Assignment #5

I found probably one of Long Island's biggest reality fans. Here is an interview with Dennis Bartlett:

Do you like reality television?
"Yes, I do enjoy watching shows that are unscripted."

Do you have a favorite reality show?
"Yes. My favorite show that I like to watch is Big Brother."

What do you like about it?
"Besides being a reality show, it's also a social experiment. I like seeing the dynamic of people being throwm into a house together for 3 months. The producers do a good job finding conflicting and interesting personalities that make for good drama. "

Have you watched Big Brother for most of the seasons that it has appeared on television?
"Yes, I've seen all of the seasons. The first season was not that good, but the produceres changed the show around to what it is today and made it more interesting, which brings me to watch it season after season."

Are you excited that the writers' strike may lead to more reality television or do you think this will just lead to an overload of reality on TV?
"Although I really enjoy reality television, too much of it, like anything else, is going to take the joy out of it."

Have you seen any of the shows that are being advertised for the upcoming season if the strike continues?
"Well, I did hear they are making a winter version of Big Brother. I really haven't heard anything else about new reality shows."

Are there any other reality shows that you watch besides Big Brother?
"Yes. I also love Survivor, The Amazing Race, and even shows like Hogan Knows Best and The Osbournes are interesting to me. Shows like Hogan Knows Best and The Osbournes are a different type of reality show, but they are really interesting because you get a glimpse into the real lives of some celebrities that you would normally only get in a public light."

More of America's Next Top Model

Wednesday, November 14: Things get heated on ANTM!

• Heather continued to dominate the screen, but this time mostly because of her onstage freakout. Almost unable to deliver a few lines about her ensemble when it counted, she stuttered and stammered her way through it... and proceeded to beat herself up over the incident the ENTIRE EPISODE. When the girls returned home and hit the showers, Heather lost her cool. Feeling down after the negative criticism she got at the challenge, she flipped out at the other girls for getting in the shower when she called first dibs. She screamed, cursed, and demanded her shower time. The incident showed the other girls a whole new side to Heather and many of them weren't happy about it. They were all pretty steamed considering none of them really get the opportunity to shower alone either. The whole thing started and ended pretty quickly.
• In spite of her screwup, Heather avoided the bottom two (barely). Those places went to Lisa and Ambreal (okay, we saw that coming). Ambreal ran out of chances and went home.
• Before the judges deliberated this week, it was announced that whoever makes it through to next week will be joining Tyra and company on a trip to China.

Wednesday, November 21: The Girls go to China

• Down to six girls this week and everyone was off to China!
• When they got to their room, they quickly discovered that two of them would be sharing a bed and immediately designated Heather to be one of those girls. Heather took it personally and was upset that the others girls seemed to be picking on her again.
• On the ladies' first day in China, they were off to some martial arts training. The models were taught several martial arts poses and were asked to perform these poses while being hoisted into the air. The challenge brought out Bianca's intense fear of heights leaving her no choice but to drop out of the task and accept disqualification.
• The judge chose Heather as the winner of the challenge and she invited Chantal to join her on a shopping spree in Shanghai.
• The next day the girls met with Mr. Jay for a Cover Girl photo and commercial shoot. It was here that things took a turn for the worst for Heather. During the commercial, she couldn't get her lines down.
• Heather and Lisa were in the bottom two, but Lisa was sent packing.

A few updates: Bianca is still being her same old self and always picking on Heather. Bianca needs to change that NYC attitude of hers. It's not cute for America's Next Top Model. I really like Heather, but is it just me or can she really not handle all of this? I wish Heather would realize that the only reason some of the other girls are getting so vicious is because they know who their competition is. They are working on breaking Heather down so she'll crack and they won't have to deal with her. My pick still stands for winner though and that would be Saleisha. Sometimes her attitude is not so nice, especially to Heather, and I will agree with that, but I think she has some major talent. Her commerical came out amazing.

Project Runway

The latest season of Project Runway premiered on November 14. For those that need a quick recap, "People" has provided the following designer profiles on this year’s cast.

Click here to read all the Project Runway profiles.

The Bachelor Fans...

The 11th season finale of The Bachelor was the first time any bachelor contestant finally decided that the women selected by producers weren’t good enough for him. Brad Womack, this year's bachelor, rejected both Jenni Croft and DeAnna Pappas, leaving the last rose untouched. Brad rejected Jenni, watched her walk away, and then went on to say "There’s not a single thing that I’m looking for in my ideal wife that DeAnna does not possess." Once DeAnna stepped up to the podium along side him, he told her "I’m trying to tell you that I have so many feelings for you, and I want so badly to be so confident to pick you up and twirl you around and give you a diamond ring and spend my life with you, but I can’t look you in your eye and tell you that I love you. I can’t. I can’t give you any promise that I can’t keep. I refuse to do that." Then he did something no other Bachelor has ever done: rejected both women. “I have to tell you goodbye,” he said. DeAnna didn’t understand, which makes sense because he’d just said all these amazing things about her. “It just doesn’t sound right, to say that you do care about someone so much, but you’re willing to watch them walk away,” she said. During the reunion special last night Brad said, “It’s real hard for me to explain why I didn’t fall in love.”

American Music Awards

The American Music Awards aired on ABC Sunday night, in which two former American Idol stars won awards. American Idol 5 finalist Chris Daughtry and his group, Daughtry, won three awards. Their breakthrough artist award was presented by Carrie Underwood, who won it last year. Daughtry also won the favorite pop/rock album award for their self-titled debut and favorite adult contemporary artist. Meanwhile, former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood was named the favorite country female artist and received the favorite country album award for her album "Some Hearts."

Here's what's coming...

According to "USA Today," reality TV fans are in for a treat if the Writers Guild strike persists for months, as some in the industry fear. Here's what we're in store for if the strike continues:

ABC

• Duel- quiz show in which contestants win by bluffing
• Oprah's Big Give- Winfrey gives cash to needy families
• Here Come the Newlyweds- A six-episode comedic game pitting couples in marital tests.
• Wanna Bet?- Celebrities wager (for charity) on whether contestants can perform outrageous stunts.
• Also: New seasons of Wife Swap and Supernanny, expanded episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home and possibly more Funniest Videos.

CBS

• Big Brother
• Million-Dollar Password- A high-stakes version of the game-show classic, hosted by Regis Philbin.
• Do You Trust Me?- Tucker Carlson hosts a quiz show in which strangers bet on their mutual confidence in each other.
• Also: Additional cycles of Survivor and The Amazing Race, and a new season of Drew Carey game show Power of 10.

FOX

• The Moment of Truth- (Jan. 23, Wednesdays at 9 ET/PT). Game show in which contestants are strapped to a lie detector and asked highly personal questions.
• When Women Rule the World-(Mar. 3, Mondays at 8 ET/PT). Women control "a group of unsuspecting men used to calling the shots."
• Also: American Idol (Jan. 15), Hell's Kitchen (Apr. 1), Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Don't Forget the Lyrics, Cops and America's Most Wanted.

NBC

• Celebrity Apprentice
• My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad- Families compete in stunt challenges.
• Clash of the Choirs Celebrities- establish amateur singing groups, which compete live in yet another one of these shows...
• Also: New season of 1 vs. 100, and Deal or No Deal continues.

CW

• Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants
• Also: New seasons of Pussycat Dolls, Beauty and the Geek and America's Next Top Model.