Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe knows reality competition shows. As an executive producer of both American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, the U.K. native has helped spur dreams of stardom worldwide. The producer's latest baby, Superstars of Dance, (Mondays, 8 pm/ET, NBC), has joined the performance show playing field with a global spin on the genre.
Unlike Idol's and Dance's battles of the neophytes, Superstars features professional dancers from eight different countries. Groups, couples and individuals compete in a format that was inspired in part by the Olympics, with judges from the participating countries scoring the routines. Hosted by "Lord of the Dance" Michael Flatley and TRL alum Susie Castillo, the costumes are lavish, the sets dazzle and the dancing is diverse. Just as Superstars is getting warmed up, TVGuide.com visited the set to chat with Lythgoe to discuss his inspiration for the series, why he thinks there's room for another dance show and how things have changed for him since he left his role with American Idol.
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Joe Rogan
If Punk'd plays on unsuspecting celebrities, Game Show in My Head brings hidden camera gags to the unsuspecting public. The latest production from Ashton Kutcher's production company sends contestants out to the streets to create fabricated situations with unwitting passersby — all directed by host Joe Rogan, who gives on-the-spot directions for each gag through a hidden earpiece.
Rogan, who got his reality hosting feet wet with Fear Factor, talked to TVGuide.com about his new show (Saturdays on CBS, 8 pm/ET). The comic and former martial arts competitor opened up about what Game Show is like, what drew him to another reality competition series and what lines shouldn't be crossed in a hidden camera scenario.
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Kara DioGuardi
New Idol judge Kara DioGuardi isn't naming names, but she is admitting that she's impressed with a handful of the male hopefuls she's seen audition so far — plus a few of the ladies.
Speaking to press on Thursday, the music producer and latest addition to the reality juggernaut stayed mum on who to watch for when the series kicks off Jan. 13. "Looking at all of the contestants on the whole, I felt that the males were the strongest," she told TVGuide.com. "That being said, there are one or two females that I'm excited about as well. And I'm really just waiting for..."
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Deadliest Catch
Get your survival gear ready because Discovery will be exploring new terrain with several "how will they ever get themselves out of that snowy ravine/swamp/cave with only a toothpick and dental floss?" docudramas and a scripted TV movie.
The network has greenlighted at least seven new projects, including several from top docudrama pros Thom Beers and Craig Piligian, in order to increase its number of original programming hours, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
First is But Wait ... There's More, executive produced by Beers, which follows longform ad salesmen Billy Mays and Anthony "Sully" Sullivan as they check out quirky new products and craft pitches and take to the airwaves to sell their wares. Discovery has ordered 13 episodes and plans to premiere the show...
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Michelle Aguilar
Less than 2 weeks after being crowned The Biggest Loser: Families champ, Michelle Aguilar gained another title: Bride-to-be.
The 27-year-old winner who shed 110 pounds, told Us Weekly she was "shocked" when her boyfriend of less than 4 months, Micah Whitehead, popped the question. So what's it like dress shopping after dropping seven sizes?
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Dennis Rodman, Khloe Kardashian, Tom Green
A whole new round of celebs better get ready to hear "You're fired!"
NBC and Donald Trump announced Thursday the all-star celebrity cast for the second season of The Celebrity Apprentice.
The upcoming season will feature 16 new celebrities, with the men competing against the women once more. The men include everyone from musicians to athletes to comedians including Clint Black, Andrew Dice Clay, Tom Green, Scott Hamilton, Jesse James, Brian McKnight, Dennis Rodman, and Herschel Walker.
The women include reality stars like Khloe Kardashian, mother and daughter duo Joan and Melissa Rivers as well as Annie Duke, Natalie Gulbis, Claudia Jordan, Brande Roderick and Tionne Watkins.
"Last season's Celebrity Apprentice became one of the hottest shows on television - and this season will be even better," said executive producer Donald Trump. "We have an amazing cast of celebrities and we are looking forward to some fantastic entertainment."
All the celebrities will be vying for the coveted title as they fight for their respective causes. They will ultimately face judgment in the boardroom by...
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Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff
Barely a week after getting engaged, Dancing with the Stars pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff are gushing about their newly public relationship.
"I'm in love and..."
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Alison Sweeney, Bob Harper, and Jillian Michaels
The Biggest Loser: Couples is back for Round 2, and this time it's bigger than ever. The seventh season, premiering Tuesday at 8pm EST, features the largest contestant to date, as well as both the youngest and oldest competitors ever to compete. With 18-year-old Mikey at 385 pounds and Dan, who is 454 pounds at 19, trainer Bob Harper said the show will direct some attention at the youth weight problem in this country. "There's a young generation out there that really does need our help and we want to focus on teenagers in that way, in this season," he said.
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Jesse Pavelka
It's that time of year of again: The holidays are over, but all those holiday cookies have taken their toll.
Lifetime is embracing that post-holiday season rut with DietTribe, a new lifestyle reality show that promises to offer inspiration to even the workout-averse. The new series, premiering Monday at 10 pm/ET, features five overweight friends who decide to pursue healthier lifestyles in time for their friend Anna's wedding.
DietTribe follows their efforts to try to lose weight and change their lives with the help of Stacy Kaiser, a psychotherapist, and Jessie Pavelka, a model and personal trainer. TVGuide.com caught up with Pavelka to get the skinny on the series, find out his fitness philosophy — and how the rest of us can stay motivated to get in shape, long after the holidays have passed.
TVGuide.com: Can you tell us about DietTribe and your role on the series?
Jessie Pavelka: It's about five obese women who are all best friends, and they've enabled each others' bad habits and negative characteristics since the beginning of their friendship. They have 90 days to lose 30 pounds or more, and it's going to be a lifestyle show. It's not like Biggest Loser; they're not given...
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Hugh Jackman
Could Wolverine claw his way onto the Dancing parquet?
If Samantha Harris has her way, then yes.
"Hugh Jackman, hands down," Harris tells People when asked to name her ideal Dancing with the Stars contestant. "He's a song and dance man. He's a Broadway guy. He's got charisma and you know he can move."
For his part, Jackman, who won a Tony for his performance in The Boy from Oz, didn't seem to be ...
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