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Posts tagged ‘reality tv’

Dec 8

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Real World: San Diego Episode 10 Recap

Read the full saga here.

MTV aired a Real World double-header last night- the ONE night in Real World 26 history that I was unable to watch the show live. Go figure. Here’s your episode 10 summary. Episode 11 also aired last night but has not yet been made available online. Check back for a recap!

Episode 10: Camp Out, Drag Out, Sing Out

The gang was everywhere in this episode- the clubs, the house, and the wilderness, even- but no matter where they went, they just couldn’t seem to get along. Frank decides that the time between ab reps at the gym is a good one in which to have a serious conversation with Ashley. She politely steers the conversation away from the truth (“Frank, I hate you”) by talking about how much she liked having his ex-boyf Michael around. Frank is peeved by her fakeness, but perhaps more peeved by her unwillingness to focus on him; “Well, Ashley, what about me?!” he says in the Confessional later. When he returns home from the gym, Frank vents to a mildly interested Nate, caling Ashley is a “white-bread dumb conservative b*tch.” In the same breath, he says they could have a real friendship if she could just be honest with him (which makes sense, right? that’s what I call my friend crushes, too).

As the producers of any family movies know (The Parent Trap, RV, etc), the best cure for family strife is a camping trip!!! It’s also a great excuse to dress in camo (cue the montage of housemates in various stages of war paint, olive green, and undress). The camo-clad army invades a Subway on the way out of town and then hits the road. After setting up camp, the gang takes a sunset “hike” (1.4 miles over flat land…Priscilla wears Uggs), but Zashley speed ahead to share a quiet moment at the lookout before the others arrive. When they also head to bed early and miss family s’more time, Frank becomes angry that their canoodling is interrupting group cohesion.

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Dec 1

Survivor South Pacific Episode 11 Recap

Confused? Check out our previous recaps here.

If you’ll remember, Survivor last week marked the end of the life of the Savaii tribe after both Dawn and Whitney were voted off in a double elimination episode.  This week, we saw a dramatic shift in the social environment of camp as members of the “family of five” (Sophie included) began to turn on one another.

The episode began with yet another 3-way duel to stay on Redemption Island between Ozzy, Dawn, and Whitney.  To no one’s great surprise, Ozzy managed to win again.  Fulfilling every producer’s wildest dreams, Ozzy manages to show off his jungle skills by climbing trees like a boss, spear fishing next to sharks, and generally being pretty awesome.  Maybe he’ll win, that would certainly be exciting.

(Left to right) Master and Grasshopper - ©2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc

On the main island side, social strategy was the name of the game. Having never actually watched Survivor before, I can’t say I feel all that comfortable making strategy criticisms, but it seems as though many of the players in this game have very little ability to look beyond the next elimination.  Cochran continued his somewhat desperate plea to break up ‘the family’ and stay in the game, validating his decision to flip teams back at the merge several episodes before.  While I often criticize Cochran for his lack of forethought, I am actually surprised no one took him up on his offer to take them to the finale.  With the end game looming, all the players are designing a final three that set them up in the best light to win, and honestly, Cochran is a guy you want there with you.

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Dec 1

Real World: San Diego Episode 9 Recap

That dense reading on political philosophy can wait! Read these recaps instead.

Episode 9: All the Wrong Moves

After weeks of weak storylines about geeky high school boyfs and hookups that never happen, the drama finally returned this week, when everyone did exactly what they shouldn’t have (except for the  sensible trio of Alexandra, Priscilla and Sam, of course, who just stayed off-camera). Here’s the relationship 411:

Frank and Michael: the loverboys start the episode with a drunken confrontation. Frank, our favorite cyclone of sexual energy, gave quite the lapdance to a tall redhead in the club while Mike sat alone and watched. Frank gives a tearful apology, but Mike delivers an ultimatum: Frank has to decide whether he’s ready for a committed relationship. It appears that Frank has made up his mind when he hits the club and goes home with a tattooed guy named Todd. Unbeknownst to Frank, Alexandra has helped Mike to plan a surprise visit for the next morning. A mere hour out of bed with someone else, Frank has to put on the loving-boyfriend face. After a pathetic attempt at lying, Frank comes clean. He says he’ll “go crazy” without Mike, but Mike tells him it’s over. The housemates show little sympathy for a cheater, but Frank says he has “no regrets” and that he’s just a “work in progress.” The next morning, after another night with Todd, Frank proclaims he’s “over it” (“it” being that whole “Michael and I are inseparable and perfect and madly in love” thing).

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Nov 17

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Survivor South Pacific: Episode 10 Recap

Check out last week’s recap for a summary of the season and the contestants left in the game:

Hey everyone, I think we can all safely say that Midd alum Sophie Clarke ’11 had a good week on Survivor. Continuing the theme of balance- related challenges and pointless tribal debates, this episode did have its highlights.  Here’s a brief rundown:

The redemption island challenge - Picture courtesy of Monty Brinton/CBS© 2011

Ozzy, Keith, and Jim, the three who remained on Redemption Island last week, fought in a challenge to remain in contention to rejoin the tribe at some point down the line. Predictably, Ozzy won the challenge, continuing his gladiator-themed storyline of the season.  With these two eliminations, however, came the first two members of the Jury, the group that decides the winner from the final three in the live season finale.  Ozzy returned to his ‘paradise’ on Redemption Island where he continued his solitary life, spearfishing with the fancy snorkle equipment he clearly fashioned out of palm leaves and sticks.

Back on the mainland, the tribe had another balance-inspired immunity challenge where contestants had to walk across a series of teeter-totters with bowls of rice on their heads.  The first to fill up their bowl and outweigh the counter-weight won the challenge.  In a tight race between two others, Sophie won the challenge! Yay! Immunity for Sophie!

After the jump… tribal debates and a TWIST!

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Nov 17

Real World: San Diego Episode 8 Recap

7 hours’ worth of recaps here.

Episode 8: Stolen Show, Stolen Hearts, Stolen Motorcycles

For the third week in a row, things at the Real World house have been pretty tame. Now that the gang appears tired of the club scene and sick of bickering over sexual identity, there have been considerably fewer instances of property damage, regrettable sexual encounters, and tirades peppered with censored expletives. I want a show that glues me to the couch and makes me hold my pee for an hour! I want to kick myself during commercial breaks for not owning TiVo! Is that too much to ask?!

PrisDylla have "friend time"

Here’s a brief rundown of the (in)action:

Dylan Redhead, Priscilla’s ex-boyf/”friend” that snuggles with her with his tongue in her mouth (that’s what friends are for, right?), returns again on his green motorbicycle. He pays for breakfast, does 2 months’ worth of Priscilla’s laundry, and bakes brownies for the housemates. Predictable jokes about testosterone ensue. The gang decides to play a practical joke on Cilla’s doting “friend,” so they hide his motorbike. DylPickle freaks out, flags down a cop, and begins to file a missing vehicle report. The best cameo (and best poker face) of the night goes to the housemates’ middle-aged neighbor, who convinces Dylan that he took the bike and sold it. The truth is revealed and everyone, even Dylan, has a laugh. At the end of the ep, Dylan heads back to school so the underage lovebirds have to say goodbye.  Priscilla sheds some tears, but her mom visits (the cool one who went shot-for-shot with the gang at their July 4th bash) and advises her not to get tied up in a messy, long-distance relationship.

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