Your Daily WTF Quotient: Reality Hosts Get an Emmy Category

[Crafty_Pat]

Because, really, spouting drivel about soulless banality requires talent.

Sigh. I am so going to start a serial nuke club. ("No one knows anyone in Denver? Good. Off the map with it!")

[Number Three]

No sir, you just need to nuke L.A., although I'm convinced making it rain cold iron would be just as effective.

[Crafty_Pat]

No sir, you just need to nuke L.A., although I'm convinced making it rain cold iron would be just as effective.

That's a good start, but it's only a start. If I'm going to join the ranks of the universally reviled (scratch that - if I'm going to run for president of the universally reviled), then I might as well go there. Denver, L.A... Just the beginning, my friend. Just the beginning.

Get me a list of the cities you'd like to save now 'cause tomorrow it may be too late.

[Wolverine]

I'm still waiting for a 'Best Actor/Actress in an Animated Role' category for the Oscars. They work considerably harder than most Reality Show Hosts, but get very little kudos.

[ThunderMonkey]

I'm still waiting for a 'Best Actor/Actress in an Animated Role' category for the Oscars. They work considerably harder than most Reality Show Hosts, but get very little kudos.

I'm almost forced to watch "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" with the wife each weekend. It's one of the few shows that both of us can watch and not have the other reach for a book or earphones.

Ty Pennington (the host of that show) probably works a whole lot harder than the rest of the field combined. However, I'm suspicious that the award is nothing more than a ploy for the Academy to kiss Ryan Seacrest's ass.

But I'll agree with Wolvie... Andy Serkis was completely robbed by not even getting a nomination for his work as Gollum.

[Wolverine]

But I'll agree with Wolvie... Andy Serkis was completely robbed by not even getting a nomination for his work as Gollum.

And that was one area where the MTV movie awards is many steps ahead of the Oscars and other 'traditional' ceremonies.

[Crafty_Pat]

Ty Pennington (the host of that show) probably works a whole lot harder than the rest of the field combined. However, I'm suspicious that the award is nothing more than a ploy for the Academy to kiss Ryan Seacrest's ass.

So seriously, which devils did this guy make deals with? 'Cause a more meteoric rise I can't remember. Will Smith, maybe, but where they've both got some pretty unearthly charisma Smith's also got talent. On the radio this morning some of the local jocks were talking about Larry King and one mentioned that she thought they were grooming Seacrest for his spot after he retired. I mean, honestly, that's just nuts.

[Number Three]

Get me a list of the cities you'd like to save now 'cause tomorrow it may be too late.

Um, I'd a like warning before you nuke NYC, as I'm kind of on the outer edges of the blast radius.

(And I stick by my opinion on L.A. and cold iron.  Better yet, MacEachern shrapnel.  The humans may still be there, but the annoyances won't survive.)

[Krensky]

 I'm kinda partial to Philadelphia myself...

[NezMaster]

Does this mean mythbusters (a 'reality' show in the same vein as P&T's BS) could win an emmy.

I know I seem in the minority amongst inelligincia, but i don't automatically hate all reality shows. When I was 10 they were called game shows, and I enjoyed watching them. I understand they are usually low common denominator, but I enjoyed them anyway. I actually like Survivor, or some seasons anyway. I like Iron Chef and Top Chef. Sometimes reality shows manage to be a venue for getting the masses to swallow educational shows.

Now when they cross the line and screw with peoples love (Millionaire et al) and get sexual I lose interest, or when they just focus on the the negative (apprentice, big loser) but the idea of a no holds barred game show still does have it's appeal. Amazing RAce had it's moments at first, but after awhile they got old. As did fear factor "Here eat this spider" only goes so far. But the potential was there for me.

But by mentioning P&T's BS they open the door for that brand of educational shows that don't really have a category as well. (ala Mythbusters)

No, hosting Amazing RAce probably isn't a talen fest, but they've had 'game show' categories before. How much talent did Bob Barker really require, but somehow, he kept peoples interest. It wasn't just the show, something Drew Carey is somehow proving to audiences around the world.

So yeah, it's needed. Believe it or not, some one out there might actually strive for quality in some of the reality shows. IT does happen from time to time.

But either way, who do I mail to nominate my favorite show?

[Desertpuma]

I admit I somewhat pay attention to the granddaddy of the reality show genre with MTVs Challenges (which were 3 years prior to Survivor) but my favorites are really when they did the Eco-Challenge (can't fake Hayden Christensen and his family walking in a big circle for 4 hours in the Fiji jungle because they got lost) or Celebrity Bull Riding (because have 3 of the celebs get injured tells you how real it was -- Stephen Baldwin at 41 broke his first bone, his collarbone -- Dan Clark, formerly of American Gladiators pulled his groin, and Francesco Quinn of the film Platoon, had a 1 ton bull land its front hooves on his chest cracking his sternum and 3 ribs ribs).

I do have somewhere around on VHS and episode of Battle of the Network Stars from 1986. I keep it mainly because it has late Howard Cosell calling the show and the late John Matusak as the Commissoner plus they had a retrospective including Heather Locklear getting dunked. ... This was a show I would watch again. No voting off each other either. They had a bracket to be the best show in their network and the best show of each network faced off. It all stopped in like 1987 and when Fox debuted.

Imagine if they did it now... with events like Raft Race, 400m Swimming Relay, Dunk Contest, Obstacle Course, and 400m Running Relay. The Tug of War was there as a 7th event to settle ties. The 6th event was always random from bowling, Simon Says, Volleyball, Flag Football (3 Downs and Out), and 300m Tandem Bike Relay. There are some classic moments like Billy Crystal running the Obstacle Course in 1975 with his 3 inch high Afro and getting hung up twice, Mr.T scoring a touchdown and copying Lynn Swann's end zone dance, Heather Thomas of the Fall Guy racing to catch a pass in slow motion, Mr.T getting dunked while wearing all the gold, and Catherine Bach in a white bikini going in the dunk tank.

[NezMaster]

I vividly remember Battle of the Stars. My favorite moment shows my age, as Lou Ferigno walked up to Robert Conrad with a battery on his shoulder pointing. For some reason I considered that one of the funniest moments on television, mostly because Conrad was such an ass.

(for those that don't remember, Robert Conrad did a series of 'tough guy' everready comercials in which he'd put the battery on his shoulder and say "Go ahead, knock it off, I dare ya" - I looked for the commercial on You Tube but no luck)

[ThunderMonkey]

I remember watching Battle of the Stars, but I liked Circus of the Stars.

[Gentry]

I like Iron Chef and Top Chef.

I'll support that statement.  Iron Chef is a hoot, though the Japanese version was/is better than the American one. 

I think in the main I don't mind reality shows that require someone to have some discernible talent, be it cooking, singing, building cars (Monster Garage, anyone?), or even dancing.  At least with shows like those you can actively appreciate that someone can do something skilled and interesting. 

Voyeuristic crap like Survivor (and its inbred white trash cousin, Big Brother) makes me want to gnaw my arm off.

[Desertpuma]

Here's a few clips....

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=battle+network+stars&search_type=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huDFhd-It5k