Fall TV Judgments Thus Far...

First off, I'm excited that Dirty Sexy Money finally returns to us tonight. I've heard some bizarre things about its premiere, but I'll wait to discuss them until after it's aired. Especially since there is plenty to opine on in the meantime.

If you are not caught up on any of the shows below, be forewarned that I am going to talk about plot points...

Amazing Race 13

This is one of those shows that you don't realize you've been missing until you see it again. I love you, Phil! My main complaint about the season thirteen premiere is that there wasn't enough Phil in it for my liking.

I can't fully judge the teams just yet, but my initial impressions were that I thought the hippie beekeepers seemed cool, but wasn't surprised that they were the first to go. I don't like that lady with the penciled-in eyebrows who is married to (and was cheated on by) the football player guy (I just looked up their names: Tina and Ken). My husband commented that "the 'frat guys' seem more like 'losers'... or is that the same thing"? While I won't be as tough on my Greek brothers, I will say that the more worrisome of the two, Dan, is already bugging the bejeezus out of me. Lastly, I think the guy who is supposedly so carefree, Terrance (dating Type A Sarah), is a total poser who first states that he wouldn't care if he doesn't make friends or talk to anyone else for the entire race, but then is shown in the previews complaining about how other teams are working together. He's a little too wimpy and annoying for my taste.

On a related note, I went to Salvador, Brazil (the city with the huge elevator) on my spring break during graduate school, so it was cool to watch a challenge based there.


Gossip Girl

Curse baseball!!! Some stupid game cut into my recording of GG and I only got to see the first half of this week's episode. I was loving Dan hanging out with Chuck and then I didn't get to see the rest of what happened! The last scene I caught was when Dan overheard Chuck talking to Daddy Warbucks on the phone and being blown off once again. What happened after that?!?!

I also missed the actual fashion show, but I'm assuming from the previews I'd watched before the episode that Serena herself walked the catwalk and made Blair even more jealous... am I right?

I'm not sure what to think of this season so far overall... I just want Chuck and Blair together, is that too much to ask? Watching Chuck Bass is the highlight of my week. That probably says a lot about my typical week.


The Hills

Oh Lord, where do I begin? First off, Lauren's "trip to Italy" seemed very staged to me. Why didn't they tape her in Italy? Most likely because she wasn't there... she was probably holed up in her parent's house or something. Secondly, even if she was there, how did she stay? Just long enough for Stephanie to go on a date with Doug... how convenient. Lastly and most importantly... WHO COMES BACK EARLY FROM ITALY!?! LC claimed that she had "seen all that Italy had to offer." Shame on you, Lauren. I weep for your generation.

In this week's episode, I couldn't make up my mind if the confrontation between Spencer and Heidi's mom was real or not. If it was, then I feel so sorry for that woman, I truly do. Could you imagine if your daughter were dating that weasel and there was nothing you could do about it? I don't think I've ever felt this much disgust toward someone on a reality TV show. I know hate is a strong word and all, but I really hate Spencer. I used to think that Heidi seemed somewhat intelligent, but I can't keep ignoring the fact that since she's still with Spencer, she simply can't be too bright. He literally has no redeeming values.

I'm so worked up that I feel like I need a beer and it's only 10:15 in the morning.


Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Island

This season is not as good as I was hoping it would be, but I'll of course keep watching it. I barely know any of the players, so that's not helping. It was pretty crazy when that guy got stung by all of the wasps, though. Other than that, it's just depressing to witness all of the girls on the show putting up with the ridiculousness of the guys. Johnny and Kenny are straight-up sexist pigs, and I'm not usually one that gets all bent out of shape about that kind of thing. It's enough to make me root for Ev, one of the few women who they seem to be intimidated by (but who I thought was pretty evil last season). Johanna, on the other hand, is about as dumb as they come. First she is engaged to Wes and now she's hooking up with Kenny? Girlfriend, you have some issues!


The Office

The season premiere last week was just so-so for me. Angela's engagement to what's-his-face has grown tiresome and they need to get her back with Dwight already. In fact, I was positive that the extra pounds from the group's weigh-ins were going to be from the fact that Angela is pregnant. Guess I was wrong on that one... for now.

The bright spot was Jim and Pam's surprise engagement. I really didn't see it coming and I dare say my eyes welled up just a tad. I was so thankful that they didn't have her "meet someone" while she's away at school - I might have had to stop watching the show in protest. I was also glad to see that they brought Ryan back as a temp again - brilliant! Michael seems to still be a tad too goofy for my liking, but I am encouraged that he's met his perfect match in the new HR representative. But that scene with Toby at the very end? Totally unnecessary and kind of ruined the premiere for me. No one likes to hear about anyone (even a fictional character) breaking their neck - yikes.


Survivor

Since I enjoyed the Fans vs. Favorites season so much last year, I figured I would give Survivor: Gabon a try, and I'm glad I did. They have some hilarious people roughing it out in Africa this time around, and I recommend that you tune in if you've ever watched Survivor in the past. Plus, Jeff Probst won the Emmy for Best Reality TV Host - how can you argue with that?!?

No, but seriously, the two-hour premiere was extremely entertaining. There's a totally pessimistic wedding photographer who I hope stays on the show for a long time because he's just so unintentionally funny. Then there's the nerdy, skinny "gamer" who actually had a shot with a girl his age... until she got the boot. And who can forget about "Ace," the Euro-trash braggart whose cockiness is only matched by his yoga skills. Yes, he's leading yoga sessions in the middle of the African plains.

There are a lot of people I can see myself rooting for in "Earth's Last Eden," so I'm happy that the casting geniuses behind this show are back at the top of their game.

So, in summary... it's seriously a good thing that Lost isn't also on right now - I barely have time as it is to watch these shows. Therefore, while I KNOW that there are a lot of other great series out there, don't even bother asking me why I don't follow them. Unless you can also tell me how to either clone myself or magically add another day onto the week. My TV schedule is set in stone for the fall, and on balance I'm happy with what I've seen so far. Let's hope tonight's premiere of Dirty Sexy Money doesn't make me feel the need to change that statement.

- e