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Just to lay it out there, I really like “reality” tv.  Particularly reality competition television.  I don’t care for shows like The Real Housewives…  or  Jersey Shore, just so you know where I stand.  My big three have always been Survivor, The Amazing Race, and The Biggest Loser.

As I eagerly await the return of all these shows for the Fall season (The season pass for Survivor:South Pacific has already shown up on my Tivo, woohoo!), there were actually a few summer shows that caught my interest.

I will go ahead and say that I am watching Big Brother and although it’s not on my favorites list really, it’s more like a guilty pleasure kinda thing.  I kinda half-watch the episodes and keep up with the feeds via social media.  Expedition: Impossible kinda let me down.  It looked really cool, and probably was really cool…it just didn’t hold my interest.  I tried to keep up with it but there was nothing really there that hooked me and I fell behind watching the episodes so far that I just deleted them all, and I didn’t feel bad about it.  I gave The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad a small chance just for the hopes of looking at some hot guys and I deleted both season passes within 5 minutes of turning on the first show.  The over-hyped drama in the ads alone made me a bit nauseous.   Eye candy alone is not enough reason for me to put up with all that mess.

But there were a few shows that held my interest and definitely surprised me.  I hope they all come back next season as I’ve become a fan.

     3.  MasterChef – Apparently this show has been on a few seasons already and I totally missed it.  Maybe it’s because of the complete boycott I placed on watching Hell’s Kitchen or Kitchen Nightmares, because of Gordon Ramsey’s overuse of his voice and temper.  I decided to give this show a try and I’m glad I did.  I found a more sedated and surprisingly charming Ramsey.  The show was a little laid-back and low-key and perfect for me to watch.  I’ve always been a fan of Top Chef and since the beau and I just have basic cable I’ve been missing my fave cooking competition show.  This fit right in to the mix and renewed my faith in Ramsey.

 

2.  Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition–  I’m a big fan of The Biggest Loser so I wasn’t sure what to make of this show when I first saw the previews for it.  Not only do I enjoy watching the contestants make positive shifts in their lives physically in their weight loss, but I totally love how it also employs how mental obstacles are what are usually keep us down.  It’s inspirational, and I won’t falter in saying that it was a Biggest Loser elimination speech some 5ish years ago that helped me make the decision to move on from the dead-end relationship i was in back then.

Chris Powell is totally motivational, and very much professional with a good splash of empathy.  A big heart definitely comes into play as well.  The season felt way too short, but when you’re working with 6ish people around the country over the course of a year and spending the first 3 months living with the individuals…it’ll take a while to put together lol.  My favorite transformation was the gentleman shown above.  Definitely a hard worker AND a Brave’s fan, nice!

It doesn’t hurt that Chris Powell is adorable too.  Killer dimples with a slight smirk when he smiles.  Big open eyes that definitely have a passion for what he does.  A little squeak to his voice that I can’t help but to mimic and squeal over when I hear.  Not to mention his physical fitness is awesome.  He’s small-framed like me and I can only hope to get there at some point.   Still trying to gain weight to get there though!  Around 125 and shooting for 130ish, then I can start cutting back down and looking great!

1.  Love In the Wild –  This show was the biggest surprise to me as I thought it was going to be a cheap knock-off dating show.  And I mean, it was definitely low budget but it came with a really big overlay of heart.  Seeing the previews, I knew I wanted to give it a go because I not only wanted to check out the guys (of course), but with the situations/tasks they were put through out in the middle of Costa Rica, I knew there would be alot more “real” interactions between the couples in search for love amongst themselves.

As I thought, there was much more authenticity than “those other dating shows” and it made me a fan. I cheered on my favorite couples and felt for those who had to leave along the way.  My favorite guy (Mike Piro) and his girl (Samantha) ended up taking the whole thing.  They were super strong throughout the competition and picked each other from the beginning ironically.  The challenges and adventures brought them all closer together and helped them to learn more about themselves than any Bachelor-type show can ever do.  I hope I see it again next summer.  Here’s a couple shots of Mike and Samantha, cute couple right? 😛