Reality In Review: Week Of December 2, 2007

Welcome everybody to another edition of Reality In Review where I catch you up on all of the previous week's reality-related happenings. Because I'm sure you had a really busy week squirting water, making paper toys, and killing robotic dinosaurs. Myself, I was shopping. All I have to do is wrap and then I'm finished! But enough about me, let's get to the news.

One of the biggest stories of the week was the official announcement by CBS of Big Brother 9's starting date: Tuesday, February 12. It will debut in its official season time slot of 9:00 PM ET while other episodes during the week will air on Wednesdays at at 8:00 PM ET and on Sundays at 7:00 PM ET. There are some rumors floating around out there concerning BB9 and BB10 but most of them are so unlike Grodner that I don't even want to begin believing them. What incentive would she have to listen to the fans now when herself and Arnold (former longtime co-producer) never listened to us before? None I say because she knows the fans will still watch; they'll just gripe even more while watching.

Besides Big Brother's announcement, some other "big hitters" were announced. Survivor returns on February 7; The Biggest Loser returns on January 1; and Paradise Hotel 2 returns on February 4. I included PH2 in that list because it was fairly popular when it first aired back in 2003. I'm interested to see how popular it will be this time around though. Another show I'm curious about is The Baby Borrowers which will debut on NBC February 18. The show's premise is to follow five young couples (ages 18-20) and prepare them for parenthood. They'll be given a home, a job, a fake pregnant belly, and even attend pre-natal classes. After the classes, they'll even be given a real baby to take care of. Because it's reality TV, of course, I doubt they'll be housed in a rundown and crappy home. Also, they'll have plenty of support and help from from the show itself so it's not like they'd really be fighting to keep their heads afloat which is the real reality for couples at any age. You can't beat romanticizing parenthood can you?

Let's see who did what kind of talking this week shall we? Erik, the latest castaway to get the boot from Survivor, said that he wants Jaime to remain in his life forever. Might we have yet another Survivor relationship? Shana and Jennifer, eliminated in last week's The Amazing Race are split on who they want to win this season. Dave and Jasmine, the winners of The Beauty and the Geek, plan to stay in touch. Bianca, evicted in last week's America's Next Top Model, is a reality TV junkie. Jeff Probst dishes on who thinks has the best shot to win Survivor: China. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, from Project Runway talk favorites. Lynne Spillman, casting director for The Amazing Race and many other shows, talks about the casting process and what you should and shouldn't do when sending in your application.

I'd better get to the rest of the news or you'll be reading all week! Talks in the writers' strike have broken down again; former American Idol finalists are all over the Grammy nominations; and Floyd Mayweather knocked out the competition. Donald Trump did not leave a $10,000 tip; Kim won't be back for the next The Biggest Loser; and Scott Baio got hitched. Kelly Osbourne is dating Bam Bam; Jessica Sierra has a potty mouth; and Bravo's Top Design and Shear Genius are returning for their second seasons. Voting for the next Big Brother Australia's housemates began; the producers of Ice Road Truckers and Deadliest Catch are joining NBC's primetime family with new reality fare; and an around-the-world obstacle course reality show called Wipeout is coming to ABC.

Laura Bennett is now devoted full-time to fashion and QVC; auditions for African Idol were announced; and a reality show focusing on the Miami lifestyle has begun casting. A reality show for sugar addicts is in the works; preview clips for Celebrity Apprentice are up; and our next American Idol's Hollywood round has wrapped. A Survivor accident during filming was made public (everyone's OK); Kynt & Vyxsin are turning some heads with a new look; and Motley Crue is suing Tommy Lee's manager for him doing reality TV. Adrianne Curry helps a friend out in her modeling career; Tori Spelling has a new job; and Tom Colicchio is sexy. Brody denied a romance with Lauren and Jade Goody is not getting married. Wow! There was a lot going on this week.

Have a great week everybody! If you find yourself with some downtime today, check out this hilarious clip from I Love New York 2. If that's not your style, then check out this fantastic article on former Survivor spot Vanuatu. Toodles!