Since he first walked onto the stage wearing his firefighter’s uniform, American Inventor contestant Greg Chavez had my vote. He told about his invention and it touched me as a mother that he had found a way to make children safer during the holidays. I was pulling for him to win all season.

And in case you didn’t know what his invention is, here’s the description from the ABC web site:

Greg Chavez, a firefighter from Camarillo, California, describes his Guardian Angel invention as, “A small, pressurized tank of water, disguised as a Christmas package, that is placed under the Christmas tree and attached to a small hose leading to the top of the tree where a fusible link is disguised as an angel. The heat from a fire pops the link and water suppresses the fire. There is also an alarm that works without a battery&intended to suppress (not fully extinguish) a Christmas tree fire and sound an alarm to get people out of the house alive.”

Congratulations, Greg Chavez!! You certainly deserve it!!

Reality TV, TV, Television

There’s no denying that unscripted TV is a force to be reckoned with in today’s TV programming. Here’s a list of all the unscripted TV shows that ranked well in the ratings last week:

1- America’s Got Talent 11.82 million
2- So You Think You Can Dance (Thursday) 10.63 million
3- Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader 9.97 million
11- So You Think You Can Dance (Wednesday) 8.94 million
12- Hell’s Kitchen 8.85 million
16- Price Is Right Prime (Friday repeat) 8.42 million
19- Deal Or No Deal (Wednesday) 7.98 million
26- Last Comic Standing 5 6.94 million
32- American Inventor 6.29 million
33- The Next Best Thing 6.19 million
35- Pirate Master 5.39 million
39- Wife Swap 5.04 million
41- Hell’s Kitchen (Monday 8PM repeat) 4.89 million
42- Supernanny 4.85 million
43- Last Comic Standing 5 (Sunday repeat) 4.81 million
49- Cops 2 4.25 million
52- The Ex-Wives Club 4.11 million
55- America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back 4.05 million
62- America’s Got Talent (Saturday repeat) 3.66 million
63- Cops 3.63 million
64- Fast Cars & Superstars (Thursday) 3.60 million
65- National Bingo Night 3.51 million
67- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 3.48 million
70- Fast Cars & Superstars (Tuesday) 3.12 million
72- America’s Funniest Home Videos 3.07 million
73- On The Lot 2.77 million
81- Fast Cars & Superstars (Sunday) 2.14 million

_{Reality TV, TV, Television}

American Inventor is back and has three new judges. George Foremen, Sara Blakely, and Pat Croce joined Peter Jones on the judges’ panel.

The first episode showed us a long string of forgettable inventors, with the exception of these two as described in Reality TV Magazine:

Richard Kopelle was the inventor of My Therapy Buddy, which was a doll that says “everything is going to be alright.” Even though Richard was rejected last year and Peter Jones once again voted no, the other three judges voted yes, and Richard’s invention was vindicated.

Firefighter Greg Chavez was the inventor of the guardian angel, which was a fire protection system for a Christmas tree. Even though Pat Croce voted no, the other three judges voted yes.

I was personally brought to tears by the firefighter/inventor of the Guardian Angel. So far, I’m rooting for him!

Tune in for the next Ameican Inventor episode on ABC, June 13 at 9 pm ET.

Reality TV, TV, Television, american inventor, americaninventor, inventions, entrepreneur

Reality TV fans, get ready for another great summer of reality TV! This summer looks like it will be full of great shows and some interesting new series. Check out the ones that have already been announced:

On the Lot (premiered Tuesday, May 22 at 9PM ET/PT and Thursday, May 24 at 9PM ET/PT on Fox)

The Academy (premieres Thursday, May 24 at 8PM ET/PT on FOX Reality)

5 Takes: Latin America (premieres Saturday, June 2 at 10Pm ET on Travel Channel)

Criss Angel: Mindfreak (premieres Tuesday, June 5 at 10PM ET/PT on A&E)

So You Think You Can Dance 3 (premieres Thursday, May 24 at 8PM ET/PT and Wednesday, May 30 at 8PM ET/PT on Fox)

Big Brother 8 (premieres Thursday, July 5 on CBS)

Ghost Hunters (premieres Wednesday, June 6 on SciFi)

The Simple Life Goes to Camp (premieres Monday, May 28 at 10PM ET/PT on E!)

The Next Food Network Star (premieres Sunday, June 3 at 10PM ET/PT on Food Network)

The Next Best Thing (premieres Wednesday, May 30 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC)

Reunited: The Real World Las Vegas (premieres Wednesday, May 30 at 10ET/PT on MTV)

Pirate Masters (premieres Thursday, May 31 at 8PM ET/PT on CBS)

Hell’s Kitchen 3 (premieres Monday, June 4 at 9PM ET/PT on Fox)

America’s Got Talent 2 (premieres Tuesday, June 5 at 9PM ET/PT on NBC)

Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (premieres Tuesday, June 5 at 10PM ET/PT on Bravo)

American Inventor 2 (premieres Wednesday, June 6 at 9PM ET/PT on ABC)

Last Comic Standing 5 (premieres Wednesday, June 13 at 9PM ET/PT on NBC)

Top Chef 3: Miami (premieres Wednesday, June 13 at 10PM ET/PT on Bravo)

Age of Love (premieres Monday, June 18 at 10PM ET/PT on NBC)

Shaq’s Big Challenge (premieres Tuesday, June 26 at 9PM ET/PT on ABC)

Hey Paula (premieres Thursday, June 28 on BRAVO)

HGTV Design Star 2 (premieres Sunday, July 22 at 10PM ET/PT)

Solitary 2.0 (premieres August 11 on FOX Reality)

The Biggest Loser (premieres August 21 on NBC)

Who Wants to be a Superhero 2 (premieres Wednesday, July 25 at 9PM ET/PT on Sci Fi Channel)

Reality TV, TV, Television

This week, several reality shows are looking for new cast members. Check out the latest list to see if you are the perfect person for any of these great shows:

• The Pussycat Dolls Present: the Search for the Next Dool 2 is looking for some great singers and dancers for the next season. This time they will form a whole new group inspired by the Pussycat Dools. Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to try out at these casting locations.
• Beauty and the Geek is casting for its fourth season. If you are a geek or a beauty and want to become more well-rounded, check out how to apply here.
• American Inventor is searching for the latest great inventor. If you think you’re the one, go here to start the application process. Good luck!
• Big Brother is looking for this summer’s houseguests. The CBS site has the details and application.
• Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is looking for deserving families. Submit yours here.

That’s the casting news for this week. Check back for next week’s casting calls.

Reality TV, Television, TV, big brother, extreme makeover home edition, Ty Pennington, survivor, american inventor

Do you have the invention the world has been waiting for? Then, mark your calendar for these dates and places where you can try out for the second season of American Inventor:

LOS ANGELES – MARCH 18TH
Los Angeles Convention Center
1201 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA – 90015

SAN FRANCISCO - MARCH 25TH
Regency Ballroom
1290 Sutter St. San Francisco, CA - 94109

CHICAGO – MARCH 31ST
Navy Pier
600 E. Grand Ave. Chicago, IL - 60611

NEW YORK CITY – APRIL 4TH

Broad Street Ballroom
41 Broad St. New York, NY - 10004

ORLANDO – APRIL 10TH
The Walt Disney World Contemporary Resort
4600 N World Dr. Lake Buena Vista, FL - 32830

HOUSTON – APRIL 15TH
The Berry Center
8877 Barker Cypress Rd. Cypress, TX - 77344

You can check the latest casting news on the official show web site. Good Luck!

Reality TV, TV, Television

This week, several reality shows are looking for new cast members. Check out the latest list to see if you are the perfect person for any of these great shows:

• So You Think You Can Dance? is looking for some great dancers for the next season. Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to try out at these casting locations.
• Who Wants to be a Superhero? is looking for a new group of Superhero wannabes. If you have a super power that the world needs, be sure to find out all the details about how to apply at the SciFi Channel’s site. Or, you can check out the dates for auditions here.
• Beauty and the Geek is casting for its fourth season. If you are a geek or a beauty and want to become more well-rounded, check out how to apply here.
• American Inventor is searching for the latest great inventor. If you think you’re the one, go here to start the application process. Good luck!
• The Biggest Loser is looking for people who want to go to the ranch to lose weight. You can apply at NBC.com.
• Big Brother is looking for next summer’s houseguests. The CBS site has the details and application.
• Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is looking for deserving families. Submit yours here.
• Last Comic Standing is looking for the next great Stand Up Comic. If you think it’s you, check here for details about how to try out for the next season. Or you can read more about it here.

That’s the casting news for this week. Check back for next week’s casting calls.

Reality TV, Television, TV, big brother, extreme makeover home edition, Ty Pennington, survivor, american inventor

This week, several reality shows are looking for new cast members. Check out the latest list to see if you are the perfect person for any of these great shows:

• Solitary 2.0 is casting!! I, for one, am thrilled that the show will be back. If you think you have what it takes to survive in Solitary, go to Fox Reality’s site to find out how to apply.
• Top Chef is casting for Season 3. Apply by February 5 at BravoTV.com
• American Inventor is searching for the latest great inventor. If you think you’re the one, go here to start the application process. Good luck!
• The Biggest Loser is looking for people who want to go to the ranch to lose weight. You can apply at NBC.com.
• The Amazing Race is now casting travel lovers for Season 12. Get the application at CBS.com.
• CBS’s Pirates is looking for some hearty shipmates for its upcoming series. If you think you’ve got what it takes, apply here.
• Survivor: Top Secret Location is casting now! You can find out the details and get your application here.
• Big Brother is looking for next summer’s houseguests. The CBS site has the details and application.
• Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is looking for deserving families. Submit yours here.
• Last Comic Standing is looking for the next great Stand Up Comic. If you think it’s you, check here for details about how to try out for the next season.

That’s the casting news for this week. Check back for next week’s casting calls.

Reality TV, Television, TV, big brother, extreme makeover home edition, Ty Pennington, survivor, american inventor