reality roundup

Let me just preface this whole thing by saying, yes, all these reality shows are crap and I don't care. I don't get out much and there's not much else to watch these days (especially in the summer). I'm a reality junkie. I admit it.

So Hell's Kitchen finally ended this week, and all I can really say is....meh. I think I stopped paying full attention to this show at least 4-5 weeks ago (probably when Top Chef started), and I'll confess that I only half-watched Monday's finale while I did about three other things. All the chef-testants this year were pretty weak (don't even get me started on Aaron), and I think T was the one who declared somewhere around Week 3 that, clearly Rock was the only one worth a damn and if he didn't win, then the whole show is fixed.

I do think it was kind of crap that Bonnie made it to the final two. If I had to watch that chick whine and cry one more time....ugh. This may sound mean, but the first time they mentioned that she was a "nanny/personal chef," I thought to myself, oh, so she's a babysitter who occasionally heats up some Chef Boyardee. How the heck did she get on this show?! I'm beginning to think that Gordon Ramsay has a soft spot for cute girls, especially if they've got a nice rack (*ahem* Virginia). But really, could that ending have been more anti-climactic? They did their best to play up the drama, like oooh, Rock's service was such a disaster, but I think it was fairly obvious from the start that Bonnie had no chance.

Preceding the HK finale, was the annoyingly long and drawn out results show for So You Think You Can Dance. Do results shows really need to be an hour long? Really? I understand the show makes money and there's a certain need for filler, but I'm getting really fed up with all the manufactured drama. I'm not going to say too much else about this show, since, obviously, it's been several days now and I'd rather talk about the finale. But I will say that it's about freaking time they got rid of Lauren. She waaaayyyy overstayed her welcome. And she didn't seem to be a very gracious loser either. I was sad to see Pasha go since he had some great performances last week, although really, I think that Neil and Danny were more deserving of being in the final four.


The finale for SYTYCD was on tonight, and again, I was kind of underwhelmed. It always baffles me when the dancers get criticized for how blah the routine was when the problem is obviously the lame choreography, in which they have no say. It's the same with criticizing their outfits. They're not the costume designers, leave them alone!

I was really expecting a lot more from the finale and instead, got a lame hip hop routine and an inexplicable dance about baby foxes? I didn't get that one at all. As soon as they showed the choreographer creeping around his studio with a scarf in his mouth, I knew we were in trouble. Also, I know the judges raved over it, but I was really disappointed by the Lindy routine. I love the Lindy Hop, and was expecting something much more spectacular. It seemed really stiff and choppy to me, especially all the lifts and twirls. Lacey looked like she tensed up going into each flip. And I really wish they would just retire the Broadway category. I don't understand why they're going to the trouble to come up with new routines for songs from from popular Broadway musicals that are famous for having their own style of choreography. It just sets them up for a bad comparison. I did kind of enjoy the boys' dance though. It was different, and not just in a weird for weird's sake way. Lacey and Danny's waltz was also very lovely.

In any case, going into tonight's show, I was fairly convinced that either Sabra or Lacey was going to take the crown, but after the way the came down on Sabra, I'm not so sure. Danny came on pretty strong, and his solo was amazing just in terms of sheer athletic ability. According to my sister-in-law, who is a hard-core fan, Danny was really unpopular with the fans early on, so I was a little surprised to see him in the final four, but now I think he might have a shot at taking it. Otherwise, I think it's going to be Lacey. I'm sure there'll be plenty more lame, weird and annoying dances in tomorrow's results finale. I am sincerely hoping that Cat Deely was joking about dancing with Nigel. Was there really some sort of groundswell demand for that? Bleh.