If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. Anne Bradstreet

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. Ether 12:27

Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season therof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul. And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion. D&C 59:18-20

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Reality Shows

First, I don't know why they call them "reality" shows -- they are competitions.

I really like the following:

The Biggest Loser -- so motivational. This actually is "reality" as so many of us struggle with weight problems. But, that quarter million dollars makes it a competition. I don't have a solid favorite this season, as all of my non-favorites have been sent home. But if I were an at-homer, I'd be praying that BOTH Tera and Mike stay at the ranch, otherwise none of them will have much chance of winning the at-home $100,000 prize.

The Amazing Race -- another one of my very favorite favorites. I usually have a strong favorite by the time they get down to the final 4, but this season I don't. I was a little down on Keisha and Jen, but this last Sunday softened my heart towards them. I could not have done that competition because of my fear of water, I don't think even with a life vest. So I really admire Jen for completing that activity, and since it is a 2-week leg, they may well be able to catch up. I think all 4 remaining teams are top-notch contenders.

Celebrity Apprentice -- I watched a couple seasons when it was the regular Celebrity Apprentice, but I really like Celebrity Apprentice so much better. This last Sunday Melissa Rivers made a royal fool of herself. At this stage of the competition, it's not who deserves to be fired, but who deserves to stay. Annie and Brandy are the top 2 fund raisers, in that order, and so they obviously deserved to stay, absent either one of them making a very serious blunder in the project. Melissa has been a whining crybaby almost from the beginning. And her mother encouraged it, IMO. For her to turn her back on her commitment to the show and to her charity just because it was time to let Melissa shows a real lack of character. I was a little sad to see Clint's team win, though, as I was really hoping Jesse James would get fired -- I think his work ethic leaves a lot to be desired.

Dancing With the Stars -- I'm a late comer to this competition, too. The first time I watched it, I thought how embarrassing that these "stars" are making such fools of themselves trying to dance. But a couple seasons later I watched an entire season, and was really caught up in how much improvement some of them make. It's also very interesting to me to see at what level each of them peaks out, and to observe the shockers when a really good dancer is eliminated. I'll never forget Cloris Leachman's fantastic performances. She's one classy entertainer. Again, I don't have a solid favorite this season, but all the ones I wanted eliminated have been, so I'm happy with that.

Britain's Got Talent -- I love the American counterpart, but it's in off-season right now. We don't get BGT on our tv selections, but I caught the news about Susan Boyle and googled the show. They have clips from other contestants also that are really good. A 12-year old boy and a 10-year old girl are very talented. They have a dance group that is sensational, and a comedy routine that was just really funny. Boyle is going to have to work to win the competition for sure -- it's not in the bag for her by any means. It is so wonderful to see ordinary people have the opportunity to display their talents and be recognized and rewarded for them.

Survivor -- I'm currently rooting for Sierra, because she's the underdog. I was so glad to see Tyson booted out. His conceit and arrogance knows no match, except for Coach, who I hope is the next to go.