Summer Reality TV Update

I hated Bravo’s The Fashion Show before I ever saw the first episode. Why? Because it wasn’t my beloved Project Runway. I wasn’t prepared to like, or even tolerate, any substitute for Project Runway on its original network. In fact, I wasn’t even going to watch.

But, a few weeks ago, during a fit of bored channel surfing, I happened onto a marathon of The Fashion Show. Almost before I knew it, I was hooked. As might be expected, there’s the usual crop of diva would-be designers, with all of the usual clashes of temper. But, I’m finding there’s actually more of an emphasis on the design process, and the actual fashions produced, than there has been on Project Runway in recent years.

At the end of each show there’s a fashion show not just for the judges, but also for an audience. I have no idea who is actually in the audience, but they get to pick the top two designs each week. The judges then choose the winner, as well as the designer that will be cut that week. So far, my main problem with The Fashion Show, is that I’m missing Tim Gunn something horrible.  Instead of a mentor like Tim, this show has two hosts — Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland — who also act as judges (or at least they seem too).

Thanks to Heather, I managed to get hooked on The Real Housewives of New Jersey toward the end of the season. Since I didn’t watch from the beginning, I never fully got to know all of the housewives. All I can say is, I could hardly believe the finale, and the blowup between Danielle and Teresa. Holy smokes! Was that all staged, or did it really happen? I definitely didn’t see Teresa’s meltdown coming in the shows that I watched. The part Dina, Caroline, and Danielle played in the whole thing didn’t surprise me. I was really appalled that all the kids were there for the whole argument. Yikes! I loved Teresa’s comment at the end, “I consider myself a very classy woman.” Yeah, right.

Finally, and best of all, I remain glued to my sofa each Wednesday and Thursday for So You Think You Can Dance. The first week of performances by the Top 20 were some of the best dances I’ve seen yet on the show. This past week’s performances weren’t anywhere near as good, but I’m still loving the show. And I loved the moment where we learned that Evan’s brother has auditioned for this fall’s season, and has made it to Vegas. Fingers crossed that he lands in the Top 20 this fall.

Any other shows I should be watching?