Ashley N. Barker

Game shows have always been a part of television…well, at least since as far back as I can remember. I’ve watched my fair share of them over the years; randomly flipping to Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, or Family Feud when there is nothing else on.

Lately though, my love for game shows has returned and I’ve become addicted to “The Newlywed Game” (which happens to be premiering a new season this Monday at 6 p.m.) and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Don’t laugh too hard, but it’s true.

I’ll start with the newlyweds and take note that I am not one. These couples are hilarious. The things that they are willing to say—on national television—about their sex life, are shockingly funny. The host, Carnie Wilson, is also a little bit freaky. If you have never watched it before, then you are missing out. But, I will let you in on a little bit of the fun that happens on this “Game Show Network” show.

Wilson introduces three newlywed couples and then splits the men and women up. She asks them the same question without their partner around and then compares the answers. Whoever matches their partner’s answer gets points and the couple with the most points gets a second honeymoon.

Enough about the rules though. The real fun is in the questions. The questions are meant to embarrass the couples. Wilson asks about sex toys, penis size, who is in control and just about anything else she can ask about. But, the thing that bothers me about this show is when the camera zooms in on Carnie Wilson it looks like she is sitting at a desk. She holds papers with the questions on them, but it appears (because of her size) that she is sitting down. When the camera zooms out though, to go to a commercial break for example, you can see that she is in fact standing up and hunched over.

It may seem rude or mean, but I hope that I look different from when I’m standing to when I’m sitting. She is so hunched over that she actually looks strange standing there. It’s not a big deal, and I may be the only one who notices it, but now that I’ve seen it I just can’t get it out of my head. Otherwise, it’s a great show.

Moving on now, I want to discuss the millionaire show. Do they just go looking for people who are celebrating their birthday for this show? The last several times I’ve watched this, it has always been the contestant’s birthday. That is fine, in fact it’s pretty cool to win a lot of money for a birthday present to yourself, but the little introduction is getting kind of old. There is only so many times the host can say, “Oh, it’s your birthday,” and still sound surprised about it.

Even with the awkward and comical introductions, I still find “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” awesome because no one ever becomes a millionaire. The whole premise is to give away a million dollars. But, none of these contestants ever really even get close to it. Watching their devastated faces when they choose the wrong answer and the lights/sound scream NO is sad and funny at the same time.

In my personal opinion though, Regis Philbin is still the best host of all time and he should return. The End.

First of all, I’d like to say that giving birth to a child is (I assume. I’ve never actually given birth.) an amazing experience. I’ve been around when family members have been born and I’ve seen the joy a new child can bring to people. However, I have a major issue with all of the children being born on NATIONAL TELEVISION lately.

I have no problem with a child being born on a show named “A Baby Story” on TLC. When you flip to that channel, you expect to see things like weddings, babies, new homes, etc. But, when I flip to E! to watch “Kendra,” I don’t really want to see her (and Hank Baskett’s) kid being pushed out of her. I just find it weird. I understand it’s a reality television show and that is their reality, but what is that kid going to think when they are much older and watch that episode? I know I would be freaked out if I knew my mother had a film crew in her face during such a private, special time in her and my life.

It seems like it has become an epidemic lately. On top of Kendra & Hank, there are many others being filmed. Kimora Lee Simmons was filmed giving birth to Djimon Hounsou’s son. Giuliana and Bill Rancic haven’t technically given birth on their show. But, the last several episodes have been about them trying to get pregnant, which when it does happen will probably be filmed also.

The weirdest birth I’ve seen lately has to go to Kourtney Kardashian (Kim’s older sister) and Scott Disick. I was actually fascinated and grossed out at the same time. She was so ridiculously calm throughout the entire thing that she pulled the kid out of her. Normally a doctor does that, but she reached down and pulled the kid out. That’s insane to me. She didn’t yell, cry or sweat her makeup off. It was epic television.(You can watch it HERE)

The part of this whole child birth phenomenon that really irritates me though is the MTV show, “16 & Pregnant.” It shows 16 year olds giving birth to the children that they accidentally conceived. It then shows how they go back to school, or their parents basically raise the kid, or they are taken care of as if it’s a good thing. If MTV wanted to do a show about 16 year olds giving birth they could have showed how terribly difficult their life is going to end up. After all MTV shows are very influential to the teens that watch them.

With that show and “True Life: I’m Pregnant,” MTV is basically saying that having a kid when you’re that young is not a big deal. I’m not trying to get MTV to go all abstinent on us, but I just think the insane number of child birth shows has become ridiculous. If that is entertainment then what is happening to television?

I haven't yet picked a topic for next week's post. So, if you have any ideas than feel free to let me know. Thanks for reading :)

Prior to tonight’s premier of “The Price of Beauty,” I was some-what of a fan of Jessica Simpson. I wasn’t a fan of her music, or her acting, or even her clothing—just her in general. Now, I am not.

I figured her new show would be somewhat interesting, with or without Jessica, because seeing the ways that different countries celebrate their beauty is educational, and I’m kind of into learning. After watching it, I do feel like I learned a few things about Thailand, (the first episode’s country topic) but Jessica Simpson thoroughly disappointed me.

First of all, I’d like to note and question why this woman made the decision to wear high, skinny heels while riding an elephant, walking around in fields and dirt, and meeting a Buddhist monk in Thailand. I’ve never been to Thailand, but I’m pretty sure if I go heels won’t be a priority luggage item. I’m also pretty sure the elephant didn’t appreciate being stabbed by her pretty little shoes and when she walked among the native people—who may or may not have even had shoes on—I’m pretty sure they had a good chuckle. That was a real pretty dumb decision you made there Ms. Simpson.

But, that’s only the beginning of this fiasco. During the meditation session she and her two cohorts—make up artist Ken Paves and assistant CaCee Cobb—made a great impression on the Buddhist monk. They, well mostly Jessica, started giggling and moving around while they were supposed to be silent and lost in their own thoughts—another brilliant move on her part.

There was one part of the 30 minute long show that I did enjoy. Jessica went all sentimental on us when she spoke to a Thai woman who used a type of makeup that damaged her skin, permanently causing it to peel and look bleached. She learned that there are no regulations on the makeup in the country so women don’t know what could damage their skin or not. It’s the risk they take for beauty, which in their culture is when a woman has pale, fair skin. Since it is the opposite here, where woman are expected to go to tanning beds, Jessica had a teary-eyed moment, which was nice to watch.

Unfortunately I will probably continue to watch this disaster of a show, although I don’t recommend it. I just seem to get addicted to the stupid shows (see all of my other blog posts below). For next time, I think I will be writing about all of the labor and delivery episodes on shows that aren’t even about giving birth—Kendra & Hank Baskett, Kimora Lee Simmons & Djimon Hounsou, Kourtney Kardashian & Scott Disick, Giuliana and Bill Rancic. On top of shows like “16 & Pregnant” and “True Life: I’m Pregnant,” there are too many kids popping out on national television.