So who’s into reality TV?
My favorite shows right now are:
1. Shark’s Tank,
2. The Profit with Marcus Lemonis,
3. Consumed, the new show about restaurants in New York.
These are all business-related, as you can see.
What are you watching?
Reality TV
Clarissa's Blog 
The only thing I watch that qualifies as “reality television” is a show called “Mystery Diners” on Food Network UK …
It’s like getting the benefits of watching a Gordon Ramsay restaurant show without the irritating crap that comes with watching Gordon Ramsay. 🙂
LikeLike
I haven’t been watching much since the former BBC something something became BBC Brit and started showing nothing but Top Gear which I find less compelling than a cricket match which I find less compelling than watching paint dry.
I used to love Come Dine With Me and tried to watch it in multiple languages (the best was the French version but that channel disappeared a couple of years ago).
On the other hand, I’ve been watching some …. (AFAICT there’s no name in English for the format) – docu-soaps? scripted reality shows? which provide a never-ending stream of hilarity.
The format originated in Germany and features amateurs playing out soap opera type plotlines. Sometimes they are self-contained and sometimes a particular story might be stretched out over two or three episodes. The “action” is interrupted by segments where the characters talk directly to the camera.
The Polish ones are hilariously awful and amateurish (even for amateurs) the German ones I’ve seen are a little better.
The all time classic on Polish TV is Pamiętniki z Wakacji (souvenirs from vacation) with mięsny jeż (meat hedgehog – a bunch of lunchmeat arranged to look like a hedgehog face).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH44nVDsxsU
LikeLike
It was only a matter of time until someone non-cynically chose to create a variation of John Brunner’s “Mr & Mrs Everywhere” from “Stand on Zanzibar”. 🙂
I suppose this also means that this “BBC Brit” thing you’ve described is also Engrelay Satelserv from the same novel …
[I may in fact be Chad C Mulligan, but I am way, way too hip for you to depend on that, and that this comment could be automatic but the technology is still making us press the button, and that it should break that habit …]
LikeLike
No reality TV but my newest internet flavor of the month is Milo Yiannopoulos, a writer who’s gay, but politically conservative (the combination apparently isn’t that weird in the UK though his degree of …. flamboyance might be).
You probably wouldn’t agree with a lot of his positions but his twitter feed is the funniest thing I’ve seen in …. ever (at least the most entertaining twitter feed ever).
LikeLike
Clarissa is another fan of the CNBC reality tv lineup! 🙂
I’ve seen so many episodes of Shark Tank. If Lori or Barbara starts out with a huge compliment, your pitch is in trouble. 🙂 I don’t need to say if you’re in a situation where they want you to make a decision on the spot in real life, something is up.
I used to be a fan of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (the UK version) but stopped -the US version was more of his personality and less actual business stuff, which made the show weaker.
I don’t follow any reality tv shows at present because I like my television to be ridiculous and frothy.
LikeLike
“Clarissa is another fan of the CNBC reality tv lineup!”
LikeLike
I started watching “The Quest” on Netflix recently. So far it is one of the silliest things I’ve ever seen. I find it refreshing that instead of competing for a cash prize the contestants seem to be motivated only by the fact that they are giant nerds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyNKeDasNlQ
LikeLike