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.

Love shows on television have always weirded me out. It doesn’t matter if it’s a “bachelor” with 20 girls competing for his time and love, or a “cougar” who has 15 young men watching her every move. Just the thought of going to television to find the love of your life seems ridiculous to me. However, it does make for some pretty hilarious t.v. clips and I’ve learned from watching these shows that people truly are crazy.

This past week “For the Love of Ray J” finally wrapped up and if you haven’t watched it here is a brief over view of the show. Basically Ray J, a singer/rapper is looking for a girlfriend, (Note: This is the second season of the show. He broke up with the winner of last season.) and as the show progresses he narrows the girls down from around 20 to the final one winner. Yet another spoiler alert time: He finally picked “Mz Berry” (He assigned nicknames to each girl, her real name is actually Connie Deveaux) to be his girlfriend.

I will admit that I was pulling for her. She is a few years older than he is, is more down-to-Earth, and not a crazy, alcoholic, slut like 90% of the girls on this show. However, the issue I have here is that in the reunion show, which aired like four or five months after the last episode was taped, Mz Berry said that Ray J had not seen her since the final episode. Just to make sure you fully understand what I just said there, he picked her and then didn’t see her again for four months! If you are so in love with this person and you have millions of dollars to blow, wouldn’t you want to see them immediately? Then to top things off, like 10 of the other girls on the show said that they had seen Ray J since they were booted off. If that isn’t messed up then I don’t know what is.

Things like this in love shows drive me crazy. First of all, I don’t think you can find true love instantly in front of the world on national television. You might be able to find someone you really like and then after the show fall in love, but not in such a high-stress situation. Second of all, if you are creating a show solely based on wanting to settle down and find a “good” girl then why, when you pick the “good” girl, do you still go out with the “bad” ones and avoid her? I just don’t understand it. I guess that’s a good thing for me—I can find love without a television.

Ray J just wrapped up on VH1 as another love show started up—“Frank the Entertainer in a Basement Affair.” Basically for this disaster of a show, Frank (a guy who LOST on another love show) still lives in his parent’s basement at age 30, and decides to move 20 girls into the house too. He and his parents eliminate a girl every episode until eventually he finds “love” too. Like Ray J, I find this show completely insane. Basically the less clothing these girls wear the more appealing they seem to Frank, who is teetering back and forth on the loser mobile all on his own. Who really wants to pursue a 30-year-old who still lives with his parents? Geez.

I really feel like all of the girls (and guys) who try-out for these shows, and want to be on them to find love with these people need to take a step back and rethink their lives. In this final paragraph, I usually tease to what I’m going to discuss in my next blog post. I haven’t come up with a topic yet and was wondering if anybody had any suggestions for what they’d like me to comment on. I’m open to anything on television, with the exception of the weird porn that comes on HBO after midnight on the big TVs in the gym. Can someone that works there please change that next time? Thanks.

SPOILER ALERT: I will be discussing details from the finale of “Jersey Shore,” if you have not watched it and are planning to, than please do not continue reading. Otherwise, enjoy!

The finale of MTV’s controversial reality show, “Jersey Shore,” was a major let down to me. The eight, well seven since Angelina bailed early, Italian “guidos” and “guidettes” spent the entire season drinking, partying and hooking up with random people, but got all sentimental during the finale.

I admit that I anticipated them having a cry-fest when they had to move out and go back to their own lives, but I didn’t think the entire episode would be that boring. The previews for it led us to believe that Mike, “The Situation,” and Nicole, “Snooki,” were going to hook up (I’m using “hook up” here as a reference to having sex) in the hot tub. But, then when it finally came on all they did was kiss and then Mike jumped out—he actually denied having sex with a female. If you watch the show then you know that is just shocking in itself. But, that was the highlight of the episode.

Apparently the world is still supposed to be interested in Sammi and Ronnie’s relationship status, but we are all kind of over it. They are boring and want to be alone all the time. They rarely party as hard as the other roommates and their big story line centers on their multiple and often ridiculous fights. The finale was no different—they were fighting over how Ronnie going to jail was somehow worse for Sammi (drama queen). She kept saying, “This was like the first night that I was by myself.” How in the world does she ALWAYS make things about her? I mean really here, Ronnie slept in JAIL and she slept alone—she needs to get over herself. I’m sure he had a much worse night than she did. Geez.

Moving on now, before I hyperventilate from being so angry at Sammi, whose nickname “Sweetheart,” definitely isn’t accurate. We’ll back track a little bit to discuss Snooki again. Before her so-called “hookup” with Mike, she got rejected by like 65,402 guys for a simple date. I kind of understand where they are coming from here, she’s a little pushy, slutty, and all around strange to watch. How many times did she does flips while wearing a skirt, with no underwear on, and had to have her private parts blurred out? That’s just trashy. But, watching her get more and more upset after every guy said no to her was just hilarious—not sure it was meant to be though.

The “Jersey Shore” finale broke all kinds of records for MTV though. A record 4.8 million people watched the semi-bore-fest, and if they are at all like me, they were let down. Considering the beginning of the season caused an uproar about the degradation of Italians with their use of “guido” and “guidette” those numbers are huge, and has prompted the cast to demand $1,000 (I just heard $10,000, so I'm not sure which to actually believe here) per episode to come back for another season. That’s a lot more than the approximate $200 per episode they were paid for this season—but not really. Getting almost 5 million people to watch MTV is pretty impressive, and I’m thinking if the network is smart they will continue to meet their “stars” demands.

We’ll have to wait and see if the same cast members come back for another season, or if we are going to have a completely different group of fist-pumping, excessively spiked hair, fake boobed, and orange tanned Italians. Either way it should be interesting.

Next week look forward to my opinions about the various love shows on television—from “For the Love of Ray J” to “Frank the Entertainer in a Basement Affair.” Start watching them now!

NOTE: You should probably read while eating a sandwich.

The competition television shows on the Food Network are surprisingly different than those of other stations. Some of my favorites are “Throwdown with Bobby Flay,” “Iron Chef America,” and “Worst Cooks in America.” All of them, naturally, are food competitions, but they don’t have a lot of the fighting and drama that many other reality shows do. (We will definitely be getting to the drama ones in future postings.)

I know there are skeptics out there who probably think who wants to watch the Food Network? Trust me, I was one of them. I don’t cook and if I do it typically involves burning. But, I’ve found that these types of reality shows are not meant to be educational. You’re not going to learn how to make a meal from any of these. If you want to learn, then you should watch Rachel Ray or Emeril. No, these shows are definitely meant to entertain.

The types of foods that the chefs on these shows make are not simple ones, in fact they get points taken away on Iron Chef if they are not original and considered difficult. There is not a list of ingredients on the side of the screen and it’s not a step-by-step instruction manual. They are pure competition—which is what I’m all about. I compete about everything from sports, to number of drinks, who can get better grades, and even how much food one can eat in a certain period of time. I’m addicted to competition. I want to be the best at what I do and if I’m not then a.) I don’t care b.) I’m about to do everything in my power to be the best, no matter what.

So, when I watch these shows, I’m not watching to see the foods (although I do end up hungry at the end). I’m watching to see the competition. The people on these shows know what they are doing and are passionate about it. They are dedicated to learning their art (I call it art because I consider making delicious food an art) and perfecting it.

If you’re at all like me and enjoy good competition then these shows are definitely going to get you all flustered. You will immediately pick your favorite and least favorite chefs. You’ll start referring to them by first name and in everyday conversation. You’ll look at your plate of food at a restaurant and wonder if it compares to the chefs on the Food Network. And, you’ll find yourself flipping to channel 58 (on the UNCW campus) to watch the network as much as possible.

For next time, look forward to a post about the controversial and addicting finale of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” and then eventually a post on the so-called “love” shows that are taking over your televisions.