June 2007 News Archive

CBS has revealed the identities of the 14 houseguests who will be competing in Big Brother 8 and announced a new interactive twist that will give viewers the chance to control the actions of one of the long-running reality show's eighth-season houseguests.

During Big Brother 8's premiere broadcast next, some of the initial houseguests will be surprised to learn that - similar to Big Brother 4's "X Factor" twist - a "rival, enemy, or someone with whom they have unfinished business" will also be entering the Big Brother house the eighth-season contestants will call home all summer.

And if the added pressure of being reintroduced to someone CBS says they "hoped never to see again or someone with whom there is an extreme amount of tension" isn't enough for the houseguests, they'll also have to deal with a new interactive element that will allow Big Brother's home viewing audience to dish out orders like they're the game's Head of Household.

According to CBS, one of the 14 houseguests has been chosen as "America's Player," and beginning with the show's second broadcast on Sunday, July 8, each Big Brother 8 episode will end with the home viewing audience being asked to vote via text messaging or the Internet on an assignment that the as-of-yet still-unidentified "America's Player" houseguest will have to complete.

The task could range from flirting with or voting out one of the other guests. Regardless, "America's Player" must work in secret and at least make an attempt at completing the task asked of them. If the houseguest can successfully complete the task, he'll be monetarily rewarded.

In addition to its usual thrice-weekly broadcasting schedule, this season's Big Brother 8 will also feature a new previously announced live feed that will air nightly on CBS' Showtime Too cable network. Titled Big Brother: After Dark, the spinoff will air nightly from 12AM to 3AM ET and feature footage from the same live camera feeds that are made available to subscribers of the show's 24/7 live Internet feeds.

Big Brother's eighth-season cast consists of seven men and seven women ranging in age from 20- to 44-years-old, with eight of them 26-years-old or younger. In addition, four of the eighth-season houseguests call California home; six hail from the West Coast; and only one of the 14 is married.

Big Brother 8's inclusion of a 20-year-old houseguest marks only the second time in eight seasons that, given alcohol is frequently made available to the show's houseguests, an American Big Brother edition has included a contestant younger than the country's legal drinking age.

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Last night on So You Think You Can Dance, Jessi was sick, leaving Pasha Kovalev (pictured) to dance with a stand-in. Jaimie and Hok dazzled as usual, and guest judge Debbie Allen was easy to please.

B-Boy Dominic was one we thought might get the boot a week ago, but a beautiful rumba with Sabra proved us wrong. Their partnership really works.

Meanwhile, Mia cleverly tucked Cedric away in a corner, literally, during a part of the contemporary routine, while Shauna showed off some skills!

Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe clearly noticed, so maybe they'll finally give him the heave-ho if he winds up in the bottom three tonight.

What else happened yesterday night?

Get the full rundown by following the link to our comprehensive recap of So You Think You Can Dance ...

Are Wednesdays currently the best night of the week for reality TV? We think so.

You've got a cooking show that actually doesn't focus on just one mean cook yelling a lot (yes, we're looking at you and shaking our head, Gordon Ramsay) in Top Chef.

And then you've got a show that actually makes us laugh... with the contestants, as opposed to at them! Last Comic Standing has always been a favorite of this writer. With that in mind, check out the latest episode guide now to see what Alonzo Bodden and company were up to last night.

But don't stop there. Read about the latest sizzle on Top Chef via that show recap, as well.

Did the Big Apple bring out big talent last night?

On the country's top-rated show - yes, you read that correctly - we were impressed by some contestants and grossed out by others. Sometimes, both at once.

To see what sort of acts made it through, and which were dissed and dismissed by the judges, read through our America's Got Talent episode guide now.

Reality TV World recently sat down with Rob Mariano to discuss his upcoming show, Tontine. Here are a few highlights from the interview...

Reality TV World: Hi Rob, good to talk to you again, so where are you calling from today? Are you living back in Pensacola again?
Rob: I'm actually in Florida today. I was in Pittsburgh three days ago [and] Vegas last week. And I'll be in Dallas on Wednesday. (laughing) We're still kind of running around quite a bit... but I am actually in Florida [today].

Reality TV World: You've already pretty much been teasing this new show since the moment Amber and yourself were eliminated from The Amazing Race: All-Stars back in March, so why are you still being so mysterious about who is producing the show and what network it's going to air on?
Rob: The people that are producing it just asked me not to release it yet. As far as the network goes, I actually don't know why they asked me to, but I imagine it's because of... you know how it is with the competition with these shows these days -- one network will take another network's idea and if they can produce it in a shorter amount of time, next thing you know they have it on the air before the original network.

What I can tell you is that the people that are producing are by far and away the best in the business as far as producers go. And the network is indeed a major network. It's not a cable network, it's one of the major networks. I'm just respecting their wishes. They asked to remain anonymous up until this point.

Reality TV World: Are you part of the show's producing team?
Rob: I am not one of the producers. I was [just] hired to be the host of the show.

Reality TV World: Are there signed deals in place or you still negotiating with the network and producers?
Rob: It's signed and done. It's a done deal. It will be on the air in April. It is indeed a signed deal. They're starting casting for it next week, June 30 [and] they're going to cast until the end of August. We're going to - I believe - eight cities. We're starting in Dallas, then going to Nashville; New York City; Boston; Minneapolis; St. Louis; Los Angeles; and San Diego. And then it will go to production the early part of September [with] post-production [to follow] after [that]. [The actual filming] will last 100 days, so September, October, November, [and] part of December. It will be on the air in the spring.

Reality TV World: When do you expect to announce the show's production team and broadcast network?
Rob: It's not really up to me... (laughing) you know what I mean? It's my job, I [just] work for them so whatever they want, that's what I'll do. I imagine they're probably doing this just to be secretive about the locations and everything because you know how all of these shows get spoiled these days. [But] that's just my imagination talking there.

Reality TV World: Ten Million dollars is a lot of money and far more than any other reality show has ever offered... how will it be paid to the winner - is it a real $10 million lump sum or is it something like the lottery-like "over 40 years" annuity payment schedule that NBC's For Love or Money used for its prizes?
Rob: I don't know for sure, but I do know that one person is going to win the entire $10 million. There's not going to be any money for second place, it's winner take all. One person will win $10 million. It's not like one of these things where you have the opportunity, like "you can win $10 million" -- someone is going to win $10 million, there's no catch there. It really is the biggest prize ever offered in television history... the day of the $1 million prize is over after this thing comes up!

Reality TV World: So it's a legit $10 million? There are no catches, you don't have to wait 40 years to collect it? It's not like Fox's Unan1mous, which started with a $1.5 million prize but featured a constant prize countdown that ended up resulting in the winner eventually receiving less than $400,000?
Rob: Again, I'll tell you, it's a major network doing the show. It's a very [reputable] production company. Somebody's going to win $10 million.

Reality TV World: No catches?
Rob: No catches.

Click here to continue reading this interview.

Season four Dancing with the Stars champ Apolo Ohno will join the live summer tour generated by the hit ABC show.

"After the show I started training again for the Olympics but realized quickly that I couldn't go on without at least one more week of Samba," Ohno said in a statement that People magazine reported.

The two-time Olympic speed-skating gold medalist, along with partner Julianne Hough won the competition on Dancing in May, when he declared, "I feel amazing."

His appearances on the tour will only be in five select cities, starting in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday. He'll also show up in Hershey, Pa., on July 2; Bridgeport, Conn., on July 3; Wilkes Barre, Pa., on July 5 and Atlantic City, NJ, on July 6. 6th.

Dancing contestant (and Cheers veteran) John Ratzenberger will also make a guest appearance in his hometown of Bridgeport.

Other stars who are currently on the Dancing tour include, Joey McIntyre, Joey Lawrence, Drew Lachey and Joey Fatone, who has signed on to host a karaoke-themed game show on NBC, which starts July 9.

He's coming back to reality TV, folks.

Joey Fatone will host NBC's ultimate sing-along variety game show The Singing Bee, which is set to premiere on Tuesday, July 10 (9:30-10 p.m. ET) following the 90-minute "Las Vegas Callbacks" episode of summer's top show, America's Got Talent (8-9:30 p.m. ET).

The announcement was made by Craig Plestis, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, Development and Specials, NBC Entertainment.

"This fun-filled family show is going to have viewers singing along with their TV sets," said Plestis. "Coupled with America's Got Talent, we've got two great hours of TV that America can fall in love with every Tuesday night."

Reality TV Magazine reported that Plestis said the following regarding Fatone: "We are also thrilled to have Joey on board to host. He brings an added burst of energy and a legion of fans with his musical talent and infectious personality."

In The Singing Bee, contestants will be challenged to accurately sing the lyrics to the most popular songs of all-time in a variety of karaoke-style competitions. Each episode will begin with an audience-wide sing-along where eight contestants will be chosen to compete in a series of fun-filled singing games.

In such a singing showdown, there's no middle ground for partially correct answers; contestants must be perfect or they're out of the game. Family-friendly and conducive to playing (and singing) along at home, The Singing Bee aims to inspire hilarious wrong answers and amazing performances by those rare contestants who somehow manage to get every word right.

Andria Herd - the Survivor: Fiji runner-up who infamously reneged on an immunity deal during the show - has been slapped with a lawsuit by a woman who claims he's run out on his obligation to take care of their baby.

Herd was sued nine days after last month's Survivor finale by Amanda S. Young, who says in court papers that her seven-month-old baby, Luca Finley, was fathered by the man known as "Dreamz," and that he owes her child support, medical expenses and insurance.

TMZ reports that Herd wasn't listed as the father on the birth certificate filed by Young, and no other documents supporting her paternity claims were filed. Herd has another son, a 2-year-old, by another mother.

Dreamz won $100,000 in the contest, as well as a $60,000 truck, but was scorched by fellow players and fans for going back on a planned deal with fellow contestant Yau-Man Chan, who gave Herd the truck when he was promised immunity later. Herd said he wanted to keep his end of the deal to show his son how to be "a man of his word."

CBS still hasn't revealed the details of this summer's new Big Brother twists. But executive producer Alison Grodner predicts at least one of the eighth-season changes will become an instant favorite with the long-running summer reality show's viewers.

"This year, there will be something die-hard fans will love," Grodner teased to Daily Variety - and Reality TV World relayed - about a new still-undisclosed play-along-at-home component that will be part of Big Brother 8. "It will give them the opportunity to participate even more than they have in the past."

Big Brother 8 will premiere on Thursday, July 5 at 8PM ET/PT. After its debut, the show will air on Sundays and Thursdays at 8PM ET/PT and Tuesdays at 9PM ET/PT.

In addition to its thrice-weekly CBS broadcasts, Big Brother 8's broadcast run will also include Big Brother: After Dark, a new 12AM to 3AM ET spinoff that will air nightly on Showtime Too. Big Brother: After Dark will feature footage from the same live camera feeds that are made available to subscribers of the show's 24/7 live Internet feeds.

"The show has always been kind of ubiquitous, even before it became cool to do that," CBS reality programming and new media head Ghen Maynard said. "This year, there are going to be some new things that make the show even more ubiquitous and interactive."

In addition to its After Dark spinoff and the live, streaming Internet feeds that the show has featured since its initial Summer 2000 season, CBS is also planning to give Big Brother fans the opportunity to monitor and influence activity in the Los Angeles-area house via text messaging.

Similar to soaking in some sun at the beach or playing a game of wiffle ball in the backyard, Grodner believes that, after seven years, the long-running CBS reality series has become a staple of summer.

"It's not just about sitting down and watching television," Grodner told Variety. "We're a summer event that's always with you. I don't think any other show has that sort of reach."

Jenn Grijalva was known as the hardcore partying rock star on The Real World: Denver.

Now that the show has aird, MTV Reality News sat down with Grijalva. Here are highlights from the interview:

 MTV Reality World: How did you end up on The Real World? Had you always wanted to be on the show?
Jenn: Well, when I was 18 and close to graduating from high school, I applied for The Real World. But I wasn't ready for the process. I was trying to typecast myself and wasn't honest with the whole process. I made it to the finals, but I was cut. When I was with the Raiders, I was there for four years. After that, I was at a transition. It's hard to find something as appealing and exciting for a regular job. The Real World presented itself again. There was an open casting call at a pub in Berkeley. I went down there and made it 5 minutes before they closed. I just went in there and from that point on, it was interview after interview. There was lots of self-examination. They were asking a bunch of questions that I never would have thought about. It wasn't my lifelong goal to be on TV or be an actress. I just didn't know what to do next.

MTV Reality World: Do you feel that you were accurately portrayed on The Real World?
Jenn: I think reality TV can portray you how they want you to be portrayed. And ideally, everyone wants to be portrayed a certain way. But I do think I was accurately portrayed. I was a single, 22 year-old wild child girl when I was there. I did make bad decisions. I did cry over the wrath I brought upon myself. As far as the show defining me as a person, no â€" that's definitely inaccurate.

It was a very short period of my life. All my roommates had their freshman and sophomore years in college away from their parents and got it out of their systems. For me, I went right into being an NFL cheerleader. I was representing the organization. I wasn't given the opportunity to go out and party and get away with it without a camera. This was kind of like my first time graduating from a scheduled lifestyle. It's out of my system now.

MTV Reality World: Was there anything that you wish MTV had shown that they didn't?
Jenn: Well, the idea of a documentary is to portray the accuracy of your real life. What frustrated me the most is I lost my grandfather during filming. He was only the second. person I lost in my life that I was close to. I left the show for four or five days and went home to comfort my family and to watch my grandfather die from cancer. When I returned, I was a different person. I learned a lot during that time â€" to live life to the fullest. But it was completely wiped out of the show as if it had no importance. They wanted to portray me as a party girl, not show a person losing someone and being really vulnerable. That wasn't fair. They also didn't show that I got my first tattoo when I got back to Denver. It's the nickname that my grandfather gave me.

It was a big step. I took the plunge and they even taped it. I shared my story and opened up and I'm frustrated that they threw it away with the extra tape. I wish they had shown it. It was important and very personal. I went through several interviews about my family and my grandfather and they wiped it out. It didn't fit in my character's role. I was the tough girl who spoke her mind and to show me in a vulnerable state didn't fit. They also cut out when I stopped drinking. At one point they offered me AA classes and I said I'd cool it myself. I stopped partying, lost a relative and they cut out my turnaround. I ended it as a party girl

MTV Reality World: Is there anything that you wish they had not shown?
Jenn: There's a ton of stuff. No one wants to have themselves on TV having sex. But I went into the experience doing it the way you're supposed to do it: be honest with yourself. Be honest with the cameras. It's a documentary on my life - of the things I did. I could probably in a few years say maybe I shouldn't have done this or that. But there's nothing I could pick through that I wish they hadn't shown.

There were bad decisions, tears arguments, foolish moments that I think people can relate to. I put myself out there completely. I think that sets me apart. A lot of my castmembers don't talk about having sex. They said that they had just been "making out." I pride myself that I didn't do that. Watching it myself has taught me a lot. It's kinda nice to get the reality thrown in your face and learn from it.

MTV Reality World: How close are you to your former roommates?
Jenn: I'm really close to Brooke and Davis. I talk to them the most. Tyrie and I are good friends too. Colie and I don't talk often. I don't talk to Alex or Stephen. My socializing friends that I text and talk to are Davis and Brooke. Tyrie and I are pretty close, too.