This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There's such a barrage of reality shows swallowing up our television time, it's hard to keep track of who's schmoozing whom and who's been doing the backstabbing. Here's the cooler talk about last week's episodes of some of your favorite reality fare, written by The Salt Lake Tribune's resident unscripted-TV buffs. (Warning: Spoilers ahead. If you didn't watch last week, read at your own risk.)
Survivor: Fiji
Thursdays, 7 p.m.,
KUTV Ch.2
What happened?
Erica, the 27-year-old Louisiana fundraiser on the Ravu tribe, just couldn't keep her mouth shut during the immunity challenge in which contestants tried to put together a puzzle. It seems her constant screaming that they were doing it wrong distracted team members to the point they lost their lead. She was rightfully booted. Remind us never to hire her for the Jazz cheerleaders.
Best whine & cheese moment
Ravu was starving for most of this time until the team realized there was a pineapple patch near camp. Kinda like wandering lost for days only to find out you were within 100 yards of a convenience store. Remind us never to hire them as wilderness guides.
American Idol
Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Wednesdays, 8 p.m., KSTU Ch. 13
What happened?
Finally, the wannabe idols went to Hollywood, separated into groups and showed they couldn't remember the lyrics to one song even though they had all night to practice. Fortunately, the good people at Fox limited the Hollywood round to one episode, but then took another whole episode in which the judges told the final 24 they would become finalists. Start the voting, PLEEEEEASE!
Best whine & cheese moment
Lanky Sanjaya Malakar consoled his sister - with tears gushing - after they got word that he would move on to the next round while she got cut. It was such a brotherly moment; was there a dry eye in America?
Beauty and the Geek
Wednesdays, 7 p.m., Sundays,
8 p.m., KUCW Ch. 30
What happened?
It was final showdown between Cecille and Nate and Megan and Scooter. The teams spent the day showing their partners a hobby they enjoy and said it brought them closer. Aww. Back at the mansion, the eliminated teams returned to decide who should win $250,000. The other teams lamented that Nate could win if it weren't for Cecille. In the end, Megan and Scooter became "more than just the beauty and the geek."
Best whine & cheese moment
As Cecille realized her past conduct toward the other teams was biting her in the butt, she blamed jealousy of her success. "Everyone is just jealous that I'm in the last two. In beauty pagents, the losers always say the winner wasn't that pretty." Um, reality check: You're mean and no one likes you.
The Apprentice L.A.
Sundays, 8 p.m.,
KSL Ch. 5
The teams had to harvest, market and sell honey, but it wasn't all sweetness and light. Arrow, led by Aaron, did a lousy job luring customers to its display and ended up with less money in the honey pot. Kinetics' Derek probably saved his team by squeezing his fluffy body into a beekeeper suit, which attracted welcome shopper attention. In the end, Aaron got stung in the boardroom.
Best whine & cheese moment
In the boardroom, James and the other Arrow team members beat up on their new guy, Surya, just because he threw around a few marketing terms. Like, whatever! It was junior high all over again. It was Aaron's laid-back style that got the team in trouble.
Contributors: Vince Horiuchi, Alicia Greenleigh and Anne Wilson