Seriously, Heidi and Spencer?

If you haven't seen the 2 episodes of "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here," you really haven't missed a whole lot except Heidi and Spencer Pratt acting like fools on television. They put the "whine" in the wining and dining celebrities are accustomed to.

Besides the constant use of hairspray for no apparent reason, Heidi and Spencer acted like spoiled children up until they QUIT the show because, as Spencer put it, "I don't volunteer, I get paid!"

I was pretty disturbed by Spencer's constant talking about being a Christian then turning around and yelling, acting childish, and praying for frivolous things like having a double date with Miley Cyrus ("And God answered my prayer in less than a month!"). You know "God loves a challenge!" Well, that's the gospel according to Stephen Baldwin who bapitized Spencer in the river during the episode.

I'm glad Heidi and Spencer have left the show just because I don't have to watch them be abassadors for my faith and spew hypocracy as they go along.

Now on to more important things like Patti Blagojevich spilling the secrets of her husband Rod's legal dilemma and the comedy duo Frangelina!

The Principal's Office

My cousin-in-law, Ginger, writes a blog talking about some of the reality shows out there that you're probably missing. The way she writes about them, it makes you want to see them to catch all the jaw-dropping moments that simply can't be missed.

Just such a show is airing as I type this: The Principal's Office. It is on TruTV (a channel that is not available on Ginger's local cable, or she'd be blogging about this instead of me. That means she's also missing Operation Repo which is a shame, but I digress). It is all about the shenanigans high school-ers try to pull over on their principals. Having been a teacher myself and heard some of the craziest excuses for the reasons kids do what they do, I can fully appreciate what these principals are going through.

What is even more impressive is the way they keep a stern voice and straight face when dealing with absurd situations like the girls who violated their school's cell phone policy. Their reason? "We have tickets to the Maury show today and we were excited about it." Or how about the kid who likened riding his skateboard in the school cafeteria to kids riding their bikes....*chirp, chirp*....Yeah, no one rides their bikes in the cafeteria! Probably my favorite was the girls who got in a fight and while in the principal's office hurled insults like "Gap-toothed trailer trash" at one another and insisted that they would have another fight if necessary. Don't get me started on the kids who get caught on surveillance camera and still lie about it....THIS is our future, America!

Why do I watch reality television? To feel better about myself. I look at these shows and realize I'm pretty normal.






P.S. Ginger is an unemployed editor looking for a job. If you have a lead for her, let her know on her blog!

Reality Television

Every time I flip the television channel and run across Cops, I can't help but think of Mr. Bean's grandmother. I never met her as she died before Mr. Bean and I met, but I have been told on numerous occasions that Cops was one of her favorite shows because it was "reality." I wonder what she would have thought about "reality television" in today's terms.

If you have ever had the joyful experience of catching any of VH1's or MTV's reality shows, you'll have to wash your eyes (and ears) afterward. I keep telling myself that these people are paid to act as crazy as they do; there is no way that it is real and if it is...God, help us! If there were ever a case for "home missions" (to borrow a Southern Baptist term), this is it!

Even shows like American Idol or Survivor have such an air of non-reality to them because of the situation in which these people find themselves. They spend the entire course of the show trying to outdo the other contestants for a large sum of money. How is that reality? (And speaking of reality...don't get me started on MTV's The Hills...)

I prefer to watch shows like Jon and Kate plus 8 and Little People Big World (and nearly every other show on TLC in a documentary style). Sure, they admit they get special treatment like free trips and magazine cover shoots because they have a TV show (product placement anyone?). Sure there is a dose of non-reality to these shows, too, but you still see families dealing with homework, sibling rivalry, vacations, illness, and all the other factors that make up "real life".

I wonder what Mr. Bean's grandma would watch and appreciate if she were alive today.