I took all my own pictures though, and they good pictures!

Tuesday night means a brand new episode of Catfish. If you haven’t seen this show yet, it is a MUST WATCH! It’s based on the documentary... also called Catfish... about a guy named Nev who fell in love online with a girl named Megan. When Megan’s stories didn’t quite seem to add up, Nev and his movie-making friends attempted to untangle the mystery, traveling across the country and following the clues. *SPOILER ALERT* In the end, Megan turned out to be Angela, and Angela was nothing like she described. Although my quick explanation doesn’t do it justice, this was probably one of the most intriguing documentaries I have ever seen (judge me as you will.)

The idea for the show came up when hundreds of viewers started contacting Nev. They shared their stories of online love with him and hoped that he could help them find out if their loves would turn out to be Angelas too. I was instantly attracted to the show because the outcome of the documentary was just too good to be true, from my perspective anyway, maybe not from Nev’s. Each week Nev helps a different person track down their online love and, as I’m sure you can guess, hilarity ensues.

Tonight was the first episode with two gay males. Rico and Ja’Mari met online while Rico was in the military. After talking for quite a while they developed a relationship, even though they had never met or even video chatted. Rico emailed Nev asking for help, as he longed to meet this international male model he fell in love with online. Not surprisingly, Ja'Mari wasn't quite who he said he was. I will give him props for actually using his own pictures because that is usually the first place they go wrong. His name turned out to be James, and instead of a male model he turned out to be a bus driver. Not as bad as some I've seen, but a lie is a lie I guess, even online. In the end, Rico forgave James for lying and they decided to continue their relationship, both online and in real life. Overall, I'd give this episode 8/10 for effort and happy endings, but only 5/10 for comedy factor.

Rico, Nev and Max creeping Ja'Mari online.

 

If you fall again, I'm going to replace you!

So last night was a new episode of Cheer Perfection. The show is only in its first season, so it’s still fairly new to the TLC network. It’s based on the cheer gym Cheer Time Revolution in Sherwood, Arkansas: an elite cheerleading gym that only accepts and produces the best and most talented cheerleaders. The show focuses on five or six of the girls that belong to Cheer Time Revolution, their competitive moms and their head coach, Alisha Dunlap. Even though the name of the show would lead you to believe that it’s mainly a cheerleading show, the focus tends to lean more toward the moms and their drama with one another. I wasn’t too sure if Cheer Perfection has what it takes to make the cut, but this season has been surprisingly intriguing.

Maybe it’s because this show has the perfect mixture of everything I love in a good reality TV show: cute outfits, extreme talent, parents living and competing through their children, some completely unrelatable morals and beliefs, and a female in the power seat. What’s not to like? I have never had a special interest in cheerleading, so that’s probably why I don’t mind the fact that it only accounts for about 35-40% of the actual show. The drama is hilarious and it had me picking sides from the very beginning. All I can say is that I didn’t like Ann from the moment I heard she named her daughter by combining her name with her husband’s name. Torry + Ann = Torrann? I have no words.

On last night’s episode, Alisha was only choosing five of the girls for a duo and trio competition in Chicago, so you can only imagine how extra crazy the moms were. As the team mom, I know Ann thought her daughter was going to go. But Torrann didn’t make it, so obviously Ann was furious and this caused even more drama with the moms. That, combined with the fact that the girls chosen couldn’t get their routines down, caused tons of drama and ridiculous mom-fights. In the end, the girls nailed their routines though, (as if we ever doubted them?!) Both groups won their divisions and Cheer Time Revolution got to live up to its team cheer one more time. 

 

“CTR, the number one team! We’re the orange and the black, the best you’ve ever seen!”

 

 

Just the beginning...

When reality television first became a popular phenomenon, it took me a while to jump on the bandwagon. Survivor was the first show I remember watching with “real” people competing for a challenge. I sometimes argue with others that sports are actually the first form of reality TV, but my passion all began with Survivor. Although it didn’t suck me in with the first season, around season two or three I became hooked. There was something about watching people on TV who hadn’t been scripted, (even though many will say they are.) As time has passed, my love has only blossomed to encompass an ever-growing number of shows.

I have come to adore shows like The Real World, Toddlers and Tiaras, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Duck Dynasty, Intervention, Say Yes to the Dress, Pawn Stars, Catfish and so many others. I set aside time each week to make sure I catch my favourites and I am always up for a heated debate about any of the characters or the situations they find themselves in. Even though I receive "advice" from others, as they tell me that these shows are garbage and will rot my brain, I just can’t turn my back on the characters and shows I’ve come to love. So whenever you feel like ranting, raving or reading about any of your favourite reality TV shows or stars, you know where to turn.