Wrapping Up 2012's Design Star, Food Network Star, Bachelorette, Duets and Love In the Wild. Insights into the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Pic of the Day

Goodness so many competitive reality shows came to a conclusion all at once I could hardly keep up. Rather than leave everything up in the air with no conclusions, I decided to post a conclusion post for mid-summer 2012 competitive reality shows as diverse as HGTV's "Design Star", NBC's "Love in the Wild", ABC's "The Bachelorette", Food Network's "Next Food Network Star", and ABC's newest musical competitive reality show-"Duets".

Duets

Duets was an intriguing new offering in the musical competitive reality show genre. Four musical stars found four amateur protégés and over the course of the contest, the four protégés performed duets with the various performers.

At some point the American public had a chance to vote and their pick, when the smoke cleared, was a very find young man named J Rome, a really dumb name as I see it.

Which is not to say that J Rome was void of talent. I chose him as the winner right from the start and he won handily.

Below, posts on this Blog about the Duets series as it was ongoing.

Duets 2012-New Singing Reality Competition Show. How Does It Compare to the Many Others of the Genre?

Duets 2012 Goes To America for the Vote
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Bachelorette Emily

ABC's Bachelorette series had former Bachelor Brad Womack's choice, Emily, as the Bachelorette.

There were many handsome men after Emily's hand. Eventually Emily settled on Jef, with only one F, incredible hair, and a Mormon from a very devout family.

I watched the "After the Final Rose" show as Emily and Jef appeared on TV for the first time as a recognized couple.

I seriously have my doubts.

First, I don't think Emily is looking to settle down with much of anybody. But even if so, a youngish, naïve, religious fellow seems like the last guy she'd choose.

Emily is quite beautiful, let's make no mistake. She's also used to a good life. It's not clear what sort of working career Jef had.

When they greeted each other at the Final Rose show, they didn't look any more comfortable with each other as they should have what with the show then long over. They both claimed to be planning for Jef to move into SEPARATE living arrangements in Emily's current state.

Everything about that coupling is just weird.

Below all posts on this Blog about Bachelorette Emily:

The Bachelorette 2012-Emily Dumps Brad, Seeks New Partner

Bachelorette 2012 Emily Maynard Used to the Finer Things In Life

The Bachelorette 2012-Four Left. Winner Obvious, One's a Wild Man

The Bachelorette 2012-Four Left. Winner Obvious, One's a Wild Man

Bachelorette Emily 2012-Let the Home Town Dates Begin

Bachelorette Emily-Will It Be Jef, Arie or .....Nobody?
Bachelorette Emily -Who Will She Choose?

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Love in the Wild
NBC's Love in the Wild is a fairly new competitive romance reality show. It combines Survivor with Big Brother and a touch of Bachelor Pad.

Ken and Yanina were the two young lovers who fought spiders and snakes, jumped off of bridges and leaped into gorges, all part of the various challenges that finally ended with these two paired with each other and, despite all odds, still LIKING each other.

They seem like a compatible pair. We'll be keeping ear close to ground to see where this romance goes.

Below all posts on this Blog about Love in the Wild 2012

Jenny McCarthy, 7 Men and 7 Women Seek Love in the Wild for 2012

Love in the Wild 2012-Bring in More Men, Bring in More Women. It Gets Complicated
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Next Food Network Star
Food Network's "Next Food Network Star" was a great series.

Justin, he of the magnificent hair, was named the next Food Network Star.

He was my choice, both for his cooking skills, his personality, and his on-screen presence.

We will be posting a review of Justin's Food Network show, just as soon as we watch it.

Below all the posts on this Blog about Next Food Network Star 2012:

Food Network Star 2012 Begins; Let's Take a Look At How It Begins

Food Network Star 2012-Giada Still Gorgeous, Flay Still Nasty, Alton Still Snobby. The contenders are great.

Food Network Star 2012 "Dish". Current Contender Fan Fave, Meanest Mentor, More Gossip.

Next Food Network Star 2012-Next Food Network Star 2012-Is This Oprah Winfrey or a Cooking Contest?
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Design Star
HGTV's "Design Star" is one of my favorite competitive reality shows. The 2012 series of this show was no disappointment.

Contender Danielle won the coveted title and it would so happen that I watched Danielle's new show, titled "Shopping the Room".

It's a home decorating show. I'm not at all sure I get the concept of "shopping" a room, or how it's anything new on the home decorating scene.

Mostly Danielle, like every interior designer before her, meets with the individual or couple whose home she is re-designing. She then goes on a shopping trip and finds items to base the room/home's decoration on.

It doesn't really work that way. Danielle has to work with carpenters and other contractors to tear out walls, add furniture/appliances….like most home interior designs go.

Danielle then decorates the reconfigured interior, supposedly all based around an item that she found while out shopping.

It's as good a method as any, but it's nothing new or even all that original.

Danielle has a pleasant and calm personality and carries off her tasks well. We'll be keeping an eye on her to see how well her show moves along on HGTV.


Below all posts on this Blog about Design Star 2012:

12 Interior Designers Begin the Competition for HGTV's Design Star 2012


Click here to go to this Blog's main menu and see what other TV series we're covering.

Duets 2012 Goes To America for the Vote

Pic of the Day

Note the pic of the day.  You should smile.

The five finalists for ABC's new foray into the world of competitive reality musical shows, Duets-
 are:

J Rome
John G
Bridget
Olivia
Jason

They also finished in the order above.

Intriguingly, every one of the Duet partners, which would be John Legend, Robin Thicke, Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Nettles, have at least one contender left,  with Thicke having two in the finals.

I do firmly believe that this was pre-arranged as how boring would it be to be a great singer like one of those four and not have a horse in the race once the pack heads towards the finish line?

At any rate, America can now join in on the voting and I wonder how this contest will shake out. Though, ahem, I've no doubt of the winner. See the clip below.




Indeed it is J Rome, who has consistently finished in first place at the vote of the "superstars", the vote decided based on that night's performance(s).

First, to the parents of J Rome….that is just the dumbest name, just so dumb, it's almost a form of child abuse. I retract my smirk if this name change was an effect by J Rome hisself, I suppose that's possible.

Now that J Rome might be off into a world of music and a career in same (please bear in mind that winners of musical competitive reality shows are a dime a dozen nowadays) I suppose it could be clever. But whoever named him the ridiculous J Rome didn't know that upon his birth.

Which is not to say that J Rome isn't a very personable and talented fellow. No, not at all. J Rome has consistently performed well, he's young, he's got a lusty voice with a large range, he should win this competition.

My favorite is Bridget. Here's a young woman who has a nice voice, a great stage presence, who's attractive, dresses well and has a mega-watt smile.


All along J Rome's been coming in first. It will be interesting to see how the competition shuffles up now that America gets in on the act.

As for the concept of the show Duets itself, considered in conjunction with the total of all music competitive reality shows such as American Idol, The X Factor, The Voice….it's okay.

The proviso here is that Duets is a musical competitive reality show based on the talent and popularity of the dueting partners. Not that there's anything wrong with this and for sure the four used this first season are top notch.

This show serves as a vehicle for those superstars to show their stuff, let's not pretend different. It's also, especially at the beginning, very long and can get a bit tiresome. I quite enjoy all four of these superstars and I still think one hour is plenty. Two hours in a row of anybody constantly singing can get stale.

We'll be following this show closely at this point

Below other posts on this Blog on this subject:

Duets 2012-New Singing Reality Competition Show. How Does It Compare to the Many Others of the Genre?

Duets can be seen on ABC on Thursday nights at 8pm.

Click here to go to this Blog's main menu and see what other TV series we're covering.

Duets 2012-New Singing Reality Competition Show. How Does It Compare to the Many Others of the Genre?

Pic of Day

Let me begin this right now by saying that while I've already watched two episodes of this competitive reality series I have no idea how it works.

I do know that of the eight contenders, they have fallen in some sort of order from one through eight but I don't know who voted that in, or how.

Checking the show's web site. I do know that there are four singers: Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thicke , who were charged with scouring the nation to find two contenders who would sing with them until one was left. The contender left would win a contract with a record company but it's not clear if that contender will have any further relationship with the celebrity singing partner who selected them.

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Kelly Clarkson is the first American Idol and she's been quite successful these some eleven years since. Jennifer Nettles is the female singer in the group Sugarland and has possibly one of the prettiest female voices on the planet. Robin Thicke is a singer though I've no idea what he sings. He's cute, has hair styled like the icon for Bob's Big Boy and his father is probably more well known than him, Alan Thicke. John Legend is also a fairly well known singer.

So it's not as if there are unknowns leading the duets though an argument could be made that these are singers greatly in need of a career boost.

Jennifer Nettles is evidently looking to branch out from her Sugarland perch so the exposure is good for her.

Robin Thicke, well he needs any exposure at all as I've never heard of him. Same with John Legend although I have heard of him.

Somehow, the contenders, two each chosen by the celebrity singers, are "rated" and their standing from one to eight is listed. It's not at all clear if the celebrity singers are rating or the audience is rating or even if the TV viewers are phoning in their votes.

Below is a video snippet of a Duet act.




I find the duets entertaining though without the contest element I don't think I'd sit and watch this show.

In short, yon ladies and gems, let me get back to you about this show.

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