Tonight's TV Hot List: Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Real Housewives of New York City
National Spelling Bee
8 pm/ET ABC
Times have changed, and so have the winning words in this entertaining event. Hard-to-spell, but at least understandable, championship-deciding words from the past have included "gladiolus" (1925); "condominium" (1956); "chihuahua" (1967) and "luge" (1984). But starting about 15 years ago, the competition heated up, with winners having to clinch with words like "antediluvian," "succedaneum" and "appoggiatura." It's gotten tougher being a kid. — Dave Roeder
So You Think You Can Dance
8 pm/ET Fox
No one doubts the pressure put on these dancers in the later rounds, but don't discount the strain they feel when they're just trying to make it out of the audition stage, as they are in these tryouts in Los Angeles and Seattle. And while there are some who have every right to be confident about their status, the rest will have to give it everything they've got to make it to next week's callbacks in Las Vegas. — Joe Friedrich
I'm Fat Again: A Best Life Special
8 pm/ET Discovery Health
A few days ago we celebrated Memorial Day weekend, which marks the unofficial start of summer — and the kickoff to bathing-suit season! Fear not, yo-yo dieters: Oprah Winfrey's personal trainer Bob Greene takes over the tube to show you how to win the battle of the bulge. — Michael Chant
Real Housewives of New York City: The Lost Footage
9 pm/ET Bravo
The cable net cores through more plump and juicy Big Apple dramas featuring housewives Alex, Bethenny, Jill, LuAnn, Ramona and Kelly. Apparently the stormy two-part reunion edition two weeks ago wasn't enough because here they are again — our well-tended ladies from New York City returning in socialite highlights, extended scenes and previously unseen footage from the sudsy series' second season. — Dean Maurer
The Oprah Effect
9 pm/ET CNBC
Here's one secret to success: appear on Oprah Winfrey's popular talk show. Whether it's a multitude of books, Garrett's popcorn or the "slimming intimates" known as Spanx, a simple turn beside — or a mere mention from— the daytime queen can boost the bottom line like nobody else. But how does one get on the show to start with? CNBC's Carl Quintanilla finds out. — Jeff Gemmill
