Static Zombie

New Season of Reality

Now that the big three reality shows have kicked off their seasons, I thought I'd check in.

Getting into Mensa is easy. Just about anyone with a brain can do it. So the whole Mensa angle was way overplayed on The Apprentice, not only by Trump, but by Tarek himself. Few things turn people off quite like a Mensan trumpeting his membership as if certifies him as the next step in mankind's evolutionary ladder. I'm not in Mensa, but I view it as a social group where smart people can go to meet similarly smart people, and possibly find others who share their interests. But on the show, Mensa membership was waved about like an achievement in itself, something others should inherently respect because of the patina of greatness it supposedly provides. Phooey. Buying into-- or perhaps trying to sell-- that hype proves Tarek isn't as smart as he thinks he is.

I can't applaud loudly enough for the elimination of this season's token gay guys from The Amazing Race. Perhaps the editing is to blame, but I found nothing sympathetic about them. John in particular was crabby and negative from the get-go, and his teammate was just a non-presence. But the producers struck gold with "the hippies," who are just a hoot to watch, and how can we not be rooting for the roly-poly naivetee of the nerds? It's a good sign when there are already teams to root for and against after just a single outing.

How much would that downpour have sucked on Survivor? You've just won a load of food and are looking forward to cooking it, only to discover your camp flooded and no dry wood to use for a fire. Bobby was practically begging to get canned with his antisocial behavior. When will Survivors learn that stealing from the tribe is a big no-no? Cirie's continued presence is a minor miracle, and now she's almost home-free. Once the tribes merge, she'll easily fly under the radar of the more physical threats who will turn on each other first. Beware the low-fliers, people-- they're a bigger threat than the hardbodies.

Posted by Peter at March 3, 2006 12:00 PM