Top Ten of 2008 - Reality Shows

#1 - So you think you can Dance Canada?

took the success of the American version and made it even better by giving a more positive vibe to the show. The Canadian version was more interested in showing the great dancers (as opposed to the bad) during the audition process, and throughout the entire competition the critiques were given as a means to improve and not to belittle the participants. The quality of dance found here in the Great White North stunned Judges Mary Murphy, Mia Michaels and Dan Karaty from the American version, and the homegrown and guest choreographers pulled some great numbers out of our contestants. Sure, it probably helped that most of the male dancers were from the Montréal area, but you could not deny the level of talent on the stage and happily, the show was a huge success. I can hardly wait for the next season, and for the chance to see the Top Ten dancers during their tour this February.

#2 - So you think you can Dance? had another amazing season and like last season it was the best dance competition on the air. Mary Murphy has gone up a few notches with her hilarious and ear shattering judging and then having the guts to show that she really does know her stuff by performing in the finale. Overall, the Judges become a more important part of the process and showed their merit, and proved that they could back up what they were critiquing. The season has some surprises with unexpected departures and some great choreography and was always a joy to watch. Mia Michaels and Wade Robson put together more powerful and heart wrenching choreography's and it was a great to see more world dance and other new and exciting choreographers. This show has really helped bring dance back to television.

#3 - Dancing with the Stars - has managed to keep me and the viewing public hooked on it's unique format and mix of celebrities and professional dancers. After several seasons, I am getting used to seeing some of the pros that I look forward as much to seeing how they will do as some of the celebrities. Cloris Leachman was the funniest thing ever to hit the stage (and she did a great job for her age) so far and I was in awe of Lance and Brooke who really turned the competition up a few notches this round. The show is fun and light, and is just pure entertainment instead of being some trashy reality show. Tom Bergeron deserves an Emmy for his hosting duties, he has a vicious quick wit and has had some snappy comebacks over the past season.

#4 - The Amazing Race - is still as amazing as the first season, and the reason this show keeps winning the Emmy each year for best reality show, it's because it is just that. Every season we get incredible scenery and a fascinating trip around the world that is different each time and the dynamics with the teams are never the same. I always have favorites, love cheering for the underdogs and seeing the different customs and cultures around the globe. My only hope is that eventually the show will be broadcast in HD, but imagine that the logistical nightmares that they already have on this show might be further complicated with bigger and heavier equipment. I have managed to see Phil in a few other things than the Race (his interview on the Bonnie Hunt show was hilarious) and it's always an entertaining watch, and the longer I watch the show the more nuances I can see with Phil and his interactions with the participants at the end of each leg. I can hardly wait for the beginning of the next round!

#5 - Survivor - Started it all and is still a force to be reckoned with after the past year and some outstanding play by some of the competitors. I have loved the social interaction between the various players, everything from friendships, crushes, bromances and the major blow outs and blow ups that have happened. The past year had more deception and sneaky play than previous years and I am applauding the ingenuity of some of the players, while so shocked that some of them still apply for this show with knowing basic skills such as fire making and other survival skills. The challenges have been interesting and my only complaint was that Sugar didn't get the credit she deserved for the last round in Gabon.

#6 - The Soup - is still must see TV and my week is not complete with out it. It may not be a typical reality show, but most of it's content is derived from the genre and it is simply too funny and too bitchy to miss. Joel McHale is a very funny guy and his team has helped me discover many a hidden gem over the past year such as Outsiders' Inn and Blush: The search for the next great makeup artist. The Soup is my favorite way to finish up things and start the weekend, and is always a huge laugh.

#7 - Tabatha's Salon Takeover - Tabatha was a huge draw when she was on the first season of Shear Genius, and although she didn't win the competition, she attracted enough attention to get her own show on Bravo. Tabatha has a no holds barred approach to things and is so blunt and direct to the point that it can make your head spin at times. Her most endearing quality has to be her " Don't even think about fucking around with me" attitude and I think my favorite moment of the first season was when she told the staff that they " looked like a bunch of fucking hillbillies". She knows her stuff (and to see her in action is astounding) and I am looking forward to seeing her back next season.

#8 - Make me a SuperModel had a great first season and it was all due to the bromance between Ronnie and Ben. The competition was interesting enough (the hosting was not so hot) and I liked how it was passing in real time instead of being filmed months in advance. The winner of the first season, Holly, was one of my favorites from the beginning and I loved her whole hillbilly sensibility about the whole thing. The photo challenges were great and it was a trip to see all the different locales and equipment for the shoots. Final result, good show with lots of beautiful people and some astounding photos.

#9 - The Cho Show - Margaret Cho dethroned Kathy Griffin as my favorite Gay Icon with her no holds barred show this year, and using topics such as aging in Hollywood and going as far as doing an episode about a Haunted Vagina. The show was more real in the sense that it felt less scripted, and her gay posse was very cute and endearing (as well as drop dead funny). All I can do is hope for more as this season was too short and I must have more.

#10 - Outsiders' Inn - The premise was so ridiculous and the choice of stars so mismatched that it had to be a hit. The idea that Bobby Brown, Carnie Wilson and Maureen McCormick are all friends and running this Inn together in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee was just so impossible and improbable that it had Guilty Pleasure written all over it before it even aired. The writing is terrible but the characters and situations are so endearing (and insane) that it is too much fun to miss. Some things will never replace Whitney crying Bobbbbayyyyyy but this was a good substitute, and opened my eyes to CMT and other hits such as Redneck Wedding. It's hard to fathom some of these bizarre shows but they are a fascinating look at an American sub culture. It can't be wackier than some of those Japanese shows.

Almost made the List: Sheer Genius, American Gladiators, Top Design, Reality Bites Back, America's Best Dance Crew, Blush: The search for the next great makeup artist, How do you solve a problem like Maria?, Wipeout

Fallen From Grace: The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, Kathy Griffin - My Life on the D List, Project Runway, Flipping Out

Biggest Flop: Stylista, Paris Hilton's My BFF, Rachel Zoe Project, Last Comic Standing, Next Food Network Star, HGTV Design Star, The Mole

Weekend Rant - Endings & Beginnings

What a week.... not only did we start getting towards the end of Girlicious (and what a bitchfest that " Road so far" episode was..) but we got the awesome finale of " Make Me a SuperModel" and the first episode of the final season of Battlestar Galactica........ all that and the season finale of Torchwood and the brand new season of Doctor Who.

Honestly my head is spinning with all the starting and stopping, but here is a quick rant on my TV viewing.

Girlicious is the delicious train wreck that I expect it to be. The "girls" (all different versions it appears) are so catty and difficult with each other that you can hardly see 3 of them working together, let alone forming the "Next great girl group". Yeah right... This show is such a joke... and fills that void missing by shows like JDMA or any other bitchy dribble. I will be along for the ride, always hoping that bitchy Natalie doesn't go all the way..

Make me a SuperModel finished things in fine fashion with Holly taking home the big prize (and well deserved) while my favorite Ronnie came in second, followed by his bro-mance (Ben) and the ever bland Perry. Holly is the finest Hillbilly model since Elly May Clampett and made the season half the success it was. I loved all the "surprises" in the finale (Holly's fiance is hot..) but could have done with out the manufactured drama they call Perry. Puhleese...

Checked out " Step it up & Dance" and will give it another shot before dropping it.. am not sure if the show fills me "Dance" needs (Dancing with the Stars & Do You think You can Dance usually do that) but it did have some interesting moments in it's first look.

Concerning Survivor: Micronesia: DO NOT F**K with Ozzy. I was upset the Amy got the boot after butting heads with superstar man. The game is getting meaner but I still want Ozzy to win.

Battlestar Galactica started off the season strong with continuing the storyline from over a year ago (time flies..) and the discovery that " “There are twelve Cylon models. Seven are Known. Four are Hidden. One Remains” and that things are as fracking complicated and interesting as before.

The return of Starbuck and the strife that the situation creates, the struggle with some of the crew learning that they are Cylon, the new status of Baltar amongst some of the crew.... the situations and characterizations are dead on as usual. I loved the scene with our Four chatting together (and some of the weird flashes, it kind of reminded me of Lost at times) and the big fight scene with Anders getting scanned and then the Cylons retreating. This is not simple Sci Fi, it's complex pathos and humanity and inhumanity all woven into one complicated Gordian knot.

And like that famous knot, this one has is coming to it's inevitable conclusion at the end of the series and this part of the story. ( which probably means that it will finish with them discovering Earth.)

I am still along for the ride.. and yet still dreading "The End" as in some ways I don't want the stories to end and I want to see more of the characters, but then again there might be some kind of continuation in the adaptation to life in our universe after this series. I do know that I will be enjoying the series as long as it continues.

Make Me a SuperModel - Final Four

Make Me a SuperModel has been the latest "Guilty Pleasure" that I have been watching (as usual on Bravo, probably the gayest TV station in the universe), and been enjoying the competition, the beautiful people and the amazing photo shoots that they have been doing each week. After a couple of months of competition (in real time no less) we are finally down to the Final Four and after this week's Reunion Episode, we will know who wins come next Thursday.

Ben has improved greatly since day 1, and from his last photo you would never know he was small town middle America, your kind of "good old boy"... he has been getting some good looks off in the past few rounds and is rocking that body.... but we all know that he was kept around due to his "awkward sexual tension" and "bromance" with fellow contestant (and roomie) Ronnie. The crush that Ronnie has on Ben and the way they support each other has been really cute and kept both of them in the game. This is Bravo after all ..... and you know that the viewing public is made up of lots of gay men and single women.

Ronnie has been my favorite contestant in the competition since day 1. Besides being beautiful, openly gay and very smart (in that sexy kind of way), he has the most haunting eyes that jump out in his photos, and he has pulled off some very incredible photos during the competition. Ronnie works hard, is rumored to be the best kisser of all the guys and is liked pretty much by everyone. His infatuation with Ben was adorable .... and played up quite a bit in the show. Not much of a surprise since we all know Bravo's target audience.

It was great to finally see a very positive gay role model in the fashion industry that wasn't all drama (like our friends at the Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency) or stupid as a post (like the gang at America's Most Smartest Model).

All of the competitors who went all the way will have some dynamite photos in their portfolios after having the chance to work with some of the biggest names in photography.

Holly is the last girl standing... which again isn't that big of a surprise considering our viewing public once again... of course most of the girls were eliminated in the beginning to keep the guys around (and at one point there were 2 girls left and almost all of the guys). Although you can't tell by this photo, she usually has this great pixie cut or short bob hair style and has taken some great photos over the season.

Holly also has this huge southern drawl and has gone on a rant a couple of times about things like " Squirrel gravy" and freaked the boys out with Turtle soup... she is fricking hilarious and has this great hillbilly side that balances out the tension that seems to go with modeling.Probably one of the greatest things about her is her whole body image concept and the fact that she is not a "twiggy" model, and couldn't care less. She knows that kind of pressure will always be around and she couldn't give a crap and that makes her a huge winner in my books. I think she has a pretty good chance of winning (if Ronnie doesn't) and I hope she realizes that just by being the last girl she has already accomplished quite a bit.

Perry is the last of our Four, and in all honesty I have never found him that interesting. He is a tall, good looking guy, but I find that in the majority of his photos (and catwalks), he is always the same and not really my kind of guy. His final photo shoot pulled him out of his box (quite a bit) and he got an interesting photo off, but he still doesn't do it for me.

There was a ton of manufactured drama with him and his (ex)girlfriend and some crap about Britney Spears and the National Enquirer and I really couldn't care. All of that is so last week and it really doesn't mean anything.

Perry is the favorite of one of the judges, Tyson (yes the Tyson .... and that seems slightly inappropriate in that "Paula Abdul judging and boinking the boys on American Idol " kind of way. I really hope that it isn't him that wins as he has been that interesting or remarkable... yet he is still around and the majority of the other models don't even really like him.
Hopefully that is how it ends... we'll see on Thursday!