The first thing I hear from one of the staff as I arrive at the stage on a Friday afternoon in May (exactly one week after the first elimination panel): “They behaved themselves in front of the children.”Well, that’s a relief. After the first few judging panels, in which many of the contestants acted like petulant children, sniping and fighting among each other like schoolyard brats, a little civility would be welcome. (Although as it turns out, taking too high a road would turn out to be one contestant’s downfall.)I get a sense today isn’t an ordinary one when I’m told the kids are upstairs “in school,” and they’re not talking about the wannabe producers for once. They’re talking actual kids, child performers, who took part in executing the latest challenge. (I don’t get to meet them, but that’s not a surprise, as the show’s producers tend to keep us away from the actual process.)As we get ready for the taping of the ...
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It's odd how I am growing to like elimination. In our society, most of us are raised to believe that we are supposed to be nice to everyone, be liked by everyone, not to judge — someone may not like us if we have an opinion that disagrees with their own. Remember being on the playground and the threat of someone "not being your friend" having such weight? It feels like kind of the same thing as an adult, that pressure not to express one's dislike of a thing... or a person. To that end, sitting in judgment of the work of these producers every week has been liberating for me — on the other hand, I'm still feeling a bit of guilt for dashing the dreams of another human being simply based on the taste of a few. Tonight's elimination brought me more guilt than pleasure. This challenge was the most intricate yet, involving a full crew, actors, sets, and still very little post-production time to put it all together. Scripted comedy, as has been said many times, is possibly the har...
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Jul 26, 2007 01:14 AM ET
- by m roush
To quote myself, as I’ve been known to do: “Reality television creates celebrities out of almost anyone.” That line, spoken during the judging panel, pretty much sums up the theme of this episode.It also applies to this week’s guest judge, Chris Moore, who became famous as the no-holds-barred taskmaster of HBO’s pioneering docu-reality series Project Greenlight. Chris is a larger-than-life personality, as anyone knows who's watched Greenlight. He’s funny and bawdy, yet as I get to know him during the long course of a shoot on a balmy Sunday night, he still seems genuinely surprised that he became a recognizable TV personality by being on a reality show.He’s the perfect choice to guide us through this challenge, which took on an unexpectedly wacky dimension when one of the guest celebs “backed out” — as in threw out his back. As we arrive at the stage, we’re told of the unusual circumstances: Lorenzo Lamas had dropped out at the ...
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I knew I loved this show! For anyone who has ever wondered how TV gets made and what goes on behind the scenes, let me tell you: This stuff is the real deal! I can’t count how many arguments I have witnessed behind the scenes, when the cameras are off, when there’s no studio audience around. Heck I’ve been involved in many of them… started some of them.The fact is that television is just like any other industry that puts different personalities together who then have to reach a goal. You probably have a lot of disagreements and fights at your job, too, but the difference is you have a boss and these nine producers are the bosses! So tonight, they had to create a reality series around a celebrity. It happens every day but, as you can see for yourself, is not as easy as it looks. Can you imagine how many ideas are thrown around in this town daily that never see the light of day? Oh! The egos!! To be honest, I had no idea while we shot these shows that so much went ...
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Jul 19, 2007 01:06 AM ET
- by m roush
Being on the inside of a reality-competition show, as a judge for TV Guide Network’s America’s Next Producer, has one major disadvantage: As it’s happening, I’m only seeing half the show. When watching at home and seeing what went into the execution of each of these challenges, you may well come up with a different decision some weeks on who should stay and who should go. We on the judges’ panel only are able to see the final result and have to use that, as well as whatever info we glean from the Q&A on the stage, to make the tough call on who to send home.First elimination taping, and it’s a warm Friday afternoon in early May. The judges convene in a spartan green room. The regulars are myself and David Hill, the wonderfully outspoken CEO of Fox Sports. The guest judge is David Friedman, the boyish executive producer of NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly. (The name seems familiar, and I soon discover his father is renowned news executive Paul Fr...
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