Watching Reality TV

You see dozens of these shows on your television every day; a former celebrity or small name celebrity has their own show or is a part of a reality show highlighting the life of a minor celebrity and through that they find a new lease on fame. There’s Paula Abdul and her show “Hey, Paula” on Bravo and let’s not forget “Scott Baio is 45… and Single!” over on VH1.  There’s also “The Two Coreys” which debuted on Sunday on A&E and features former 80’s teen idols Corey Haim and Corey Feldman (yeah, I’ll admit, I’d kinda like to see that one). We also have “Hogan Knows Best” featuring former wrestling star Hulk Hogan on VH1 and “My Life on the D-List” on Bravo with Kathy Griffin.  So why are these shows so popular? I’m thinking it’s the glimpse into the life of a celebrity, no matter how minor, that we find so fascinating.   As the article over at MSNBC.com says, we’re lured in by promises that everything we see is real and authentic, even when that’s not always entirely the case.  Just like any reality show, things are dramatized and situations are manipulated for added drama.  Still, even knowing this, it’s hard to stay away.  I can attest that Scott Baio’s show is particularly addictive.  I doubt his conceit is entirely manufactured.

It was only a matter of time, folks. It would appear that Lorenzo Borghese and Jennifer Wilson are kaput. First we had those rumors surface about Jennifer Wilson being seen with another man back in December. The Prince has reportedly been dating Sadie Murray, the 23-year-old publicist he rejected on the season finale of “The Bachelor”. There are even reports that Sadie is moving to New York City, where Lorenzo lives, to pursue her career and be closer to her guy. Interesting, since if you’ll recall, school teacher Jennifer Wilson decided not to move to NYC and instead chose to stay in Miami to finish out the school year.

Definitely can’t say I’m surprised on this one. For one thing, it wasn’t a cut and dry decision for the prince at “The Bachelor” season finale since he had a hard time choosing between the two ladies. For another, this is “The Bachelor” we’re talking about. Not a great track record there!

The Bachelor, Prince Lorenzo Borghese, Jennifer Wilson, Sadie Murray

In case you were wondering, “Survivor” host Jeff Probst and former “Survivor” contestant Julie Berry are still together. In fact, they spent Christmas together in Julie’s hometown of Gorham, Maine, near Portland. The two made national headlines by serving at a soup kitchen in Portland on Christmas Day. They also attracted the attention of shoppers at a Target in South Portland the day after Christmas where they were doing some post-holiday shopping. They were nice enough to stop and talk to fans and pose for pictures.

And, if you were curious, the news about “Survivor: Fiji” is that it is set to air in February, though no exact date has been announced and CBS has yet to post a website for the show. My guess is we won’t see it until the end of the month. Good to hear that Jeff and Julie are still a happy couple, don’t you think?

I’ve been out of the loop for a while now and I apologize to all you reality tv fans out there. I had a very, very sick baby on my hands and (perhaps foolishly) we went out of town for the holidays as well. But I’m back home and the baby is on the mend, so it’s time to get back to the news!

• I’m sure you’ve all heard (if you’re not currently residing under a rock) about the mega-feud between Rosie O’Donnell and Donald Trump (creator and head honcho type over at “The Apprentice”). The battle, which originated when Donald granted a pardon to disgraced the Miss USA, has heated back up again after a cool holiday truce between the two personalities. I rather liken it to watching six-year olds fight on the playground. Regardless, it brings good press to “The Apprentice 6″ and the new season airing in January.
• Jenna Fisher of NBC’s “The Office” reportedly wanted to be on the first season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” but was turned down by the show’s producers! At the time, she wasn’t sure that “The Office” gig would last and wanted perhaps another shot at fame. Maybe she’ll get another shot at it in the future? That is, if she’s interested since “The Office” has gained such popularity and probably keeps the young actress pretty busy these days. At any rate, it’s yet another celeb who has wanted to be on that show.
• “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood is dating Dallas Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo. This quashes the rumors that Romo was seeing “Newlyweds” star Jessica Simpson. The two were spotted together on the field at Texas Stadium before the game on Christmas Day. The sports commentators even speculated that perhaps she was too big a distraction for Romo and what is why the Cowboys lost the game to the Philadelphia Eagles.

That should cover the highlights and hopefully sate your reality tv news-lust for the time being. I’m sorry for being gone and a Merry Belated Christmas to you all. Have a great New Years weekend!

Remember yesterday when I reported that Sarah Furguson was going to be a contestant for “Dancing with the Stars”, but that I wasn’t sure about the veracity of the newsbite? Apparently, I had good reason to doubt. A representative for the show told MSNBC that they won’t confirm or deny reports that the Duchess of York is cast for the next season to air in March, but that the quote being attributed to show’s producer Conrad Green was “completely fabricated”. Yikes! Well I don’t know what the real story is here. I’m thinking that until I hear some sort of official word from NBC about the show and the casting, I’m going to assume that everything is up in the air.

The finale of “The Bachelor: Rome” aired only a week ago and the couple has only just announced that they intend to take their new relationship slowly. Which is why it might be a little surprising that Prince Lorenzo Borghese’s choice, Jennifer Wilson, has already been spotted with another man.

During the filming of the show, Wilson and Borghese talked at length about her moving to NYC to be closer to her squeeze. Then, it was revealed last week that they would rather have a long distance relationship between NYC and Miami where Wilson is a schoolteacher. Which made sense, since as a teacher, it would be better for her to finish out the school year with her students. But now, it looks as if maybe there was another reason to put off the pairing.

According to the National Enquirer (cue taking with grain of salt), Wilson has been spotted “making out” with fellow teacher Dan Herrero. Herrero denied the claim when reached by the Enquirer, however, a couple days later a photographer from the tabloid photographed the pair “frolicking on a beach together.”

You’ll have to pardon me if I’m not THAT surprised. These “Bachelor” pairings seem to have a pretty poor track record anyhow (the only couple who has not only made it to matrimony but is still together to this day is Trista and Ryan from “The Bachelorette”). I guess this is why I’m puzzled that the show is even still being produced. But maybe people know this is a train wreck in progress and that’s why it still has a loyal following.

Not that long after we first became aware of their relationship, “Amazing Race 4″ winner Reichen Lehmkuhl and pop-artist Lance Bass have ended it. Perhaps it was the pressure of the public scrutiny? I know its not easy to be in a committed relationship in the fishbowl that is Hollywood. Of course, the death threats that they were getting couldn’t have helped either.

Either way, it’s truly a pity. I don’t like to see any relationship end and this has got to be rough for the couple. It seems to be getting harder and harder to have a lasting relationship in the public eye. Also, I may be a little late to the party, but what happened to Chip??

According to the UPI News Service, season 3 “Dancing with the Stars” competitor and pop artist Willa Ford has gotten engaged to National Hockey League star Mike Modano of the Dallas Stars. The announcement came as she attended the Arby’s Action Sports Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday. According to an interview with People Magazine in November, Ford has been dating Modano off and on for about four and a half years (this was said in response to rumors that she was dating her “Dancing with the Stars” partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

The plan is for the couple to marry after the end of the hockey season. Best of luck, Willa! Let’s hope marriage treats you better than your stint with reality television did!