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The worst-timed kiss in franchise history leads to a surprise elimination in Prague
By Diane Vadino
Special to MSN TV
Welcome to what is quite possibly -- and entirely not ironically -- the best episode of "The Bachelorette" of all time. It has everything: actual romance (between puppets), gorgeous locations (in Prague), an all-time most-awkward kiss (oh, Doug), fireworks on demand, and a weeping man (hello, Chris). So here we go: one group date, and three one-on-ones. And next week, hometowns. What more could we ask for?
Bing: More about Emily Maynard | 'The Bachelorette'
Arie's up first, and we have the minimal drama of Arie having dated Cassie, a "Bachelorette" producer with whom Emily is friends. Chris even breaks in, presidential-news briefing style, to bring us up to date (so this is what "full disclosure" looks like): Cassie and Arie dated five million years ago, approximately twice, but no one mentioned any of this to Emily, who is put out by the entire thing. Emily and Cassie have a little discussion about Arie's supposed indiscretion. Then Emily and Arie talk. Sample:
Arie: "What is another important thing to you?"
Emily: "Not having any secrets ... that's huge."
And so on. Then Emily, Arie, and Cassie talk, but off camera. Who made that decision? At the same time, though, who in the world cares? Arie is like, Are you crazy, that was ten million years ago, can we please talk about something else. Like how he's realized he's in love with Emily. "If things keep going this way," Emily says, "nothing would make me happier." Cue fireworks!
Photos: 'Bachelorette' stars: Where are they now? | This season's contestants
Next up is John, in this week's placeholder date. This date basically consists of John saying things like "This is going awesome" and Emily just sort of nodding with a sad smile on her face. Also, John confuses saying private things aloud with actual intimacy, so every once in a while he'll offer something up about a past relationship (his ex-girlfriends must love being picked apart on TV). "I'm not a starter—I'm a closer," John says confidently, while Emily keeps nodding. "I'm falling for Emily. It's happening," John says. It's like watching someone narrate a landslide. "That ledge of mud and dirt is falling. It's happening." There's no roses on the one-on-ones this week, but if there were, it's exceptionally hard to imagine John getting one. Even if he thinks he aced it.
John comes home soon enough and provides the guys with an inaccurately rosy picture of their date. This, however false, has the pleasing result of making both Chris and Sean insane. Pretty much everything you need to know about them is seen in how they handle this news. Sean more or less immediately runs out into the street and shouts Emily's name ub the street, until he tracks her down and takes her out for a drink. Emily is tickled pink. By contrast -- and take note, guys -- Chris begins his slow spiral into rose-ceremony weeping. "I love that Sean had the confidence to just come out and find me," Emily says. "This is the best surprise -- my face hurts I'm smiling so much." Emily apologizes for the group date. "You don't have to say sorry," Sean says. Hopefully Chris is at home watching this, seeing how it's done.
Next up is the group date, and it is awesome. Let's begin with Doug. Poor Doug. I really like Doug, and I don't think Emily got to see the same, awesome Doug we saw at home -- he always seemed basically terrified of her. "Today's going to be an awesome day," he says, incorrectly. "Doug is so sweet, and so sweet for me, but I don't know if we have that chemistry that I want," Emily says, revealing that he was nearly eliminated last week. After a conversation that visually resembles two guidance counselors talking about a bad student in the cafeteria, Emily takes Doug out for a serious conversation. She's clearly about to give him the boot, but he's equally clearly not getting it. "I have the hardest time getting a read on her," Doug says. "I'd love to give her a kiss." Emily is on the opposite wavelength. "I completely understand slow moving but then there's no moving at all," she's says. Doug is incorrectly interpreting this as...oh, it's just so terrible, because then, at the worst possible moment, he moves in to kiss her. "Thank you for that," she says. But she's sending him home. "I feel really stupid for just giving you a kiss," he says. What sucks is that he interprets this as having taken a risk and failing, rather than the truth, which is that he waited seven episodes too long to take a risk. Nothing else that happens on the group date is nearly as entertaining, except Chris laying into Emily for not giving him a one-on-one date. It's icky. Unsurprisingly, Sean gets the rose.
Finally, we have Jef's one-on-one is beyond adorable. If I were placing bets (totally unspoiled), I'd put them on Arie, but she does actually seem to have an even better time when she's with Jef, right? There seems to be more genuine laughter between these two than any other couple I remember being on this show, ever. Next, Jef tells Emily he loves her through puppets. It's so adorable. Like, if you saw it in a romantic comedy, no one would believe it, because it's so ridiculous and adorable. "It somehow makes it easier to express some big feelings," Jef says. Isn't this sort of the plot of that Mel Gibson movie where he has to took through the stuffed beaver? Also, they both want kids "yesterday." Also, Jef says, "I want to date you so hard and marry the **** out of you."
At long last comes the rose ceremony, which is unremarkable save for Chris's disintegration into unmanly tears. It's obviously going to come down to John and Chris, who had a master plan for apologizing for his group date behavior at the cocktail party. Except: we're totally skipping the cocktail party! Jef and Arie get their roses, and Chris, obviously, freaks out the moment the final rose is announced. At the moment of truth, he asks Emily to speak with him privately. He's basically crying at this point. "I really took this week for granted," Chris tells her uninterested ears. "I'm falling in love with you. If I wasn't able to say that, it would kill me. I do not want this to end between me and you."
It doesn't: Chris wheedles his way into the final rose. John is like, So that's what crying gets you? Next week: hometowns!
"The Bachelor" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
You mean to tell us reality television isn't real?
By Michelle Strub
MSN TV
Dashing all of our hopes and dreams that reality TV might in fact (or at least even a little bit), be real, the cast of the "Real Housewives of NYC" was caught allegedly staging and re-filming scenes over the weekend. Shocked. We're shocked.
Bing: 'Real Housewives of NYC' | Heather Thomson | Carole Radziwell
According to onlookers in Southampton where the show was filming, Heather Thomson and Carole Radziwell were acting like actors when they took instructions from producers, took breaks in dialogue to wait for camera setups and shot multiple takes.
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"Carole and Heather stood on Meeting House Lane and waited for the crew to call 'rolling,' before walking toward the camera and sitting on a park bench. They even shot the scene twice!" observed a concerned citizen.
It's not the first time a "Real Housewives" cast -- or any reality show for that matter -- has been accused of faking reality, but we still can't help feeling like we just found out all over again that Santa Claus doesn't exist.
Will you still watch knowing this about the show? Tell us at MSN TV on Facebook and Twitter.
'Bachelor' and Catherine turned down offer for even more screen time
WENN
Former "Bachelor" Sean Lowe has revealed he and fiancée Catherine Giudici were offered another shot at reality TV stardom, but they decided to turn it down. Just one week after Lowe proposed to Giudici on the season finale of the hit dating show in March, Lowe continued his run on ABC by joining the cast of "Dancing With the Stars." While he didn't nab the Mirrorball Trophy, his extended run on reality TV had critics believing he was just in it for the fame. Lowe slammed the reports at the time. And during a recent interview with talk show host Katie Couric, he backed up his statement by revealing network bosses offered the couple even more screen time with a new series - which they turned down.
Lowe divulged, "ABC approached us about doing a six-episode miniseries a while back, and at the time, it wasn't really something that we wanted to do only because we need time to be ourselves and to be normal and not to have cameras around. I don't know if that's something we would entertain in the future or not." Giudici added, "Camera chapter is done. This is a new one. It's nice to be quiet and get to know each other on a different level." Despite the fact the happy couple turned down the miniseries offer, Lowe and Giudici still have plans to have a televised wedding on the network but have yet to set a date for the big day.
Plus: Top 25 stars under 25 | Most vicious 'True Blood' villains | Miss USA 2013 contestants
'X Factor' judge wishes she was as straightforward and courageous as her boss
WENN
Demi Lovato has confessed she admires "X Factor" creator Simon Cowell's honesty and wishes she was as courageous as he is when it comes to telling wannabes the truth. The "Heart Attack" singer has returned for a second season as a judge on the singing competition, reclaiming her place next to fellow mentor and frequent rival Cowell. And, although the two playfully butt heads on the show, Lovato does commend him for having no filter when it comes to doling out usually harsh criticisms to poorly performing hopefuls.
She tells Heat magazine, "Whatever he has to say, it's the honest truth. Sometimes I don't agree with him, but most of the time he says what I'm wanting to say but, like, I just physically can't because it's so mean! He knows what he's talking about. He knows that he's doing, and he's gonna tell you straight up, whether you want to hear it or not." Lovato and Cowell are currently in the middle of auditions for Season 2, along with new judges Paulina Rubio and Kelly Rowland. They will hit three more cities across the U.S. this summer before the live shows premiere this fall.
Plus: Top 25 stars under 25 | Most vicious 'True Blood' villains | Miss USA 2013 contestants
Host confesses he hated having to eliminate teary child contestants
WENN
"Amazing Race" host Phil Keoghan regrets filming a family version of the series, admitting he found it extremely difficult to eliminate the kids competing on the show. After 12 years, 22 seasons and 13 Emmy Awards, "The Amazing Race" is still one of the most popular reality series on television. And having been with the series since its inception, Keoghan has been through many ups and downs. But the one thing he wished had never made it to air was Season 8's family edition where families of four competed in the race around the world, including the youngest contestant at the age of 8.
During a roundtable discussion with the Hollywood Reporter, he admits, "I wish we hadn't done the family version of 'Amazing Race,' but I'm proud that we tried it. It didn't work, and it came back to the whole thing of having to eliminate kids. It's hard enough to eliminate anybody because they want to be there so badly. And I had to look into a kid's eyes with the tears pouring down with a raised eyebrow and dramatic pause, cameras coming in: 'I'm sorry to tell you, you've been eliminated.'
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'The Wanted Life' honcho knew right away Brit band's lifestyle would translate well
WENN
The Wanted are perfect for reality TV because of their unapologetic, wild and crazy rock star lifestyle, according to reality TV kingpin Ryan Seacrest. The Brit boy band broke onto the U.S. music scene last year with their hit "Glad You Came" and landed an E! series, "The Wanted Life," which follows their journey in America. Seacrest, who is the brains behind the new show, tells "Access Hollywood" that he knew the fivesome was perfect for reality television.
The "American Idol" host, who is also responsible for bringing the Kardashian clan to E!, reveals, "We had been playing their music on the radio, and they came into the office one day. And a lot of people that you meet with are a little bit guarded when they're in a meeting or when they're gonna do a television show. The Kardashians are not guarded, and I noticed that the Wanted are not guarded at all. They really will let you shoot anything. And they're wild. And they are unapologetic about being crazy rock stars, 20-something-years old and not caring if they're diving into fountains in Las Vegas and getting into trouble for it. And so, when I saw that, I thought, 'This is a TV show!'"
Plus: Top 25 stars under 25 | Most vicious 'True Blood' villains | Miss USA 2013 contestants
Host fretted that hit series was going to be another 'karaoke show'
WENN
"Voice" host Carson Daly initially turned down the offer to host the singing competition, confessing he didn't want to be part of a "karaoke show." The 39-year-old has built his career around his love of music -- as a radio DJ, the former host of MTV's "Total Request Live" and now as a host on NBC's hit singing contest. But it was as a devoted music fan that he declined the role on "The Voice" when he was first offered the gig. During an interview with late-night TV host Jay Leno, Daly, who also serves as a producer on the show, confessed he was apprehensive about joining the series in 2011, especially with similar shows like "American Idol" and "The X Factor" already on network TV.
Daly admitted, "I was pitching some dumb idea to NBC bosses to keep me around, and they said, 'We think we finally found the right prime-time vehicle for you, and it's a singing competition show.' And I said, 'No, thanks. I love music. I need to keep it credible. I'm not interested in a karaoke show.' They showed us a tape from Holland where they had 'The Voice,' and it was just great... I got goose bumps. I said 'If you'll have me, I'm in.' And really, people thought we were crazy because the market's been flooded with these types of shows. But we just felt we could put a show with the names of like Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green, real people who really wanted to help people and not just tell them they sucked. Maybe it could be uplifting, and it could work. And it did."
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'Teen Mom' and sex tape star feels she shines both personally and professionally
WENN
Farrah Abraham has slammed comparisons between her and Kim Kardashian, insisting she's a "smarter person" than the reality TV star. The 22-year-old, who is arguably the best known of the "Teen Mom" cast members, recently released a sex tape with adult film star James Deen. Now that the single mom is reaping the benefits of her newfound fame following her X-rated debut, many critics have likened her to Kardashian, who most gained notoriety when her sex tape with ex-boyfriend Ray J was leaked in 2007. However, Abraham tells New Jersey's Metropolis Nights magazine that she could not disagree more with the comparisons between her and Kardashian, insisting she has and will make smarter decisions in her life, both personally and professionally.
Bing: More about Farrah Abraham
Abraham asserts, "I definitely feel it's an unfair comparison. I have been very successful with other things in my life besides just being a reality TV star. I have books and other things going on in my life that outshine Kim Kardashian. I feel I just outshine her when it comes to both our personal and professional lives. That's why I don't like being compared to her. We're two really different people. I don't for see myself getting married more than once. I don't see myself making the same choices that she has made. Good or bad, I just feel I'm going to be a smarter person. I don't want to be negative. We're just different people. I wish her the best, but I'm going to focus on my life."
Plus: Most vicious 'True Blood' villains | Miss USA 2013 contestants | TV shows based on books
'Tamar and Vince' star takes to Twitter on Father's Day to share the news
WENN
Tamar Braxton has finally revealed the name of her first child with husband Vincent Herbert. More than a week after announcing the arrival of her newborn son, the singer and reality TV star has shared the name of the newest Braxton family member: Logan. On Sunday, she took to Twitter and posted a photo of their little one's hand grasping at Herbert's, writing, "Happy Father's Day to the love of my life, my best friend, my husband Vincent Herbert! Our son Logan Vincent Herbert & I are proud to share this day with you!! We love you soooooo much!!"
Bing: More about 'Tamar and Vince'
Last Thursday, the first-time mom to share the happy news with fans, writing, "HE'S finally here!" alongside a snap of a group of blue teddy bears with the words "baby boy" printed on their feet. This is the first child for Braxton and Herbert, who wed in 2008 and star in their own WEtv spin-off show, "Tamar and Vince," which recently was renewed for a second season.
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Deanna Barnert | Los Angeles, Calif.
Entertainment journalist Deanna "TVDeeva" Barnert visits sets, interviews industry players and critiques the final product. Buzz's daytime TV queen covers it all for MSN TV, but loves her sitcoms, soaps and any juicy drama that doesn't call itself Reality TV.
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