Reality Show Challenge Episode 3 Part 1

And the plot thickens. Well not really. One thing I've noticed about reality shows is that all the episodes are kind of the same. Hopefully that didn't come as some sort of revelation. As the season progresses, shows usually have to resort to more drastic measures but since alot of the shows pulled out all the stops in the first few episodes I'm not exactly sure what there is left, short of committing on screen homicide. With some of the characters I'd say that's a definite possibility. By the way, I got rid of the "Authenticity" category so now the points are out of 20 not 25.

 The Bachelor

With every episode, I become more and more concerned about the mental health of these girls. There are some girls who treat the experience for what it is: a game. But there are others who genuinely believe that this is the way to find love. Honey, if you can't find love with the right guy by yourself what makes you think you are going to find it with a guy who has 24 other girls? In real life, a guy could never get away with that. So why is it okay on TV? You have girls literally dissolving in tears because he has talked to another girl. You have girls constantly complaining that you never get to spend any time with him. Well there is a simple solution to that: Go home and find a real guy. But enough of my advice (which will probably go unheeded) With all the drama I almost forgot about the actual dates- a one on one date with Emily (bridge climbing and a fireworks show) a group date (skiing on fake snow in bikinis. I guess Ben is getting as much as he can out of this experience) and a one on one date with Lindzi C (he was originally supposed to have the date with Brittany but she went home because she didn't know if she liked Ben or not and was wondering why she was there. Good call Brittany)
Characters: 1.5 Some of these girls are insane. They need to find hobbies or something. And sorry to break it to you, ladies, but you can't possibly have formed that strong of a connection with him in three weeks especially not with a bunch of other girls in the way. And whenever they feel the least bit threatened the claws come out, dipped in arsenic. Like when Chantelle (probably spelled that wrong) comes onto the scene, the girls immediately pounce on her. Girls, just because she exchanged a few words with your precious Ben doesn't mean you need to tear her to shreds. Classic case of "Attack the New Girl" You think girls would have learned by now that ganging up on someone for no reason other than jealousy only serves to make themselves look stupid.

Emotional Intensity: 2.5 I felt bad for Chantelle (left and yes I did spell her name wrong but I don't have enough energy to change it). Whatever their justification, some of those girls were awful to her. I think Chantelle made a really good point before she left. When it comes to who you spend the rest of your life with, you shouldn't go for what's fair. You should go with your heart. Your future is not a game which is why shows like this really shouldn't be taken seriously.
Conflict: 3.5 
Class: 1 I'd love to buy some of these girls a dictionary and show them what the word "graciousness" means because they obviously have never heard of it.
Overall Score: 8.5/20

16 and Pregnant

In this episode, we got to meet Briana, her sister Brittany (I kept mixing up their names for the majority of the episodes) and their mom. I've noticed that I haven't seen any of the girl's dads appear yet in 16 and Pregnant and it probably isn't much of a coincidence. Guys, if you get a girl pregnant shoulder some responsibility and look after your kid. The guys in the first two episodes (though definitely not prepared to be dads) stood by their girlfriends and their kids and did the responsible thing. Not so in this episode. Briana's boyfriend Devoin     is the epitome of lazy. He also is extremely disrespectful- to Briana and her mom. But the biggest kicker of this episode was that Briana's sister, Brittany became pregnant around the same time only she got an abortion. Not only that but Briana's mom was disappointed that she didn't get an abortion. I might have mentioned this is old posts but I am pro life. So I really admire Briana for keeping her baby even though she didn't have the support of the baby's dad or her mom. The right decision may not feel like the right decision at the time especially when your sister is out partying while you are changing diapers. But in the episode we also saw Brittany having second thoughts about the abortion and all the moments with her kid that she missed out on. I'll say one thing about 16 and Pregnant- at least it's honest. 

Characters: 2 Like I said, I admired Briana for keeping the baby because it's difficult to listen to your moral compass instead of the voices around you. But what can you expect when you use protection "once or twice" If she's smart enough to graduate a year early she should be smart enough to see the consequences of unprotected sex. And I sympathize with Brittany even though her decision is not one I would ever make. But Devoin (the worst excuse for a boyfriend) really pissed me off.  

Emotional Intensity: 2.5 Even though Devoin annoyed me, that's the worst emotion he inspired. The fact that he practically abandoned Briana to raise the baby is disappointing but in the long run it's a good thing because she is better off without someone who is more of a hindrance than a help. Emotionally, what I found difficult about this episode was Brittany and her abortion. Both Briana and Brittany made decisions and both of them have regrets but I feel like Briana is the one who will be satisfied in the end, no matter how many parties she misses out on. I also feel like this episode was just as much about Brittany as it was about Briana.

Conflict: 3 Some of the conflict stemmed from Briana's relationship with Devoin but alot of it came from her relationships with her mom and sister. Initially it was very hard for Brittany to be around Briana because it reminded her of the baby she gave up which was probably the saddest part of the episode.
Class: 1.5 There are alot of reasons why this episode scored so low (some of the reasons you may agree with some you may not) but the biggest reason was that bailing on your pregnant girlfriend isn't classy under any circumstances. And neither is cursing at her or her family.
Something I really took away from this episode (and the other episodes) is girls, it's not the guys job to bring protection because they are not the ones who will end up pregnant. It's you.
Overall Rating: 9/20

Real Housewives of New Jersey

Episode 3 is all about dragging out the same old drama from Episode 1. These people don't know what it's like to let something go. They need to pay a little more attention to their kids and less attention to their social lives (Note: This applies to some housewives more than others) Then again being social is what they get paid for. Anyway, there was plenty of it in this episode starting off with a boat ride along the shore and finishing with a Summer Solstice party. Other major plot points of this episode include Lauren and her diet and a showdown between Theresa and Melissa over a comment that was said weeks before. 

Characters: 2 The characters are getting old (no pun intended, Caroline) fighting over the same old things. Can't they move on? Also they seriously need to pay more attention to their children (I'm talking about the beginning of the episode where there were about 5 young kids all standing near the dock inches from the water until their older cousin got them to go on the other side of the railing) This episode we got to get a closer look at Caroline's family which consists of her daughter Lauren (left) and her two sons. As I mentioned earlier a major plot point was Lauren and her new diet. I understand that her mother has Lauren's health in mind when she got her started on this diet but I feel like talking about it in front of the entire country is humiliating and can't be good for Lauren's self esteem. Not to mention Lauren's brothers treat her like crap and so does her boyfriend. She may be getting healthier physically but the only way she's going to start feeling better about herself is if the people in her lives knock off that crap and start treating her with more respect. 

Emotional Intensity: 1.5 The only thing I felt was emotionally intense about this episode was the way Lauren was treated by her boyfriend and her brothers. And it's not just her. I feel like they wouldn't know the right way to treat any girl.

Conflict: 2 There was a showdown between Melissa and Theresa over the gold-digger comment Theresa had  but it reminded a lot like the fights my friends and I had in junior where no one is actually saying anything to anyone's face until someone just snaps and starts yelling. Oh and twenty other people also have to be involved. This is the confrontation that the first two episodes led up to and honestly, it was disappointing.

Class: 1.5 Classy people do not A) make fun of someone's weight even if it is their sister B) leave a large group of kids with only one or two responsible adults C) Try to cause problems in other people's marriages. And I could probably get to letter H if I had the energy.

Overall Rating: 7/20

What do you think of the new points system? Which show do you think deserves to win? Leave a comment, subscribe to my blog and please check in for more posts. It's been a pleasure as always.