Reality on Bravo

Last night’s episode of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County did not disappoint–it featured shopping, extravagance, and over the top drama. Here’s the recap:

Jeana seems to be losing her sense of control. The dogs are running the house, so she brought in a trainer to deal with them and to teach the family how to handle them. Her husband, Tom, was a dick to her and to the trainer. I think both Tom and Jeana admit that they should divorce, but both have too much pride. Speaking of control, though, she should worry about her kids more than her dog. She gave them her credit card to go back to school shopping (big mistake) and Kara and her brother rang up a $700 bill between the two fo them, just in one store. My god.

It’s really happening, I guess–Jo is moving to LA. She spent this whole episode whining for things like a baby and telling Slade that he treats her like a child. That’s because you ARE a child, honey. Of course, Slade is a little pessimistic and parental at times, but he really loves Jo and she’s basically stringing him along. As my boyfriend said last night, “I’m looking forward to watching her fail miserably.”

Sorry if you’re a fan of Tammy, because I just don’t like her! This episode, we didn’t see that much of her, but she and Duff did take Ry to a toy store to pick out a calender and some stickers. He’s having trouble remembering who is coming to pick him up after school, so they’re going to keep track in his lunch box. They stopped at the store before school, and Tammy started buying the kid all sorts of treats, while Duff as like, “Tammy, we’re going to be late for school…Come on Tammy, he’s got to earn his special treats.” I agree 100%. We also saw Tammy on a blind date. He was such a weanie. However, if I hear Tammy say how hard it is to be a single mom ONE MORE TIME I might flip out. She’s single, yes. She’s a mom, yes. But when you tell people you’re a single mom it has all sorts os connotations that the father isn’t around and that is NOT the case. Duff is Daddy of the year.

Actually, Daddy of the year might be an award that also goes out to Laurie’s fiance, George. He wasn’t really in this episode, but he’s giving Lauri some good advice. Lauri and Sofie moved into George’s house, and her 21-year-old daughter Ashley is living in Lauri’s old townhouse. Mama Waring said she’d keep paying the mortgage and utilities as long as Ashley met two conditions: She keeps the place clean and she is either in school full time or working full time. Ok, the girl is set to be a full time student come October. She def doesn’t keep the place clean. The girl doesn’t work–what does she do with her days? There’s cat poop everywhere, trash piled up, and moldy milk in the sink. Lauri’s thinking about kicking her her and selling the place, which, according to new stories that have her kids turning against her, I think she eventually does. Good.

That brings us to Vicki. I see a lot of myself in Vicki, because she loves to work, gets stressed out easily, and has a hard time relaxing when she could be working. She’s so funny and frazzled though. This episode, Vicki goes golfing with her husband, Don, and is horrible (note: me and the boy laughed bc he’s an avid golfer and I am not…Vicki is probably better than me, and she was BAD). It’s nice that she makes an effort to spend lots of time with Don, even though they both work really hard. Later in the episode, Vicki hires an astrologer to talk to her and the girls. She’s pretty drunk by the time it’s her turn to get a read, and the astrologer tells her that because three planets were in perfect alignment when she was born, she will have infinite energy and always have a drive to work.

That’s all from our favorite ladies of the OC now. Next episode looks like a dozy, complete with cat fights and a PISSED Jeana. Stay tuned, and don’t forget to vote in the RHOC poll and sign up for the Reality on Bravo newsletter to learn more about the RHOC girls!

The Real Housewives of Orange County

The Real Housewives of Orange County is one of Bravo’s most popular show right now, with the news being all about Lauri Waring, Lauri Waring, Lauri Waring. Ok, Lauri’s fun and her controversy with Josh right now is making headlines, but there are some other great Real Housewives gals too that deserve their own moments to shine. I’m partial to Vicki myself–who is your favorite housewife?? Vote below, and if you’re brave enough to sound off about it, leave a comment letting us all know why you love your favorite housewife! If you enter the contest, you’ll be entered into a drawing to be the RHOC fan of the month, with special prizes attached! Also, don’t forget to contact me using the button at the right to sign up for the new monthly Bravo newsletter!

Real Housewives of Orange County, Lauri Waring, Bravo

Last night’s Oscars gave out many golden statues to some great acting talent, directors, musicians, artists, and editors. In honor of that, I’m presenting the first ever Oscars of Reality on Bravo. Since they’ve never been given before, all people and shows from all seasons are eligible. Did your favorites make the cut?

Best Host: Padma, Top Chef

Replacing Katie Lee (the season one host) with Padma was by far one of the best Top Chef decisions ever made. She’s fun, she’s beautiful, and she has a background in the culinary world. I love Padma, especially after she went head to head with judge Tom Colicchio about Sam in the second to the last episode this season. She’s a host and a judge–not like Todd from Top Design who generally just gets on my nerves. I don’t care if he is a designing legend; he sounds fake on the show.

Best Transition to the Real World: Michael Knight, Project Runway
Or show I say Mychael Knight? Well, whatever his name may be, while other Project Runway stars are struggling to make ends meet, top chefs are scraping together the last of their money, and fab five members are literally poofing into nonexistence, Mychael Knight is doing more than simply hanging on to his Bravo fame–he’s actually working with Starbucks, so I hear, to release a line of clothing. To be fair, some other reality contestants and hosts are doing well for themselves outside of Bravo…but the majority, well, I can’t even remember their names.

Best Boyfriend: George, the man toy of Lauri Waring, Real Housewives

In recent episodes, George let Lauri move into his mansion, took her to Hawaii and to Europe, bought her hundred dollar dresses, gave her a watch worth more than my entire wardrobe combined, hand-selected a new car for her that is one-of-a-kind, and, oh yeah, put a giant rock on her finger and asked for her hand in marriage. That’s after only dating for six months! Yep, George is definitely the best boyfriend (next to mine of course!)

Most Real Housewife: Vicki Gunvalson, Real Housewives

Jo’s pretending she has a good singing voice and they aren’t just humoring her because she’s pretty. Jeana is letting her son call her best friend “Tits.” Lauri is quitting her job to have gifts showered upon her. Tammy’s claiming that she’s poor in every scene. She might have gotten some plastic surgery, but Vicki is definitely the most real of the OC ladies. In recent episodes, she’s kicked back at the river with some beer bonging with her husband, shipped off her lazy son to learn what it means to do manual labor, taken her successful nursing student daughter to college, and basically worked her ass off to get the money her family wants. I’ve decided that I love Vicki.

Best One-liner: “I’m not your bitch, Bitch”-Dave, Top Chef
People are still talking about the time when Dave Martin yelled at Tiffani “I’m not your bitch, Bitch” on season one of top chef. It’s quoted. It’s printed on t-shirts and tote bags. It is a legendary line.

Most Missed Celeb: John Griffin, My Life on the D-List

RIP John Griffen, who passed away earlier this month. He was the beloved father of Kathy Griffin and will be sorely missed on future episodes of My Life on he D-List, which I also miss and hope comes back to Bravo soon.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Reality on Bravo newsletter!

Oscars, Top Chef, Project Runway, Mychael Knight, Lauri Waring, Vicki Gunvalson, John Griffin, My Life on the D-List, Kathy Griffin

INTRODUCING….

THE REALITY ON BRAVO NEWSLETTER

You can sign up now for my new Reality on Bravo newsletter. You’ll get issues once a month with fun reality show news, features on what happened to your favorite stars, pictures of contestants, recaps of the best shows, contests and competitions, and news on what else is going on here at 451 Press.

To sign up, click on the contact button below my profile on the right of this screen. Just fill in your name and address (which will never be given out to anyone else, I promise!) and write “Sign me up for your newsletter!” in the email body. The first issue will be sent by email on March 15th!

I’m pretty excited about this newsletter, so I hope you’ll all sign up!

Other than that, here’s some exciting news of stuff going on in the blogging world about Bravo shows:

On Blogging Project Runway, they announced their list of Project Runway All-Stars last week. This week, you can vote on a wildcard to include on the list. I’m a Jeffrey fan, so I had to vote for him. Who will you vote for?

On Blogging Top Chef, the writers do an interview with fan favorite Lee Ann Wong. See the answers to some interesting personal questions on their blog.

You can read about Ryan’s latest room on Top Design at Project: Top Design. The fabulous duo who write this blog also write Project Run-gay. That website is fierce.

That’s all for now readers. Sign up for the newsletter and have a great weekend!

I used to watch Rachael Ray’s daytime TV show everyday at 3 because, well, I’m a sure for easy cooking (for some of 451’s own easy recipes, check out Stephanie’s blog). I haven’t watched for a while, though, because I’ve been busy, but with my new lappy top in hand, I decided to do some work in front of the TV today.

When Rach came on, who should be one of her guests but the fabulous Tim Gunn, from Bravo’s Project Runway! In honor of the upcoming Oscars, he went though and gave some evening gown dos and don’ts, and Rachael announces that her dress for the ball was goingto be made by non other than the fabulous Uli, one of the runner ups from last season’s PR.

I’m uber excited because I loved Uli throughout the whole show–she’s a great person AND a great designer. In case you guys can’t remember her or lived under a rock and didn’t watch the show, here is a piece from her PR finally collection:

Sophisticated but fun. Perfect for Rachael! I’m really excited to see what she’ll be wearing!

Rachael Ray, Project Runway, Uli

Unlike the fame found with some reality show contestants, Project Runway winners don’t really seem to translate well as celebrities into the world. Jeffrey Sebelia, the season three winner who was inspired to try out for the show after talking to his friend Santino, from season two, is one such PR star who is now broke.

The show gives winners $100,000 to help them get a career started, but once Jeffrey paid off his debts and accounted for the time he lost during the taping of the show, he didn’t have much left. He still gets mobbed by fans on the streets sometimes, but the real business is trickling in very slowly, and his own business is hurting from the time off he spent to be on Project Runway.

His biggest claim to fame after the show was probably the suit he made for Seal, but other than that he hasn’t been having much success. His line is still edgy, but his prices are too high to the young crowd that is his main market, with t-shirts starting at $100 and dresses at $500.

Right now, although he’s embarrassed to admit it, Jeffrey is working as the costume designer for the upcoming Bratz movie, you know, as he says “those slutty dolls.” I don’t think he’s going to disappear from the industry altogether, but I do hope that business picks up for him soon, since he’s got great talent.

Project Runway, Jeffrey Sebelia

The victim of last night’s show was Felicia. I don’t have a whole lot to say–I totally agree with the decision made by the designers about who should go home. Her room was SO ugly. I would probably shoot myself too if I had to live there (that was her client’s comment!).

That said, I am sad that she’s gone. I think she has a lot to offer and was capable of making it to the end, at least more so than some of the other contestants. It was just a bad night. That sucks.

And I don’t like Carisa–not at all. She’s such a diva, and her skills aren’t that great. Matt’s room was much better, and he def should have won. I really see a lot of potential in him.

Next week looks like a group challenge again, so should be lots of drama!

“I’m not your bitch, bitch.”

On Season 1 of Top Chef, Tiffani Faison was the villian, although she asserts that there were some definite edits done to her interviews, saying in a recent interview:

“The amount of compliments I dished out to the other cast members in my interviews ended up on the floor. There were some people that I really liked and respected.”

Whether you liked her or not, Tiffani never had any formal training, yet her food was good enough to secure her a place as runner up of Top Chef Season 1.

You can check out her food for yourself, because she’s now the head chef of Riche, a fairly new Todd English restaurant in New Orleans.

A meal there if going to cost you upwards of $30 a pop, but they have an open grill and an oyster bar, as well as traditional French cusine. You can call (504) 533-6117 for directions and to make reservations if you’re in New Orleans anytime soon.

Tiffani will also be heading up a lesbian cooking cruise through the Greek Islands in May of this year, so I hear, but the details were a little shakey on that one. I’ll let you know more as I hear it!

Top Chef, Tiffani Faison, Riche, Todd English

Stephen starts off the first of my “Where are they now?” post series…because we all want to know what’s happening with our favorite stars of the past!

If you’re a Top Chef fan like me, then you’ll remember Stephen as the young know-it-all wino from Season 1. He made it to the top 5, but was canned after judges saw that he paid more attention to the front of the house than to the food.

These days, Stephen still loves wine, and he’s bringing it to Downtown LA. After failing to get a permit for his idea in Costa Mesa, he decided to target the LA area for a hipper crowd.

His wine boutique, Tastevin, will feature wines in my price range (ie, around $25), and will be set up like a museum. Customers will be able to press a button and hear an audio description of the wine, Steve-style, I’m sure (ie, long winded). Customers will also be able to taste up to three samples before buying. He hopes to keep 50 eclectic wines on hand at any given time.

Mmmm….it makes me want to move to Los Angeles. Stephen may have been annoying as hell on Top Chef, but he definitely knows his wines and is sure to make some interesting decisions regarding what they’ll carry.

Read more about wine at 451’s wine blog.

Top Chef

I just don’t want Valentine’s Day to be over–it’s such a cute holiday! On Bravotc.com, stars of their reality shows recently dished on first kisses and childhood love. Here are my favorite stories:

Jo, from The Real Housewives of OrangeCounty:

I was in sixth grade. There was this guy I was dating named Chris. It was raining and we were all standing by the softball field, where all the cool kids were hanging out. Chris had told everyone he was going to kiss me at recess, and so suddenly everyone starts crowding around. In a circle! It was mortifying! I didn’t want to do it…read more

Lee Ann Wong, from Season 1 of Top Chef:

It was wet. And sloppy. And lots of fun. It was in my bedroom at my house, unbeknownst to my mom. I can only hope that the statute of limitations about getting in trouble has passed, Mom. Sorry! It paved the way for many other ex-boyfriends to follow…read more

Jeana, from The Real Housewives of Orange County:

I can’t remember where I put my keys 5 minutes ago, but my first kiss that actually meant something was to Shane, my first born. His feet, his face, everything on him was swollen and he was the ugliest baby in the world….read more

The Real Housewives of Orange, Top Chef

Last night’s episode of Top Design really disappointed me. Elizabeth was the victim. Why? she chose a bright green color and plum color to use on the cabana that the designers were asked to build.

Ok, first of all color is subjective. Even the judges mentioned that. I actually liked the colors she picked. True, their design was my least favorite. I don’t think it warrented Elizabeth going home Matt gave little/no imput throughout the show, riding through on Eric and Elizabeth’s decisions.

On the other team, I would have rather Carissa AND Ryan go home beofre Elizabeth. They are both self-centered and it because they don’t work together that they didn’t wint. Their design, mostly from Goil, was far superior. The furniture and fabric was both horrible. If it at least would have worked together, it would have been better.

That siad, Top Design is really not that great of a show. I doubt it will be back for another season. The judges are all wrong. The contestants are typical and boring. The challenges look like fun to do if you’re there, but don’t seem all that great when finished–and who pays for all this wood and paint and furniture. It seems like a waste. On Top Chef, people eat the food. On Project Runway, people wear the clothing. On Top Design??? I have no clue. I’m guessing a crew takes it appart every week, salvages what they can, and throw the rest. What a waste.

Top Design

Here’s the run down of last night’s episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County:

Jo was celebrating her birthday (25th I think?) this episode. I’m sorry, but I can’t stand her anymore. She acts like such a little snob! Her bf Slade bought her a pink guitar and she complained because it was electric. The he got her all these diamonds to wear out on the town and she said he doesn’t really like diamonds and that she’d rather have shoes. To top it off, she went into LA and partied without him. He was intentionally not invited. Joke’s on her though, because he went out with the boys and met a super nice girl. I for one am sick of Jo acting like a prissy little bitch. Slade’s a little clingy, but he’s way too good for her.

George took Lauri and all of the kids (sans Josh) to Hawaii. Nothing really new there, except her saying how much she loves and misses Josh. I’m really starting to like George, though. He seems like a great guy.

Vicki is dealing with the new dog, Lucy, who was supposed to go to school with Brianna, but who is now not allowed. She’s taking the puppy to dog training, which is cute, but that whole story line is boring. I like Vicki, but her life is just work, work , work.

Sean met a girl on the Internet and she comes to stay with him, Jeanna and the rest of that family. She’s weird and everyone makes fun of the whole situation. Sean is still an ass.

Lastly, Tammy is basically just in conflict with Duff all the time. He wants to make things work, she does not. I can’t understand why–I REALLY like that guy. He’s a great Daddy and seems like a great boyfriend. Tammy, on the other hand, is messed up…One day, she goes with him to pick out artwork with him, but the next day she requests that he leave Jeanna’s house so she can some over, but she doesn’t want him there. Weird. In other Tammy-news, her younger daughter gets her license and proceeds to get into a fender bender. The next day, her daddy buys her a new car. Nah, she’s not spoiled.

Real housewives is kinda getting boring. I have high hopes for the next episode thought–looks like a good one.

Thoughts, anyone?

The Real Housewives of Orange County

Jonathan Adler is one of the three new judges for Bravo Reality. Acting in part as a host when Todd’s not around, Adler and the other judges contemplate over who has the best deisgn every week on Bravo’s Top Design.

Personally, I’m not too keen on the judges or their choices so far, but if nothing else, Adler has overcome obstacles to get where he is today.

He was recently interviewed by the New York Post:

“I told my pottery teacher that I really wanted to be a potter,” says Adler, 40. “I said, ‘Do you think I have what it takes?’” At the time, Adler was an art history major at Brown University and spending his free time making pots at the nearby Rhode Island School of Design. “And she said, ‘You’re terrible. You’re a disaster. You have no talent. Move to New York and become a lawyer or an accountant.’”

Read the rest of the story here.

Jonathan Adler, Bravo, Top Design, New York Post

Ok, people. I love Top Chef as much as the next person. Actually, MORE than the next person.

But Ilan won. Top Chef is over until next season. Let’s move on.

Yet, still, people are talking about it. This past weekend, Mama Hall decided that she too, was sick of hearing about it. Well, mainly she was sick of people bashing her son. She says that he played a character, partly on his own account and partly because of editing.

I found my reaction to him on TV a kind of flip side to my response to a fictional character like Tony Soprano. I treat Tony, in post-episode conversations, as if he were real. And I treat Ilan, in similar post-show analyses, as if he was a character.

During the last presidential election, I, a news and political junkie, was glued to the computer screen.

During the “Top Chef” season I was also glued, this time as an advocate, reading bloggers’ kind and cruel comments. Wanting Ilan to be loved, albeit by strangers, was almost as important as seeing him win. (Not quite, but almost.) And when “Top Chef” wrapped, I felt a little bit of the same letdown I felt after “The Sopranos” season and the election coverage were over. (Not quite, but almost.)

Cooking with the ingredients and under the constraints of the “Top Chef” competition was only lifelike. Even though, according to Ilan, the judging was fair and the best cooks really did make it to the finale, reality TV is a lot like American cheese: edible, tasty, a winning dish even, but not the real thing.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Top Chef

Ok, time for week #2 of Bravo’sTop Design Contest. The above bowl/vase thingy is the winning prize (uggggggly if you ask me, but hey–I guess it would look nice in some person’s house…)

Last week, Top Design producers asked to see unique ways in which to keep collections. This week, the contest is to create a pillow cover using a creative fabric/method. See www.BravoTV.com for full deatails.

Oh, and here’s a cool little spin on things–you get to vote on last week’s entries by visiting the site. Even if you’re not hyped up on the prize above, the grand prize, where all winning entires will be put into a drawing, is a trip for two to Miami! Schweet.

Anyone entering?

Bravo, Top Design Contest, Top Design