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Reality Watch:
Best reality TV of 2004...
Have you noticed that there are tons of reality shows on every day of the week? Gone are the days when you could enjoy a funny sitcom or a compelling drama. So I guess it's no wonder that I too, have become obsessed with reality programming. No, I'm not talking about foolishness like "The Bachelor/The Bachelorette," "The Swan," or "Who's Your Daddy"; I prefer watching programs where the contestants strive to achieve a particular goal. Here is a brief rundown of the shows that I risked life and limb to see on a weekly basis. ¤ Michelle
"Making the Band"
Just in case you didn't catch this show (or didn't read my article in a previous issue), it was about Puffy's quest to find members to form a hip-hop group. Once they were selected, the MTV crew chronicled the group's (and Puffy's) trials and tribulations while they worked on their first album.This show had everything - comedy, drama and tragedy, all in 30 minutes. The fistfights and the bickering between the group members were more entertaining than any corny sitcom. Watching Puff relish in crushing their spirits was kinda funny too. Yes, I am evil.
Despite the fact that I knew that the group would not make it (individually they had skills, collectively they did not!), I wanted them to succeed. I watched them as they got closer to their goals - making their first video, performing at concerts. But unfortunately, they were destined to fail. Why you ask? Because they simply didn't work hard enough. They received a recording contract from Puffy, but they didn't seem grateful for it. Let that be a lesson to everyone, if you don't appreciate what you have, it will quickly slip through your fingers.
I guess everyone, including the MTV execs, knew that a second album would not be a reality, so they quickly fired the group before production started on the album.
Even though I able to predict their impending demise, I still felt sorry for the group. After watching the show for weeks, I was hoping that they would finally get their act together and start to focus on their goals. But that didn't happen. So to Chopper, Sarah, Babs, Dylan, Fred and Ness, I wish you all the luck in your careers!
"The Apprentice"
The show where 18 contestants compete through a series of tasks for a chance to work for Donald Trump and earn a six-figure income. What the show was really about: a bunch of greedy participants backstabbing, lying and degrading themselves just to earn a nice piece of change.The low point of the show came from a contestant that desperately wanted to beat her competitors on a task. Both teams had to raise money by selling chocolate bars - they were responsible for coming up with the marketing strategy and the price. The team that made the most money won the task.
Having a sense that she was not going to win the task, the desperate contestant told some rather horny men that she would drop her skirt if they would give her twenty bucks for the candy bar (it's a little stank ho-ish, no?). To her chagrin, her striptease didn't work and by the end of that episode, she heard the trademark "you're fired" hollered by Donald Trump.
Other than that, the show was good, but the finale was boring. Who didn't know that Kelly would win? Anyways, I'll be there for the next season.
"America's Next Top Model"
Tyra Banks and a team of fashion experts had to chose among thousands of esthetically pleasing women, who they thought should become the next face of fashion. The lucky girl would be given lots of money, and a very lucrative cosmetic campaign.Each week the girls learned about the business, fashion, and about themselves (one girl was able to admit to Tyra that she had an eating disorder).
When I watch shows like this, it usually takes me a few weeks before I am able to pick the person that I want to win. But from the moment that I saw Eva, I wanted her to win. She had such a cool look, she took the best pictures, and she seemed genuinely happy to be there.
But the main reason that I thought that she deserved to win was that she worked hard and always pushed herself. Do you remember when she had to pose with that bigass tarantula? Even though she was deathly afraid of the spider, and cried throughout the shoot, she still ended up with the best pictures.
Suffice it to say, my girl was voted "America's Next Top Model" and will be gracing the pages of fashion magazines very soon. Big up to Eva!
