver, a candy maker, and a cake decorator, who work together to create some tasty, yet terrifying, works of art; at the end of each episode, one losing team gets sent home. During the first season I was always impressed with the crazy creations they were able to come up with, like this cake devil riding a pumpkin cyclops with wings of spun sugar
So, although the show's abbreviated episode run forced it to focus exclusively on the competition itself, forgoing any type of "people stuck living together for weeks/months until they drive each other crazy" drama, the sheer talent and creativity involved in each episode made it well worth my time.
Due to a heavy Sunday line-up, I had to set my DVR to tape a late night re-run of the premiere of the new season, which promised to have lots of set-pieces inspired by crazy killer clowns; unfortunately, the air-time coincided with a power-outage in my apartment complex, so I'm going to have to catch a re-run later this week. But if you're also a fan of Reality TV competitions and can stomach some mild horror-themes -- this is Food Network after all, so nothing too stomach turning -- then I'd suggest you seek it out and give it a try.
Working with a limited number of episodes due to its seasonal nature, Halloween Wars features 5 teams of 3 who compete against each other to create Halloween themed set-pieces; and, since this is a Food Network show, you know those set-pieces have to be edible. Yes, each team is made up of a pumpkin carver, a candy maker, and a cake decorator, who work together to create some tasty, yet terrifying, works of art; at the end of each episode, one losing team gets sent home. During the first season I was always impressed with the crazy creations they were able to come up with, like this cake devil riding a pumpkin cyclops with wings of spun sugar
So, although the show's abbreviated episode run forced it to focus exclusively on the competition itself, forgoing any type of "people stuck living together for weeks/months until they drive each other crazy" drama, the sheer talent and creativity involved in each episode made it well worth my time.
Due to a heavy Sunday line-up, I had to set my DVR to tape a late night re-run of the premiere of the new season, which promised to have lots of set-pieces inspired by crazy killer clowns; unfortunately, the air-time coincided with a power-outage in my apartment complex, so I'm going to have to catch a re-run later this week. But if you're also a fan of Reality TV competitions and can stomach some mild horror-themes -- this is Food Network after all, so nothing too stomach turning -- then I'd suggest you seek it out and give it a try.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Reality TV Roundup for week of Oct. 18: BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
WEDNESDAY, OCT 20
Survivor (CBS, 7:00): Oh, Fabio -- poor, blonde, dimbulb, "Wow, you're really a master class chess player?" Fabio. I'm surprised that they chose to vote out Kelly B over Marty during the tie-breaker -- I would have accepted it if they'd actually succeeded in flushing out the idol first, but losing their sure-shot to take it out of play seems short-sighted. On another note, Jeff seemed to get a little too much enjoyment out of rubbing the losing team's face in having to sit there and listen to the winners have their feast
Ultimate Fighter: GSP vs Koscheck (Spike, 9:00): Wow. That first fight . . . wow. All I can say is: BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA! Couldn't have scripted it better myself, and to have the second fight also end by guillotine was priceless. And now, let's test out my Koscheck impression: "Yeah, he was our #1 pick and that was totally our call 'cause we thought he was the greatest in all the land, and not at all because GSP psyched my stupid butt out . . . also, when I talk trash it's because I'm so super awesome, but when anyone talks trash to me, it's because they're gay and in love with me . . ." Meanwhile, for anyone on Koscheck's team to say that anyone on GSP's team was disrespectful or is guilty of pushing people's buttons is the height of self-delusion.
Top Chef: Just Desserts (Bravo, 9:00): Okay, the "you can only use one pot, but clean it as many times as you want because Dawn kicks butt" challenge has to be one of the best product placement challenges ever -- conceptually, at least. In practice, not quite as dramatic. What is dramatic, however, is every facial expression Danielle has ever made.
THURSDAY, OCT 21
Project Runway (Lifetime, 8:00): And the ambiguity of Micahel C. is finally answered, and was anyone really surprised? Meanwhile, we are treated to the sight of Tim freaking out at Andy's family fish farm, and confused by the strange and unfamiliar sensation of feeling sympathy for Gretchen and her disastrous life. As for the judging at the end, I can't say that I thought Michael C. deserved to make it to the final three based on what he showed, but my heart bled for him as he had the most painful post-Auf breakdown in the history of the show.
The Apprentice (NBC, 9:00): Oh, how I wished The Donald had listened to Clint's impassioned plea to get rid of David, whose antics continue to annoy; him sticking to his whole "I just like to push people's buttons" spiel in the middle of the game just boggles the mind. I'm also sorry that Stephanie and Mahsa are still sticking around; their mouthy, egotistical attitudes wear on my nerves. At this point, I'm pulling for Clint to take it all.
Survivor (CBS, 7:00): Oh, Fabio -- poor, blonde, dimbulb, "Wow, you're really a master class chess player?" Fabio. I'm surprised that they chose to vote out Kelly B over Marty during the tie-breaker -- I would have accepted it if they'd actually succeeded in flushing out the idol first, but losing their sure-shot to take it out of play seems short-sighted. On another note, Jeff seemed to get a little too much enjoyment out of rubbing the losing team's face in having to sit there and listen to the winners have their feast
Ultimate Fighter: GSP vs Koscheck (Spike, 9:00): Wow. That first fight . . . wow. All I can say is: BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA! Couldn't have scripted it better myself, and to have the second fight also end by guillotine was priceless. And now, let's test out my Koscheck impression: "Yeah, he was our #1 pick and that was totally our call 'cause we thought he was the greatest in all the land, and not at all because GSP psyched my stupid butt out . . . also, when I talk trash it's because I'm so super awesome, but when anyone talks trash to me, it's because they're gay and in love with me . . ." Meanwhile, for anyone on Koscheck's team to say that anyone on GSP's team was disrespectful or is guilty of pushing people's buttons is the height of self-delusion.
Top Chef: Just Desserts (Bravo, 9:00): Okay, the "you can only use one pot, but clean it as many times as you want because Dawn kicks butt" challenge has to be one of the best product placement challenges ever -- conceptually, at least. In practice, not quite as dramatic. What is dramatic, however, is every facial expression Danielle has ever made.
THURSDAY, OCT 21
Project Runway (Lifetime, 8:00): And the ambiguity of Micahel C. is finally answered, and was anyone really surprised? Meanwhile, we are treated to the sight of Tim freaking out at Andy's family fish farm, and confused by the strange and unfamiliar sensation of feeling sympathy for Gretchen and her disastrous life. As for the judging at the end, I can't say that I thought Michael C. deserved to make it to the final three based on what he showed, but my heart bled for him as he had the most painful post-Auf breakdown in the history of the show.
The Apprentice (NBC, 9:00): Oh, how I wished The Donald had listened to Clint's impassioned plea to get rid of David, whose antics continue to annoy; him sticking to his whole "I just like to push people's buttons" spiel in the middle of the game just boggles the mind. I'm also sorry that Stephanie and Mahsa are still sticking around; their mouthy, egotistical attitudes wear on my nerves. At this point, I'm pulling for Clint to take it all.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Reality TV Roundup for week of Oct. 11: The Mega-Loathing Deepens
WEDNESDAY, OCT 13
Survivor (CBS, 7:00): I enjoyed watching the culture clash resulting from the tribes mixing, and was glad to see the over-bearing Tyrone get sent packing over the overly-emotional NaOnka, if for no other reason than his brand of annoying behavior is nowhere near as entertaining as hers.
Ultimate Fighter: GSP vs. Koscheck (Spike, 9:00): Well, as much as I didn't want any of Koscheck's team to win, I have to say that if any of his guys had to win I'm glad it was Nam Phan. Starting to wish Bruce Leroy was on Koscheck's team, just so I could feel good cheering against him; his selfish attitude gets on my nerves. And speaking of getting on my nerves . . . apparently those first few episodes of non-irritating Koscheck was just him trying to lull me into a false sense of security, as he is now full-tilt obnoxious; I was very much hoping that the crazy drunk kickboxer would take exception to Koscheck's disrepect and give him a quick boot to the head. And don't even get me started on how he was acting after Nam Phan won -- that was probably the most egregious example of bad sportsmanship I have ever had the displeasure to witness*. I have to wonder if that bit of trash talking between Koscheck and Cody will come back later in the season; had to love obvious stoner Cody saying Koscheck struck him as an idiot.
Top Chef: Just Desserts (Bravo, 9:00): So, apparently half of the remaining chefs have a shoe fetish? Odd. Anyway, as soon as they announced the winner would be taking home 20 grand, I began to fervently hope that none of Team Diva would win -- if my Koscheck comments haven't made it clear, I usually have a low tolerance for cockiness. Not that Morganza is much better, but it was nice to see the clique taken down a peg or two.
THURSDAY, OCT 14
Project Runway (Lifetime, 8:00): These "find inspiration from [insert location here]" challenges usually aren't all that exciting -- unless, y'know, the location is something out of the ordinary like the circus challenge from last season. Sadly, this time around we just had another New York inspired challenge. I had hoped that the teases about everyone's exhaustion might add some twists, but they turned out to be more tease than reality. On the plus side, Michael C. revealed that he does an amazing Michael Kors impression, which rivaled Santino's Tim impression for scary accuracy, although it fell far short of Santino's comedic touch. I let out a sigh of relief when the judges liked Mondo's look -- he's really the only contestant I definitely want to make it to the final. I was also impressed at how well Gretchen took criticism -- guess that exhaustion came into play after all -- but man, to have only one person say they thought she deserved to go to Fashion Week had to have a been a huge blow to her huge ego.
The Apprentice (NBC, 9:00): Trainwreck, thy name is Octane; Gene's pitiful performance was so, so, sooooooooooooooo painful to watch. And did anyone else wonder if the producers slipped Wade the "unless the women sent out naked men" line? Because it felt a little too perfect to just be serendipity. I did feel a little bad for Wade during the boardroom, as The Donald hammered him relentlessly over his blind trust in Gene -- although I think The Donald was overstating the importance of having Gene "try out" for the speaking role, the fact remains that Gene's inability to have any copy at all ready for the rehearsal should have sent up red flags galore to anyone with any sense at all. And speaking of having no sense: when you're being beat up by everyone around you, don't feed The Donald a straight line like "You can fire me if you want to Mr. Trump," -- and if you do feed him the line, for heavens sake don't pause for several seconds before saying "but," because in those seconds, you're a goner.
*After the episode I told my Best Friend/Arch-Nemesis PigPen that Koscheck had now replaced him at the top of my "people I want to punch in the face" list. PigPen protested profusely, insisting that nobody can irritate me as well as he can, and then set out to prove his point the rest of the week. Gotta admire his commitment . . .
Survivor (CBS, 7:00): I enjoyed watching the culture clash resulting from the tribes mixing, and was glad to see the over-bearing Tyrone get sent packing over the overly-emotional NaOnka, if for no other reason than his brand of annoying behavior is nowhere near as entertaining as hers.
Ultimate Fighter: GSP vs. Koscheck (Spike, 9:00): Well, as much as I didn't want any of Koscheck's team to win, I have to say that if any of his guys had to win I'm glad it was Nam Phan. Starting to wish Bruce Leroy was on Koscheck's team, just so I could feel good cheering against him; his selfish attitude gets on my nerves. And speaking of getting on my nerves . . . apparently those first few episodes of non-irritating Koscheck was just him trying to lull me into a false sense of security, as he is now full-tilt obnoxious; I was very much hoping that the crazy drunk kickboxer would take exception to Koscheck's disrepect and give him a quick boot to the head. And don't even get me started on how he was acting after Nam Phan won -- that was probably the most egregious example of bad sportsmanship I have ever had the displeasure to witness*. I have to wonder if that bit of trash talking between Koscheck and Cody will come back later in the season; had to love obvious stoner Cody saying Koscheck struck him as an idiot.
Top Chef: Just Desserts (Bravo, 9:00): So, apparently half of the remaining chefs have a shoe fetish? Odd. Anyway, as soon as they announced the winner would be taking home 20 grand, I began to fervently hope that none of Team Diva would win -- if my Koscheck comments haven't made it clear, I usually have a low tolerance for cockiness. Not that Morganza is much better, but it was nice to see the clique taken down a peg or two.
THURSDAY, OCT 14
Project Runway (Lifetime, 8:00): These "find inspiration from [insert location here]" challenges usually aren't all that exciting -- unless, y'know, the location is something out of the ordinary like the circus challenge from last season. Sadly, this time around we just had another New York inspired challenge. I had hoped that the teases about everyone's exhaustion might add some twists, but they turned out to be more tease than reality. On the plus side, Michael C. revealed that he does an amazing Michael Kors impression, which rivaled Santino's Tim impression for scary accuracy, although it fell far short of Santino's comedic touch. I let out a sigh of relief when the judges liked Mondo's look -- he's really the only contestant I definitely want to make it to the final. I was also impressed at how well Gretchen took criticism -- guess that exhaustion came into play after all -- but man, to have only one person say they thought she deserved to go to Fashion Week had to have a been a huge blow to her huge ego.
The Apprentice (NBC, 9:00): Trainwreck, thy name is Octane; Gene's pitiful performance was so, so, sooooooooooooooo painful to watch. And did anyone else wonder if the producers slipped Wade the "unless the women sent out naked men" line? Because it felt a little too perfect to just be serendipity. I did feel a little bad for Wade during the boardroom, as The Donald hammered him relentlessly over his blind trust in Gene -- although I think The Donald was overstating the importance of having Gene "try out" for the speaking role, the fact remains that Gene's inability to have any copy at all ready for the rehearsal should have sent up red flags galore to anyone with any sense at all. And speaking of having no sense: when you're being beat up by everyone around you, don't feed The Donald a straight line like "You can fire me if you want to Mr. Trump," -- and if you do feed him the line, for heavens sake don't pause for several seconds before saying "but," because in those seconds, you're a goner.
*After the episode I told my Best Friend/Arch-Nemesis PigPen that Koscheck had now replaced him at the top of my "people I want to punch in the face" list. PigPen protested profusely, insisting that nobody can irritate me as well as he can, and then set out to prove his point the rest of the week. Gotta admire his commitment . . .
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Reality TV Roundup: Drama Out the Whazoo
In an attempt to make my regular TV reviews a more manageable size, I'm going to start trying to split them up by genre/format/category/something. Thus, here I present a collection of my thoughts on all of the Reality TV style shows I watched last week, most of which were exceptionally drama-packed this time around.
WEDNESDAY, OCT 6
Survivor (CBS, 7:00): There was a bit of drama playing out on both tribes this week. As usual, the Young'uns' drama was provided by the caustically outspoken NaOnka whose comments about her fellow tribemates are filled with barely-concealed hatred; I think there might have been a few more fireworks if she had gone to tribal council. On the Old Folks tribe, we have the constant chattering of Jimmy T., the man so delusional that he thought Jimmy Johnson was threatened by his leadership skills. As much as I tire of self-proclaimed puppet master players declaring that another contestant has "signed their own death warrant," I was actually hoping that Marty would be able to follow through on the threat and get the motor-mouth booted out. Thankfully, he was.
Top Chef: Just Desserts (Bravo, 9:00): First of all, I have to say that of all the breakdowns I've seen on reality TV shows over the years, none have been as uncomfortable to watch as Seth's spiral into madness. Honestly, having to leave the show was probably the best thing that could ever happen to the boy. Of course, once his antagonistic form of craziness was removed from the show, it didn't take too long for the producers to find a new villain to showcase. Heather H. was already on my list for just how disdainful she was of anyone showing a hint of emotion in previous episodes, but with her full on-attack of the fragile Heather C. and delusional screed against Morgan for his imagined betrayal, she has firmly ensconced herself as my least favorite contestant.
Ultimate Fighter: GSP-Koscheck (Spike, 9:00): The answer to the "Wonder when Koscheck is finally going to start annoying me like I'm sure he must?" question has been answered, and the answer is "14 minutes into this week's episode." So cocky, so abrasive, and so stereotypically macho that he can't even comprehend the idea that GSP's ability to just shrug off his sophomoric taunts* is a sign of GSP being the better man. I really hope GSP is able to maintain his calm, cool, and collected response all season, and then just destroy Koscheck in their fight. Of course, the GSP-Koscheck interactions, while incredibly annoying to me, are not the true source of drama here -- no, that honor goes to the near throwdown between Sevak and Bruce Leroy. Honestly, I thought Sevak was going to burst a blood vessel with the amount of rage he was throwing off; think Bruce Leroy was pretty lucky people held Sevak back because he was in full on berserker mode and I don't know if Bruce Leroy is quite ready to deal with someone in a murderous rage . . . then again, considering how obnoxious he's been so far, there's a good chance that Bruce Leroy had engendered murderous rage from other many, many times before in his life.
THURSDAY, OCT 7
Project Runway (Lifetime, 8:00): Yes, that's right -- I've started watching Project Runway again. Long time blob monkeys may remember that I was briefly hooked on the show during its second season after being subjected to a day-long marathon. And while I managed to escape the show's eerie hypnotic pull after that season's finale, I recently stumbled upon the latest season and found myself dawn back in. My connection to this show is odd, as I am one of the least fashion-conscious people you will ever meet. But, let's be honest -- outside of The Ultimate Fighter, none of the reality shows I watch revolve around anything I'm all that interested in -- whether it's the business world, gourmet cooking, crab fishing, sharpshooting, etc., I'm typically drawn not so much to the subject matter as to the personality types that subject matter attracts. In all of these examples, it takes some pretty strong personalities to prosper, and watching those strong personalities deal with the pressure-cooker life of reality TV can make for extremely engaging TV. Plus, Tim Gunn kicks butt.
Wow, so much for keeping the size of these things more manageable, huh?
Anyway, back to the drama-filled extravaganza that was this week's episode of Project Runway. First of all we had the fun of watching Heidi clash with Mondo, the season's reigning hero, and Gretchen, the season's reigning villain -- or at least she was reigning villain until the episode's big twist brings back Ivy who appears determined to use her moment back in the spotlight to swipe the Crown of Villainy from atop Gretchen's massive ego-inflated head by taking this season's favorite pass-time of "Beating Up on Michael C." to a whole new level. As other people have pointed out, when even Gretchen, the queen of self-involvement says "I think you've gone too far," well, you've probably gone too far. Best moment of the episode had to be the hilarious editing job of following up Ivy's comment of "I believe in karma" being followed by the shot of her sewing machine self-destructing and sending a piece flying into her face. In the end, I felt sad that there was no way for Ivy to get a real verbal slap-down for her sour grapes behavior. Bookending the centerpiece of Ivy's evil was Gretchen's desperate attempt to make sure that despite losing her Crown of Villainy she at least maintained her Tiara of Haughtiness, boldly lashing out at all criticisms of her clothes.
The Apprentice (NBC, 9:00): Surprisingly, the one reality show that has typically been overflowing with over-the-top drama and conflict felt pretty low-key after watching the rest of this week's reality offerings. Of course, a lot of that probably stems from the fact that crazy-man David had a tooth malfunction that removed him from active participation. I can only hope that next week he'll be recovered enough to get into the knock-down drag-out with Steuart that was teased by the post-board-room encounter at the beginning of the episode. As to what actually happened in the episode, I have to admit there was a part of me that was hoping the men would go the board room, so that Wade, their own Negative Nelly, might get the boot, since he was pretty much guaranteed to criticize the concept at that point despite keeping it to himself during the entire challenge. Something about his refusal to voice concern to the others but rail against them constantly in his confessionals bugged me. Meanwhile, although I wasn't Tyana's biggest fan, I would much rather have had her stay while the much more egotistical and abrasive Mahsa left.
*Really, the worst part for me is that now Koscheck has ruined "GSP-as-robot" jokes for me forever.
WEDNESDAY, OCT 6
Survivor (CBS, 7:00): There was a bit of drama playing out on both tribes this week. As usual, the Young'uns' drama was provided by the caustically outspoken NaOnka whose comments about her fellow tribemates are filled with barely-concealed hatred; I think there might have been a few more fireworks if she had gone to tribal council. On the Old Folks tribe, we have the constant chattering of Jimmy T., the man so delusional that he thought Jimmy Johnson was threatened by his leadership skills. As much as I tire of self-proclaimed puppet master players declaring that another contestant has "signed their own death warrant," I was actually hoping that Marty would be able to follow through on the threat and get the motor-mouth booted out. Thankfully, he was.
Top Chef: Just Desserts (Bravo, 9:00): First of all, I have to say that of all the breakdowns I've seen on reality TV shows over the years, none have been as uncomfortable to watch as Seth's spiral into madness. Honestly, having to leave the show was probably the best thing that could ever happen to the boy. Of course, once his antagonistic form of craziness was removed from the show, it didn't take too long for the producers to find a new villain to showcase. Heather H. was already on my list for just how disdainful she was of anyone showing a hint of emotion in previous episodes, but with her full on-attack of the fragile Heather C. and delusional screed against Morgan for his imagined betrayal, she has firmly ensconced herself as my least favorite contestant.
Ultimate Fighter: GSP-Koscheck (Spike, 9:00): The answer to the "Wonder when Koscheck is finally going to start annoying me like I'm sure he must?" question has been answered, and the answer is "14 minutes into this week's episode." So cocky, so abrasive, and so stereotypically macho that he can't even comprehend the idea that GSP's ability to just shrug off his sophomoric taunts* is a sign of GSP being the better man. I really hope GSP is able to maintain his calm, cool, and collected response all season, and then just destroy Koscheck in their fight. Of course, the GSP-Koscheck interactions, while incredibly annoying to me, are not the true source of drama here -- no, that honor goes to the near throwdown between Sevak and Bruce Leroy. Honestly, I thought Sevak was going to burst a blood vessel with the amount of rage he was throwing off; think Bruce Leroy was pretty lucky people held Sevak back because he was in full on berserker mode and I don't know if Bruce Leroy is quite ready to deal with someone in a murderous rage . . . then again, considering how obnoxious he's been so far, there's a good chance that Bruce Leroy had engendered murderous rage from other many, many times before in his life.
THURSDAY, OCT 7
Project Runway (Lifetime, 8:00): Yes, that's right -- I've started watching Project Runway again. Long time blob monkeys may remember that I was briefly hooked on the show during its second season after being subjected to a day-long marathon. And while I managed to escape the show's eerie hypnotic pull after that season's finale, I recently stumbled upon the latest season and found myself dawn back in. My connection to this show is odd, as I am one of the least fashion-conscious people you will ever meet. But, let's be honest -- outside of The Ultimate Fighter, none of the reality shows I watch revolve around anything I'm all that interested in -- whether it's the business world, gourmet cooking, crab fishing, sharpshooting, etc., I'm typically drawn not so much to the subject matter as to the personality types that subject matter attracts. In all of these examples, it takes some pretty strong personalities to prosper, and watching those strong personalities deal with the pressure-cooker life of reality TV can make for extremely engaging TV. Plus, Tim Gunn kicks butt.
Wow, so much for keeping the size of these things more manageable, huh?
Anyway, back to the drama-filled extravaganza that was this week's episode of Project Runway. First of all we had the fun of watching Heidi clash with Mondo, the season's reigning hero, and Gretchen, the season's reigning villain -- or at least she was reigning villain until the episode's big twist brings back Ivy who appears determined to use her moment back in the spotlight to swipe the Crown of Villainy from atop Gretchen's massive ego-inflated head by taking this season's favorite pass-time of "Beating Up on Michael C." to a whole new level. As other people have pointed out, when even Gretchen, the queen of self-involvement says "I think you've gone too far," well, you've probably gone too far. Best moment of the episode had to be the hilarious editing job of following up Ivy's comment of "I believe in karma" being followed by the shot of her sewing machine self-destructing and sending a piece flying into her face. In the end, I felt sad that there was no way for Ivy to get a real verbal slap-down for her sour grapes behavior. Bookending the centerpiece of Ivy's evil was Gretchen's desperate attempt to make sure that despite losing her Crown of Villainy she at least maintained her Tiara of Haughtiness, boldly lashing out at all criticisms of her clothes.
The Apprentice (NBC, 9:00): Surprisingly, the one reality show that has typically been overflowing with over-the-top drama and conflict felt pretty low-key after watching the rest of this week's reality offerings. Of course, a lot of that probably stems from the fact that crazy-man David had a tooth malfunction that removed him from active participation. I can only hope that next week he'll be recovered enough to get into the knock-down drag-out with Steuart that was teased by the post-board-room encounter at the beginning of the episode. As to what actually happened in the episode, I have to admit there was a part of me that was hoping the men would go the board room, so that Wade, their own Negative Nelly, might get the boot, since he was pretty much guaranteed to criticize the concept at that point despite keeping it to himself during the entire challenge. Something about his refusal to voice concern to the others but rail against them constantly in his confessionals bugged me. Meanwhile, although I wasn't Tyana's biggest fan, I would much rather have had her stay while the much more egotistical and abrasive Mahsa left.
*Really, the worst part for me is that now Koscheck has ruined "GSP-as-robot" jokes for me forever.
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