By Karl J. Paloucek

This is one show that I hope the U.S. doesn’t crib from Britain.

She may not be a household word here in America, but in the UK, Jade Goody became famous the way most famous people have done so in recent years — she went on a reality TV show. A raw specimen of humanity, Goody entered Britons’ homes via Big Brother, on which she became the subject of an awful lot of fascination. She drank, swore and generally existed on the show to provoke at least feelings of ire if not superiority in all who watched her. The notoriously catty British press had its way with her, and eager readers couldn’t wait to catch up on whatever was dished out on her. When she was shown making racist remarks about an Indian actor on Celebrity Big Brother, the media did its level best to level her, in harmony with the public’s understandable outrage. She’s lived in the glare of the spotlight and cameras for many years. And now, according to the New York Times, she just might die in front of them.

[Read more →]

Categories: Reality TV by kpaloucek
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Tags: BBC, Big Brother, British press, Celebrity Big Brother, Cervical Cancer, Jade Goody, media expoitation, Reality TV

Posted by johnnysweeptheleg

After two-plus months in the house, a long summer of Big Brother finally came to a close. They say the game is much tougher than it looks. Jerry walked into the house looking like Ryan Gosling and walked out looking like James Garner. The game puts a man through many changes.

The finale begins with a trip to the Jury House as everyone wonders who will be the next to join them. When Jerry walks through the door, the jury members don’t exactly welcome him. They ask Jerry what happened in the house. He says is all began in the summer of 1914 … it was a summer unlike any other, with the weather hot, and the women hotter … finally after an hour of exposition, Jerry gets to the real reason he was evicted and the houseguests wake up from their drool-filled nap. [Read more →]

Categories: Reality TV by johnnysweeptheleg
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Posted by johnnysweeptheleg

When we last left the remaining houseguests, Keesha had just been evicted and Dan was pretending to be upset with Memphis for doing so. Dan, Memphis, and Jerry were all strapped to the top of a plane and were competing in an endurance competition for the first leg of the final three-part HOH. Dan continues with this faux-anger at the faux-hawked Memphis, and it borderlines as overacting, which scares Memphis.

Luckily, this is Jerry we’re talking about — and he isn’t the most observant fella. And obviously not the most balanced individual, either, as he’s the first to fall off his plane. Dan and Memphis are a little surprised he has fallen so soon. After hanging around for a while to make it look good, Memphis finally takes a dive and gives Dan round one.

In the second round, Memphis and Jerry square off in a Knockout Competition. In it, Memphis and Jerry compete in bare-knuckle boxing, in which the first rule of the competition is that you do not talk about the competition. The second rule of it? Ok, so the producers would never put Memphis and Jerry in a real fight. But instead, the idea is to knock over the standee of all HGs who were not HOH or nominees in each of the given weeks. Editing makes it look close. But we soon learn that while it took Memphis 8:35 to complete, it took Jerry 51:22.

After taking almost seven times as long to complete this, Jerry enters his bedroom and strips down to his underwear, muttering “Embarrassing” to himself. I’ve yet to determine if he’s muttering this in response to his showing in the competition or in the fact that he’s standing in his tighty-whities in front of a national audience. [Read more →]

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Tags: Big Brother, CBS, Recap

Posted by johnnysweeptheleg

Not since Dr. Will have we seen such a calculated style of game play in the BB house, as we’ve seen out of Dan this season.

After this week’s nominations, Jerry and Keesha have fallen for the noms, just as Dan hoped. Jerry begins talking to Memphis about overthrowing Dan (as Dan thought he would) and Keesha thanks Dan for honoring their agreement (as Dan thought she would).

While everyone else is busy being not busy, Will Dan gets to go to a private island to meet, unbeknownst to the HGs, Michelle. Dan works the charm, and even drops a reference to this not being a trip to Hawaii (which she had taken away from her by Libra) but at least it’s better than nothing. Michelle asks if anyone else in the house knew that he was going to back door her, and Dan tells her Renny, Keesha, and Memphis all knew. This seems to have an effect on Michelle. And by the end of the daytrip, Michelle seems like she could potentially vote for Dan should he make it to the finals.

Back at the house, it’s finally time for the POV, which is important because the winner does the evicting this week. The competition is Stairway To Veto, in which houseguests correctly match clues to a houseguest, until they get enough correct to climb a stairway taller than actor Danny DeVito. See what I did there, with the Veto … DeVito … yeah, that’s the sort of classy reporting you’re going to get from a former karate star turned writer. [Read more →]

Categories: Reality TV by johnnysweeptheleg
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Tags: Big Brother, CBS, Recap

Posted by johnnysweeptheleg

With only four houseguests remaining in the BB house, the producers realize they need to do something to keep people watching. Having a sumo wrestler, a gorilla, and a female contortionist is a pretty good start.

After Dan snags an envelope out from under the sumo wrestler, the HGs learn they will all compete for a luxury competition. The next morning, the final four are woken by a gorilla. Something looks … familiar … about this simian. The gorilla tears off his mask in the DR to reveal that it’s our favorite banished houseguest — Jessie! After all, as he says, “Who else can fill out this suit?”

Oh Jessie. How we missed you so. [Read more →]

Categories: Reality TV by johnnysweeptheleg
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Tags: Big Brother, CBS, Recap

Posted by johnnysweeptheleg

The DVR Gods had other plans for me Tuesday night, so for once, the “Previously on Big Brother” intro was worth watching. Memphis has won the POV and taken Dan off the block, even though he told Jerry he was going to the final two with him and would leave noms as-is.

Jerry tells Keesha he thinks Memphis is going with Dan to the end, now. Gee, do ya think?! Nothing gets past you! This causes Keesha to then go to Renny and ask her if she thinks Memphis plans on taking Dan to the end. Let me again quote the poet johnnysweeptheleg, and say, “Gee, do ya think?! Nothing gets past you!” Keesha, if a person tells you they are taking you to the end, and they win the POV and not only don’t rescue you from the block, but go so far as to take the other person off … they aren’t in an alliance with you.

Oh, and the Easter Bunny is FAKE!

Sorry, hated to have to break all that to you, Keesha. But it is what it is. [Read more →]

Categories: Reality TV by johnnysweeptheleg
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Tags: Big Brother, CBS, Recap

Posted by johnnysweeptheleg

A week’s worth of Big Brother in one night. Also known as the little less conversation, a little more action episode. Julie doesn’t want to hear you talk, houseguests. There will be no foreplay. Get right to the activities!

The episode begins with a few flashbacks to the post Veto ceremony, with Ollie throwing his tantrum. Ollie and Michelle believe Dan is a plant. Not to be confused with the Plant Man. Thinking he’s going to drop some huge revelation on the houseguests, Ollie walks outside and begins telling everyone about the three-part deal he made with Dan. As Dan explains in the DR, when you light the fuse, you don’t hang around for the dynamite to blow. So he leaves and lets Ollie explode. Ollie’s revelation backfires on him. All he does is tell the HGs what they already knew, which further makes them trust Dan, and Ollie even admits that Keesha was supposed to go up instead of Michelle, which leads Keesha to respond that now she’s even better with Dan’s decision. Swing and a miss.

The night’s first eviction is no surprise. Michelle gets the boot, 3 to 1, and upon talking with Julie, finds out that Dan isn’t really a plant. Which, by rights, should Julie have revealed? I thought being on the jury, she should go into the final jury vote knowing only what was revealed to her while in the house. [Read more →]

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Postedy by johnnysweeptheleg

I can’t help but chuckle at Ollie as he struts around the house all week, thinking that he’s running the show. And why shouldn’t he? So far, through 2/3 of the agreement he made with Dan, Dan has lived up to his end of the bargain. There’s no reason for Ollie to think that Dan wouldn’t continue. But Ollie has vowed to unleash hell if he’s double crossed.

California law states that you must keep your hell on a leash, as well as picking up after it. I think Ollie’s about to be ticketed, because Dan has told Memphis and the DR that he will not let Ollie pick the replacement nominee, should Memphis win and remove himself. Aw yeah, it’s about to get dirty! [Read more →]

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Tags: Big Brother, CBS, Recap

Posted by johnnysweeptheleg

Dan’s decisions during last night’s episode will either get him eliminated on Thursday’s episode (remember, it’s a DOUBLE live eviction!) or will take him all the way to the finals.

After hanging for almost four hours, the HOH competition comes down to two people — Ollie and Dan. Ollie doesn’t want to drop, because he knows he’ll be the first to go on the block and go home. Dan doesn’t want to drop because he knows Ollie will be looking for vengeance, since Dan’s decision not to vote to keep April sealed her fate. So Dan does a Big Brother first … and after 10 seasons, in which everything from throwing every competition to shaving a very hairy Bunky’s back has happened, that’s saying a lot. If Ollie lets Dan win the HOH, Dan will let Ollie pick one of the two noms, one other person to keep safe, and if POV is played, Ollie picks the replacement nominee. And if I’m not mistaken, Ollie gets naming rights on Dan’s firstborn. [Read more →]

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Tags: Big Brother, CBS, Recap

Posted by johnnysweeptheleg

It’s the question everyone is asking in the Big Brother house. Who shot JR? Oh, and who offered Dan the money? Was it Jerry or April? Michelle thinks it’s Jerry.

April has somehow gotten herself to believe that Dan couldn’t possibly be talking about her since she technically didn’t give him a dollar amount. I believe that she actually believes this, since she also believes that she’s done nothing to anyone in the house and doesn’t deserve to be on the block. April also believes in unicorns, leprechauns and jackalopes. Ollie and April realize they need to swing two more votes their way to keep April. Dan’s the big swing vote, so they begin working on Michelle. But Michelle admits that she will have to vote the way of the house so as to not become a target. Therefore, Dan is the key.

The girl who never offered Dan a bribe, once again, doesn’t offer him a bribe for the second time. April offers Dan “like, money” and safety if he votes to keep her in the house. Seriously. You can trust someone who tells you, “I have, like, money I can give you.”

Really, the Eviction show is like the cream inside a Twinkie. It’s all just filler, to get to the eviction. [Read more →]

Categories: Reality TV by johnnysweeptheleg
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Tags: Big Brother, CBS, Recap