Reality Clack – Rookies, Design Star, Dancing with the Stars

by Jackie Schnoop

A&E

I’ve been watching some of those other reality shows on truTV lately. Oh, I know they claim they’re actuality, not reality. But they’re reality indeed, perhaps just a bit more real than the various reality game or entertainment shows. Cops on FOX has always been a guilty pleasure of mine and now, thanks to A&E and truTV, I have a slew of police-related reality television to watch.

What gets me about these shows is the fact that the criminal-types actually let them air their stupidity. Now, Parking Wars isn’t all that bad. But to appear on an episode of Cops or Inside American Jail? I know they have to sign releases, but I wonder if they’re offered money. Sheesh, they talk about being careful about what you put on your MySpace. People should be more careful and not get busted for doing stupid things all the time while cameras are rolling!

That was the week it was

Well, the biggest reality show of them all went down on Tuesday night. Because I don’t want to post any spoilers in case you haven’t heard the results, please check your history books in 20 years.

On one of the police-related reality shows I watched on A&E, Rookies, a new officer was killed in the line of duty about a month after he graduated training. That was all a bit too real for me. I suppose it’s a good testament to the young man’s ideals and dreams. But I found it disturbing that the network hyped his death so much leading into the episode.

A new Design Star has been named and it’s Jennifer Bertrand from Olathe, Kansas. I want to say that the same town has brought another reality television contestant to our screens on another show. But I’m blanking on exactly whom it is. It’s ringing a bell, though. Anyone remember? A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

On Dancing with the Stars, things aren’t quite the same post-Leachman. I have no one to mercilessly mock. Susan Lucci was eliminated this week and her leaving was nowhere near as flamboyant as the Cloris exit. Hanging in we still have Lance Bass, Brooke Burke, Maurice Greene, Cody Linley and Warren Sapp. Of the remainders, I only really kind of know who Lance is.

Notable exits

Marcus Lehman was cast off of Survivor. On the Survivor Fans Podcast site his early wardrobe malfunction was mentioned. I knew he was going to be too big a target, but didn’t foresee that Susie would be the one to end his reign.
Elina Ivanova was sent packing on America’s Next Top Model.
The divorcees, Kelly and Christy, were finally Philiminated due to their inability to read clues correctly on The Amazing Race.

In the news

The folks over at Buddy TV have decided that Julie Chen is bringing down Big Brother. Not so, I say! I’ve watched the show since its first season and have really gotten quite attached to the ChenBot. If we get a different host, we’ll no longer be able to have drinking games set to her live show flubs and floundering. Whose hair will we snicker about? Whose fashions will we critique? We already have two involved hosts on TAR and Survivor — Phil Keoghan and Jeff Probst. It doesn’t matter to me that Julie obviously doesn’t watch the show. She’s an institution. Do you want to see someone else in her role?

The Reality TV Fans site is reporting that one of Paris Hilton’s New BFF candidates was already in Girls Gone Wild. And this is surprising news how?

Until we meet again, it’s been real … if not really reality.