Former Reality Show Contestants

Wow. A sad sad pathetic little boy. He's not performing at the Key Club for rock fans! He's calling BINGO!!! I wonder how high he was when he said that.

Abrahammy, I'm glad you had a good experience with Carpe that was different than mine. Perhaps she treats people differently based on if she likes them or not, and that's why my experience was so different.

Luca, I have been screaming about the "drunk with power" thing from the rooftops for a long time. Someone owns a board and they know they can do whatever they want without any sort of punishment, and then ban and BLUE INK anyone who does much the same thing or fights back, is really frightening. I know at GS they played favorites all the time. When they started hiding behind the generic administrator title, I couldn't believe the cowardice.

I left one board because you could never speak your mind about anything because the star who was the subject of the board, according to the administrators, never said anything bad about anyone, so we must be like him. Hmmmm...sounds like a religious figure, right?

Back to the subject at hand. I can't imagine a lower bottom for him to hit to get just an ounce of humility. If calling BINGO and singing in the racks at Steinmart doesn't make you humble, nothing will.

Hmmm.........I know a board much like the one you're talking about. After chasing most of the active members away with their 'drunk with power' attitudes and then offending the very person their board was for is now almost begging people to return. Seems to me the apology is too late and the damage is done. I don't get it.

So howzabout anything other than board wars?

I watch Biggest Losers.

Last night they had a woman from the first season who now works for the show's doctor as a technician or nurse or something, looking FABULOUS, three years after the was on the show. Not too skinny, just right.

I am inspired.

That is inspiring Fraz. I love to see long term success stories from the Biggest Loser shows or really about anyone who achieves a healthy weight after struggling with being very overweight.

I just watched the new reality show with Nikki Taylor and Tyson Beckford called "Make me a Supermodel"-yeah, I know it sounds lame as hell, but they got some kids that have a lot of personality in the final 12-and to me the boys are way more supermodel material than the girls, but should be interesting to see how the personalities evolve. Tyson and Nikki strike me as pretty genuine people, who really put a lot of themselves into working with the kids. Yes, it gets lamer...people vote for their favs and that is how the winner is selected.

Anyway, almost forgot my point about the weight issue...they actually turned a girl away because she was too underweight and looked borderline anorexic...I thought that was very cool because she looked like many gals I have seen in Vogue at any given time. Maybe the borderline anorexic look is going out of favor...I hope!

I do tend to like the fashion related reality shows...even Tyra's Next Top Model....runs out to escape the rotten tomatoes being thrown....

I watched The Biggest Loser too, and the former contestant looked great. This new show is 'couples' and I must say the Father/Daughter team that went home really had some issues. I thought he said some hurtful things to his daughter without even realizing he hurt her. They seem to be continuing the program and I'm hoping they are successful.

Luca, I keep wanting to see (online, if nothing else) Project Runway. I know I would love it! I tune in to Next Top Model sometimes. THere is some sort of weird dynamic behind the scenes on that one, so I don't enjoy it as much as I would if everybody was being their real selves. Hmmmm. maybe they ARE being their real selves.

Sky, me too, about the daughter and her asshole of a father. Their issues are profoundly real, painful and compelling. Nothing cutesie for the cameras about that one. I hope the daughter escapes the father's oppressive ways, or, more unlikely, the father turns human before he dies.

I enjoyed the "pinks'...middle aged naughty woman and her daughter. I could really see how that daughter got positive stuff from eccentric mom.

frazzle wrote:

I enjoyed the "pinks'....

frazzle, I enjoyed the Pink team too. At first I thought, Oh Boy, this isn't going to work............but they may just be the biggest Losers.

Poor Taylor and Ruben.

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/01/two-idol-winner.html

I can't say I am really surprized about Tay and Rueben being dropped. Tay seemed to be doomed from the get go.

Frazzle wrote:

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Luca, I keep wanting to see (online, if nothing else) Project Runway. I know I would love it! I tune in to Next Top Model sometimes. THere is some sort of weird dynamic behind the scenes on that one, so I don't enjoy it as much as I would if everybody was being their real selves. Hmmmm. maybe they ARE being their real selves.

Fraz, you must see this week's Project Runway episode! It rocked! I won't spoil it for everyone, but I'll just say they made outfits from materials at the NYC Times Square Hershey store!

I agree there are some vapid little twits on the Next Top Model, that are probably being themselves ...and are too clueless to try and act like someone else. But, there is some great fashion , photography, and I am very intriqued by the judges feedback and fav's sometimes.

Seems the comments are very supportive of Taylor. He is the one I feel sorry for. I don't think they knew what to do with him.

Reuben won on personality. When nobody saw his personality anymore and his music was boring, they didn't buy his records.

I really wanted Taylor to make 'it'. He has such a good personality and voice. It wasn't my kind of music, but I liked him.

Me too Sky. I didn't buy his CD, but I bought it for my mom who LOVES him. I didn't tell her he was dropped. She would have felt so bad for him. I really totally enjoyed Taylor on AI. He was so fun and refreshing compared to the Diva types or the pretty pop princesses. You could really see how singing and performing was just heaven for him and that music meant so much to him. I will say it didn't help that RCA didn't NOTHING to promote him at all. He didn't even get a video for his singles. No radio pay for play. It all went to Chris and Kat. They spared no expense on videos for them.

Yes, Ruben and Taylor were people who sort of touched your heart with their smile and warmth. So they made better TV than CDs.

Blake and Jordin's CDs are selling even worse than Taylor's so far. Jordin's has been out for a couple of months and she does have her songs on the radio and she still hasn't sold 300,000. Blake half of that from what I saw yesterday. Fantasia's sale are bad too, but she does get Grammy nods so I don't know if that will have any effect on their decision to keep her. It will be interested to see how long some of these poor performers are kept. I bet you anything several AIers are now going to be one CD and bye bye.

The problem with many of these people, as we've pointed out, is that they're cute or funny and you like them on the show and so you vote for them, but once they go away, you forget who they are.

The people who made it had HUGE followings during the show that carried over. Jordin was lovely, but completely unmemorable and too young to know what to do once AI ended. Blake was a departure for the show, but there's so many people who do what he does much better.

I am quite certain Taylor's AI album failed because it had really dull, mass-produced songs on it. I've got both his AI album and Under the Radar, the one he did indie before AI. I have listened to his AI album ONCE. I have Under the Radar on my ipod and I listen to it all the time.

I don't know that anything other than a sudden metamorphosis into Chris Daughtry would have convinced the 19Evil people to give him the support and creative freedom he needed to make a decent album, but they hated him because he tried to get the cast to organize for a better contract, so he went in with serious strikes against him.

The thing they forgot... whenever the winner is deeply, profoundly overshadowed by a runner-up, it hurts the show. Back in season two they forced a Ruben Studdard win over somebody who was much more popular, and it hurt the show. Here, they took the winner's perks and gave them to a contestant they like better, and it's hurt the show. With Jordin's failure, I think the franchise is now on the ropes unless they can find another Carrie Underwood.

Secretly it all really is about the singing.

The people who make it from AI have extraordinary voices, which means some people like those unique voices, and some don't, but they truly don't sound like anybody else, and have utterly recognizable voices.

I consider only these three successes: Kelley, Clay, Daughtry. Carrie is successful but I can't pick out her voice from any other really pretty good Country voice, so I would say she disproves my argument...
but I will make it, anyway.

I was late in recognizing Kelley, but when she is doing her best work, she is wonderful. She makes sound I like to listen to and would buy if she was doing songs I liked, absolutely.

Daughtry, "goat vibrato" say his non-fans, but utterly recognizable, on pitch, and masculine...all selling points to my ear. I am not all that fond of his personality, but I like the tone, and know it is him in 2 seconds. I'd buy his stuff if he sang songs I liked.

Clay , on the Neil Sedaka Tribute, for instance..has sweet, whole, deep, powerful, lyrical, aggressive, conceding, tones that I not only recognize within 2 seconds, but that actually inspire me, make me want to hear more, make me HAPPY! (All the more why the skating show was very disappointing). When he is at the top of his game I would buy his music even if I don't necessarily like the style. I have more Clay live performances on my hard drive than anybody else except Eva Cassidy and EmmyLou Harris and even Tom Waits.

When powerful, unique voices come together with one's own musical taste (and the voices are at their best) they are radically different from everybody else.

Taylor Hicks showed promise of being one of them in the version of Ray Charle's "Georgia" from before AI that floated around the internet...that was what made me think it might have the thing...but even though I liked him, he did not come up to that standard on the show or any of the songs I have heard since.

Constantine is instantly recognizable, but his inherent tone is not all that pleasing to me. But because he does meet the recognizable criteria, I actually cheer for the fact that Abrahammy, and probably three or four other people, like him for the same reasons I like the people I like, And I have said ad nauseum, I liked Constantine mostly because I liked the personae of Giddle and Athan, which is not the same thing.

By the way, this is just me blabbing on a Friday night...Have lacked chit-chat conversations for too long from working too much this week (which I am GRATEFUL for).

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Constantine is instantly recognizable, but his inherent tone is not all that pleasing to me. But because he does meet the recognizable criteria, I actually cheer for the fact that Abrahammy, and probably three or four other people, like him for the same reasons I like the people I like,

Hey, if the man was pleasant or had the momentum of a ball rolling at even the slightest angle, I'd be pretty happy. Unfortunately, he's not.(..except when really trying hard to be on his best behavior, and it's a little forced...) and right now, he doesn't.

Agreed that Daughtry's unique and definitive style have made him a star. Just isn't my cuppa. No resentment towards HIM. (I reserve the right to laugh and point at his tattoo.) If they had treated Taylor as well as they treated Chris, even if Chris still sold more, I'd be OK with everything. As it is, I'm not losing sleep over it... I just think it's weakened the show's premise not to support the winner and it's biting them in the ass.

I've said it before and I do just think there are too many former AI contestants now. Most ppl follow a contestant until the show is done and then they are onto the next group. I don't think there will be another Kelly, Clay or Daughtry.

And I know The Karma police will be after me but I cannot stop laughing at that GB vid FC brought over where the woman walks in front of him witn a food tray.

That's my biggest problem with the Taylor thing Abrahammy. He won that season and they didn't make any effort to support their winner. It makes no sense to have a show that is suppose to be about "the winner America picked" and than just go ahead and support who "they" wanted and kick the winner to the curb. It sucks. They have every right to support more than one contestant if they so choose, but give the the same or more support to the winner. Otherwise the whole premise of the show is lost.

I'm glad I provided you with some good laughs Aerwin It is quite a strange little vid isn't it?!

I of course agree with Frazz about Clay. When he is in top form his voice is just pure magic and I also would buy anything he sings just for THAT voice! It doesn't hurt that he is wickedly funny and so darn caring of children

I was flipping channels last night (trying to find something to watch since all the good shows are reruns ) and I caught the end of Constantine on the Paula Dean cooking show. I only saw him for about a minute, but I must say he looked nice (except I really wish he would button his shirt higher so he didn't look all disco sleazy) and he seemed charming with Paula. When he tries he can be pleasant and look nice. His hair looked lovely - something I haven't been able to say for quite some time! I wish I had seen more of it because Paula seemed quite taken with him. Abrahammy let me know if there is a vid of his whole segment somewhere OK?

Never mind Abrahammy, the whole vid made it on ONTD so I saw it all. He actually was really delightful on it AND I finally saw an easy way to make a lattice pie crust! So it was worth watching!

I've watched a clip of it. I don't go after contraband with the laser-like intensity I used to. I think the two different clips we are seeing paint an interesting picture of Constantine. When he's in a properly professional situation, and he really understands that he's under scrutiny, he really does have the ability to behave and present himself well and be quite pleasant and charming. When he's unguarded, in a situation that he finds awkward or demeaning, when he's had too much to drink or smoke, or when he lets himself get too defensive, he can be a real jerk.

I have personally met both Constantines in real life - and the one I last spoke to, when he realized I was trying to work through a conflict with him and not attacking him, was extremely pleasant and kind and polite.

Of course, the measure of a person's character is how you behave in stressful situations. He has some idea of how to behave, but he can only do it when the conditions are right. He has some growing up to do.

I also think that maybe a lot of Taylor's votes came from people who were voting for him just to stick it to Simon. And then there's the factor that people may have enjoyed his live performances with the crazy dancing but didn't care all that much for his recording voice.

I loved Taylors performances and watching him on stage, he just had so much energy! I only heard a little of his Cd and didn't much care for it....it just wasn't him and you couldn't see or hear his energy.

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I also think that maybe a lot of Taylor's votes came from people who were voting for him just to stick it to Simon. And then there's the factor that people may have enjoyed his live performances with the crazy dancing but didn't care all that much for his recording voice.

I've said it before. I consider myself an average AI viewer. I agree about Taylor.

Here's the thing. They tried to make it all be about Reuben when he won (especially since it was the second season and Kelly far outshone anyone else). So, they're figuring the winner is the winner and just open your bag and dump the money in.

The thing is, Clay could not be stopped. They tried to silence him and do a number of things to make sure Reuben was the one with all the perks. It didn't work out that way.

So, my theory still stands. Like Frazz, said, you have to stand out from the pack. I agree with her also, about Carrie Underwood. I think she's Faith Hill lite without the personality. Country fans are a lot more forgiving, I think. She was so non-threatening too.

So, I guess I don't completely agree that unless they promote the hell outta you, you won't do well. I honestly think they could have promoted Taylor Hicks till the cows came home. Once he was off AI, he and a bunch of others totally did not interest me. Clay made it through his AI album filled with songs that were boring. If someone emerged from AI a real star, they'd stay that way.

I truly think that even if Daughtry put out a typical AI album, he still would have had a following. I was in the audience when he was voted off. I felt what went through the crowd.

Hey, Abrahammy, I used to love watching GB in interviews. He seemed like this humble guy with a great sense of humor. Even I had to begrudgingly admit that when he was on "The Soup" he did a really good job. The reason? He was making fun of HIMSELF. Something he really needs to do. If you show people you have a sense of humor about yourself, you can go far. You're right though. The drinking, smoking and massive amounts of undeserved HUBRIS do not help him and so he continues to embarass and become a caracature of himself.

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