The Most Memorable Moments in Reality TV 2006
It’s been a great year for reality TV. We’ve seen some pretty wonderful endings to some great shows and some disgusting endings to what could have been some good shows. I decided to write a post about my picks for the most memorable reality TV moments of 2006. After all, this week is a slow news week for Reality TV, so I’ll share my thoughts and hope that you’ll comment with yours.
First, I have to say that in my opinion, the idea of separating the tribes by ethnicity on Survivor: Cook Islands had to be the most disgusting idea ever. Thank goodness they “integrated” the tribes very early in the game, but it just didn’t set well for me at all.
Also, on Survivor: Cook Islands, it was great to see the final two (sorry Becky, it really was only two…) be two men who both deserved to win because of their flawless play of the game. It’s just a bit of a shame both Yul & Ozzy couldn’t have won. They both really deserved it, for different reasons.
Going back to Season 1 of Top Chef, I still love the quote from Dave, “I’m not your bitch, Bitch.” Who could top that?
And on Season 2 of Top Chef, my pick for favorite guest judge is no surprise. I’m a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain and he brought his usual wit and sarcasm to the Thanksgiving show. I say, bring him back as a permanent judge!
Season 2 of Hell’s Kitchen gave us a few unforgettable moments too. There was Tom sweating, with drops of perspiration dripping off the end of his nose into the food he was cooking…YUCK!! Then, there was Heather who ultimately won the season seriously cutting her finger and while she was getting first aid for it, she was shouting instructions to her teammates to continue cooking her station’s food. It became pretty clear in that moment that she could win it.
On a lesser known show on the Sci Fi Channel, SciFi Investigates, the team was investigating the existence of Bigfoot. The show’s resident skeptic, Rob Mariano, formerly of The Amazing Race and Survivor, decided to prove that the videos of “Bigfoot” could easily have been faked. He got all dressed up to look like Bigfoot and they were filming him coming down a hill when he tripped and fell and rolled all the way to the bottom. Then it happened a second time! I nearly fell off my couch laughing. He finally admitted that it was harder than it looked. I’m cracking up just remembering it…
For best dance moment, I have to say that I backed up and re-watched the Benji / Travis geek dance on the season finale of So You Think You Can Dance three times. It was great! I can’t wait for the next season to begin!
On the very first episode of HGTV’s Design Star, one of the designers, Ramona, grabbed an old vacuum cleaner from someone’s trash and painted it for a decoration…needless to say, she was the first to be eliminated. I can’t believe she got on the show to begin with. (And she showed up for the reunion show wearing a superhero costume…)
One of the most exciting reality moments this year had to be night 2 of Most Haunted Live. I won’t even try to explain it in a sentence or two. You simply have to read my post of it.
On a similar note, it was truly disappointing and funny that the Ghost Hunters 6-hour live show on Halloween showed us nothing. I guess you can’t get ghosts to act on cue…
I’m still mourning the departure of Paige Davis from Trading Spaces. Yes, the show is still terrific and the designers are just as quirky and fun, but I do miss Paige’s bubbly personality on the show. In fact, we got a great surprise recently when Trading Spaces got Leslie Segreti, one of the carpenters from While You Were Out, to join their design team. She’s terrific! Who knew she was a double threat?
The All-Star season of Big Brother brought us a few memorable things too. First, Chicken George’s wardrobe. There was just no telling what the man would dress in next. I guess a person can go stir crazy in a house with a bunch of narcissists… Then there was the new element of serving the weekly losing team slop. I don’t know what the slop consisted of, and hope I never have to experience it. And let us not forget my most disappointing reality TV moment: Mike Boogie winning the All-Star season. What a low-life. I wanted Janelle to win it.
On the flip side, one of my favorite moments was watching the Cho brothers give the coal miner & his wife the fast forward on The Amazing Race. Those guys are two of the most kind and ethical guys ever to play the game. I wish they could have won it.
And who could forget the tantrum Vincent threw about the laundry and Keith getting kicked off the show for cheating on Project Runway 3?
Then there was the infamous Monique on Top Model rubbing her underwear on the bedding of the other models. I can’t believe no one intervened…if nothing else, for health reasons.
The most gritty and suspenseful reality moment of the year for me had to be Anthony Bourdain in Beirut. It started as the first day of filming for his series No Reservations and he was exploring the cuisine and night life of Beirut when the bombing started. He and the crew then had to be hidden away in a hotel on the outskirts of town, waiting to be rescued by the military. For once, Tony wasn’t so lighthearted, it was a very serious situation.
On the FOX Reality Channel’s show Solitary, the stunt man freaked out at the end of one of the “treatments” and started arguing with the computerized voice “Val.” The guy just lost it and became totally incoherent after days of sleeplessness and strange “treatments.” What a great show! I really hope they do a second season….
On Rock Star: Supernova Delana & Cory both wanted the same song and each challenged the other to run nude around the pool to get their choice. It’s a shame they had to pixelate the image in certain places when Cory was running… ;-)
Looking back on this list of shows I watched regularly this year, I realize that I truly am a reality show addict. Thank goodness, there’s no 12 step program for it.
Here’s wishing you a safe and prosperous New Year!
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