Pop Culture

One of the things Charlotte Bronte never had to contemplate: Reality TV. TV at all. I imagine she might have been one of those who claimed to never watch TV, but secretly caught every episode of Seinfeld. We might have shared a few laughs over reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Charlotte seems very serious and studied, but she had a sly wit and I think she might have appreciated Joss Whedon's humor.

Still, I believe I can safely assume that we might have parted ways on the subject of Reality TV. I don't think she would have liked it.

Definitely not the shows I like to watch, my guilty pleasures: Survivor (I haven't missed a season), America's Next Top Model (a recent find, but I've caught up on all seasons, plus Britain's, Australia's and Canada's, thanks to YouTube), Rock of Love I, II, and Rock of Love Bus (I'm waiting for Rock of Love Boat), and Man vs Food (Adam Richman, adorable-- and hungry).

Survivor Samoa is proving to be more exciting than I anticipated after the first few episodes. Evil Russell "The biggest Survivor villain ever!" was kind of annoying to watch. He was smug, self-centered, deceptive, and making the bold and ridiculous error of sabotaging his own team. Plus, they showed him so much that we never got to see the other Survivor contestants. But then, something happened. We started to get to know the others and it turned out-- Russell was the only one really playing the game. Now I'm solidly on Team Russell. I find myself on his side, actually cheering for him to plant his evil Russell Seeds and run away with the game. And the past few weeks have been incredible with fun Tribal Councils and excellent blindsides. I don't think Russell can win, but maybe one of the original Foa Foas will pull it off. After Galu started with such a huge lead, it's really something to see them implode. It's enough to make me smize. (Smile with my eyes-- you'd have to watch ANTM to know).

I also enjoy scripted TV: House, Lie to Me, Fringe, Glee.

Do you watch Survivor? Any reality shows? What are your favorite new shows?