A Reality Check With ... Christian Okoye (CBS's "Pirate Master")

Christian Okoye, a native in Nigeria, is a former NFL running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. Nicknamed "The Nigerian Nightmare", Okoye holds a place in their hall of fame. He has stayed active in his home state of California and put it on hold to join the crew of Pirate Master. His voyage was cut short as he was the 2nd to be cut adrift on this past week's episode. Christian sits down with RealityCheckByGina to talk about his time aboard the Picton Castle.

RC: Why does an ex-NFL player want to be on "Pirate Master"? What drew you to this show?
Christian: They called and asked me if I would be interested in being on the show and because of my location and the type of show. I said yes.

RC: I read your bio and you were quite a good NFL player in your time. What was the highlight of your career?
Christian: There were two highlights in my career. First, was going to the Pro Bowl - to be in that league is extremely difficult. Also, being the lead in the Russian League was a great accomplishment.

RC: The pirates felt your size worked against you in terms of speed yet the NFL thought you were quick for your size. Why do you think you were slow in the last expedition?
Christian: The show is not about how fast you are, it is about the clues you receive and getting through the challenges. Physically, nothing really slowed me down.

RC: Were you prepared for the physical aspect of the show?
Christian: Yes, I work out everyday and follow a good diet.

RC: You didn't seem too eager to get close to the snakes during the expedition - did you want to maintain a distance?
Christian: I don’t mind snakes. I mean, everyone is a little scared of them but I did not shy away from the snakes during the competition. I chose to hold the snakes back and make sure my teammates were protected while they looked for the treasure.

RC: How is Joe Don still captain? Aren't his days numbered?
Christian: Yes, his days are numbered. He isn’t the best captain and because the way the show is set up, it is hard to mutiny.

RC: Is there a reason the crew won't mutiny?
Christian: In order to mutiny, everyone has to agree on it including the officers.

RC: What was the best part of being on the ship?
Christian: The best part of the show was being on the ship. That is something you don’t get to do everyday. Also, I made some good friends, such as Louie. He’s a great guy and we will stay in touch.

RC: Where can we find you now?
Christian: I have three jobs that keep me busy. First I run a children's foundation called the Okoye Foundation. Second, I run a nutrition company called Okoye Fitness. Finally, I started the California Sports Hall of Fame & serve as president.

Pirate Master airs Thursday nights at 8pm EST on CBS

Get your Pirate Master links, matey, at sirlinksalot.net. ARRR!!!

So You Think You Can Dance: The Top 20 (6/7/07)

America, here is your top 20:

• Anya Garnis, 25, Latin ballroom
• Cedric Gardner, 23, Hip hop
• Ashlee Langas, 19, Contemporary/Jazz
• Danny Tidwell, 23, Contemporary/Jazz (Travis's adopted brother)
• Faina Savich, Latin ballroom (Stanislav's sister)
• Dominic Sandoval, 21, B-boy/Hip hop
• Jaimie Goodwin, 19, Contemporary
• Hok Konishi, 22, B-boy (we've been waiting for him!)
• Jessi Peralta, 24, Hip hop
• Jesus Solorio, Contemporary/Jazz
• Lacey Schwimmer, 18, Swing/Latin ballroom (Benji's sister)
• Jimmy Arguello, 21, Contemporary
• Lauren Gottlieb, 18, Contemporary/Jazz (assisted season 2 choreographers)
• Kameron Bink, 20, Contemporary/Hip Hop
• Sabra Johnson, 19, Contemporary
• Neil Haskell, 20, Contemporary/Jazz
• Sara Von Gillern, 23, B-Girl/Hip Hop
• Pasha Kovalev, 27, Latin Ballroom
• Shauna Noland, 18, Contemporary
• Ricky Palomino, 23, Contemporary

The dancers will face off & phone lines will open Wednesday, June 13. The live voteoff will take place Thursday, June 14. Viewers can also look forward to Thursdays this summer as America's hottest music stars will perform on the results shows.

Pirate Master: Pirates, Guns, & Money (6/7/07)

Joe Don kicks off the episode hiring pirates to do work around the ship – Sean is hired as a cook and Jay is chosen as crew mate. Joe Don also flexes his ego a bit, to the dismay of some of his crew members. As the pirates set sail for their next treasure hunt, breakfast is served. While the crew forces down gruel, Joe Don & his crew members feast on eggs, meat, and veggies. The trip to the next hunt is no vacation. The crew works nonstop while Joe Don eats & relaxes then relaxes & eats. The crew begins to feel tired, cranky, and resentful.

Once again, the pirates are split into two crews: red & black. The captain & officers lead the black crew while the red crew opposes them. If the red crew wins, they’ll choose a new captain which is a nice incentive for many of them. The black crew is made up of: Joe Don, Nessa, Cheryl, Ben, Azmyth, Louie, Christa, and Jupiter. The red crew is: Sean, Joy, Kendra, Christian, Alexis, Laurel, and Jay. The pirates must swim to shore in shark infested waters then hike into the jungle where they will have the chance to sabotage the other crew. They then must trek across the mountain to a snake pit where they will find their tools needed to obtain the treasure.

Right off the bat, Kendra slowed her red crew down with her weak swimming skills. As the black crew pulled ahead, they took their opportunity to sabotage. A thorny, wooden gate was dropped right in their path & needed to be removed before the crew could go forward. The black crew hesitates at the snake pit – who wants to be attacked by a bunch of constrictors?! Nessa steps up, climbing in the pit with Azmyth to obtain the key. Slow crew members & injuries plague the red crew & in the end, the black crew claims victory for the 2nd expedition in a row.

The black crew brings home gold worth $45,000. Joe Don is given the option to keep half the winnings as well as his two officers. He chooses to hold on to Ben & Cheryl as well as hold on to his winnings. He decides to give each crew member a few hundred dollars a piece, for which they are not appreciative. JD then bribes Jay for inside information, giving him $2,000. When it’s time for him to mark 3 pirates for elimination, Kendra, Christian, and Joy are chosen for apparent physical reasons & limitations.

At pirates court, Kendra admits to her weakness in swimming but felt she was a strong physical presence in the other aspects of the expedition. Joy realizes she’s there because of the injury she suffered but feels that she is well enough to continue to complete. Christian makes a proposition to the pirates – make HIM captain and he will not take half their money. He will keep the crew happy to the best of his ability. The pirates cast their votes but Christian’s words were not enough to save him and he was cut adrift.

Check back here tomorrow – I’ll be talking to Christian about his time on Pirate Master!

Catch Pirate Master every Thursday night at 8pm on CBS.

Get your pirate links, matey, at sirlinksalot.net!

A Reality Check With ... Ted Allen (Bravo's "Top Chef")

Ted Allen, best known as the Food Guy on Bravo's hit show "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy", joins Top Chef this season as its newest judge. Ted can be seen as a guest judge often on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America" and is starring in his own PBS show, "Uncorked: Wine Made Simple" due out this summer. His book, "The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes" is available now on Amazon. Ted takes time out of his busy schedule to dish about the hot new season of Top Chef, which kicks off tonight with a special featuring the best of seasons 1 & 2 battling it out in a no holds barred cookoff.

RC: When did your interest in food begin?
Ted: My mom always encouraged us to cook growing up. When I got older, I got a job at Chicago Magazine interviewing chefs & tasting good food.

RC: Does it ever still surprise you how huge the Fab 5 have become?
Ted: It's a never ending surprise! I never thought the show would go anywhere. We've made 100 episodes, with the last 10 airing on Bravo later this year. We've all moved on since filming & everyone has their own projects.

RC: You're so busy! You're on so many channels, doing so many shows, plus all the writing you do. How do you find time for it all?
Ted: I have a couple weeks off & I'm really digging that. We shot the first part of Top Chef in Miami but the finale is being taped this July so I don't even know who wins! I know who doesn't win but I'm not going to tell you that.

RC: Were you a fan of the previous Top Chef seasons?
Ted: Oh yeah, I've been addicted!

RC: Why did Top Chef decide to film this season in Miami?
Ted: Miami is a really sexy city - somehow, everyone is really good looking! Top Chef Miami is about sexy people, nightclubbing, the beaching, and wearing virtually no clothing ... not the chefs, they do wear clothes. Season 1 was filmed in San Francisco, season 2 in L.A., and now season 3 is in Miami. Bravo looks for really eclectic cities to film in.

RC: Tonight, Bravo is airing a special featuring a charity cookoff between seasons 1 & 2. Did each chef choose a charity of is there one central charity who will receive a donation?
Ted: Each season got together to decide which charity they would be cooking for. We're bringing back some of your favorites as well as some villains. The chefs did serve the food to us to judge (myself, Padma, Tom, Gail) as well as the new season 3 contestants.

RC: Are there any chefs we should look out for this season? Any standouts?
Ted: I like a lot of them! There's a chef from Dallas named Trey who's really great, Hung from Vegas who works at Caesar's Palace, and we have a couple of good ol' boys from New York.

RC: Where else can we find you this year?
Ted: Well, I've got my PBS show, "Uncorked: Wine Made Simple", I still appear as a guest judge on "Iron Chef: America" and I'm also talking to the Food Network about another show.

RC: I'm excited to be seeing you so much on my tv this year!
Ted: Well, it's going to be a large version of me with all the food I'm eating!

Check out Bravo's all-star special airing tonight at 10pmEST

Top Chef: Miami kicks off next week, June 13!

Get all your Top Chef & Queer Eye links at sirlinksalot.net

A Reality Check With ... Tiffany Nagel (Fox's "Hell's Kitchen")

What looked like a strong start to Tiffany's time at Hell's Kitchen ended with her being sent home first. Though she plotted to get rid of Julia (a short order cook), it was in fact Julia who outshined Tiffany in Hell's Kitchen. Her plan backfired and her inability to cook quail eggs & get dishes out to customers ended up being her demise. She takes time to talk to RealityCheckByGina about her time spent in Hell's Kitchen.

RC: Tell us a little bit about your cooking background.
Tiffany: I studied in Paris, went to university there for hospitality business & finance. I lived in Europe for 4 years studying food in Norway & France. I’ve been in the restaurant business my whole life. I grew up in a hotel that my father was the senior vice-president of. He branched off & bought some independent restaurants.

RC: On a scale of 1-10, how intimidated were you by Gordon Ramsay?

Tiffany: Honestly? A 5? 4?

RC: You did well early in the episode when you presented your signature dish. Did you feel you’d do well throughout the competition?

Tiffany: I had no idea, everything comes at you so fast that it’s hard to get a grasp as to what’s going on let alone where you’re headed.

RC: What is it that makes 12 chefs unable to get out any dishes in an hour? Is it the pressure or is it set up in a way where the odds are against you?
Tiffany: If you can imagine prepping everything you’re going to need for 190 customers in 10 hours, having no clue what’s going to be ordered, when it’s coming in, when you’re going to start, you can imagine a pretty stressful situation! You don’t prepare enough product in some stations and you over prepare in others. We worked too much on dessert instead of focusing on appetizers.

RC: How do you respond to Chef Ramsay calling you girls “Hell’s Bitches”?
Tiffany: It’s 100% accurate because there was more fighting going on & that’s what I was trying to tell people: just be silent. The more attention you get, the more he’s going to focus on you. From a strategy standpoint: shut up.

RC: Did everyone want to get rid of Julia simply because she’s a short order cook or were there other reasons behind it?

Tiffany: Julia just didn’t know what she was doing & it was hard to try to do something yourself when you don’t have your own time let alone teach someone else.

RC: Melissa promised you that you would be safe & weren’t going anywhere. Were you surprised when she ended up choosing you for elimination?

Tiffany: Not at all, I knew I was going to be up there. I thought it would be me & Julia but I knew I would be there.

RC: We only got to see a few minutes of it but can you go into more detail about Aaron’s meltdown? What set him off?

Tiffany: You couldn’t pay an actor to be that good, he flopped over & cried every 40 minutes. He was such an incredibly nice guy, obviously incredibly sensitive. But like I said, you couldn’t pay an actor.

RC: Did any chefs make a big impression on you during your time there?
Tiffany: I really like Bonnie & Joanna. I thought Jen was an incredible chef as well as Rock.

RC: Where can we find you now that you’re back home in Phoenix?
Tiffany: Enchiladas is our family owned & operated 650 seat restaurant in Phoenix. I work with my sisters & my father.

Hell's Kitchen airs Monday nights at 9pm EST on FOX

Get your Hell's Kitchen links while they're hot as sirlinksalot.net!

Hell's Kitchen: Why Is The Asian Cowboy Crying? (6/4/07)

Hell’s Kitchen is back in its 3rd season with a brand new crop of hopeful chefs. The show kicks off with a quick update for us: season 1 winner Michael is the executive chef of Tatou in Los Angeles while season 2 Heather leads the team at Terra Rosa in Las Vegas. This season promises us to bring us more highs & lows than previous seasons. The 12 Hell’s Kitchen contestants are:

• Aaron, 48, a retirement home chef from Palos Verdes, CA
• Brad, 25, a sous chef from Scottsdale, AZ
• Eddie, 28, a grill cook from Atlanta, GA
• Josh, 26, a junior sous chef from Miami Beach, FL
• Rock, 30, an executive chef from Spotsylvania, VA
• Vinnie, 29, a night club chef from Milltown, NJ
• Bonnie, 26, a personal chef/nanny from Los Angeles, CA
• Jen, 26, a pastry chef from Hazeltown, PA
• Joanna, 22, a chef’s assistant from Detriot, MI
• Julia, 28, a short-order cook from Atlanta, GA
• Melissa, 29, a line cook from New York, NY
• Tiffany, 27, a kitchen manager from Scottsdale, AZ

Each chef had to present their signature dishes for Chef Gordon Ramsay. He wasn’t going to take it easy on them & we don’t want him to! Not surprisingly, he’s hardly impressed with anyone with the exception of Melissa & Tiffany. Chef Ramsay splits the teams into men vs. women and sends them to their living quarters to prepare for tomorrow’s challenge but not before reminding them of the finish line. The winning chef will win a quarter million dollars as well as becoming the head chef at the Green Valley Ranch Resort in Vegas – on top of that, they get a share in the profits!

The next day, while everyone prepared over 300 ingredients for the opening of Hell’s Kitchen restaurant, Julia (the short order cook) was overlooked by her team. Meanwhile, Aaron struggles to get his area ready & breaks down in front of Chef Ramsay. The restaurant opens & of course, all hell breaks loose. You have to wonder how 12 chefs can’t manage to get a dish out in the first hour of service. Midway through the night, the blue team seems to find their groove and serve many appetizers. Julia & Melissa step up on the red team & start moving food to customers.

Aaron, continuing to feel the pressure, walks away from the station to cry it out. The other men try to make up for the loss of a chef but suffer a devastating realization – they’ve run out of chicken, beef, everything! Customers begin getting up & leaving while Chef Ramsay throws a fit. He closes the restaurant for the reminder of the night, feeling that both teams have failed miserably. Since he has to name a winner, he chooses the blue team over the red team.

Chef Ramsay calls out the red team calling them “bitches” and singles out Aaron & Vinnie on the blue team for being weak players. Vinnie attempts to step up to Chef Ramsay but Rock holds him back. Too bad, I wanted to see that! Melissa gets to choose who will be up for elimination tonight, which she feels guilty about. However, a decision needs to be made and Joanna & Tiffany, whom she promised would be safe are chosen! The person who is leaving Hell's Kitchen tonight is … Tiffany.

Make sure you check back as I talk to Tiffany this week on RealityCheckByGina. Hell’s Kitchen airs Monday nights at 9pm EST on FOX.

Get your Hell's Kitchen links while they're hot at sirlinksalot.net!

Preview: Bravo's "Top Chef"

One of my favorite reality shows returns this week - Bravo's "Top Chef". Before it's supersized premiere airs on June 13, a special featuring the best chefs from seasons 1 & 2 return for a charity cookoff. Here are all the details:

ONE-HOUR SPECIAL: “TOP CHEF: 4-STAR ALL-STARS” (June 6) Premieres Wednesday, June 6 at 10:00 PM ET/PT Just when you thought it safe to go back in the kitchen, Bravo’s hit culinary competition series “Top Chef 3 Miami” kicks off with an hour-long special “Top Chef: 4-Star All-Stars” on Wednesday, June 6 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. “Top Chef: 4-Star All-Stars” reunites four of the finalists from season’s one and two -- team one’s inaugural winner Harold Dieterle, Stephen Asprinio, Tiffani Faison, and Dave Martin compete against season two’s winner Ilan Hall, Fan Favorite Sam Talbot, Elia Aboumrad, and molecular gastronomist Marcel Vigneron in a $20,000 cook-off for charity. The cook-off concludes with the two teams serving their meals to “Top Chef 3 Miami’s” 15 new chefs.

SUPERSIZED PREMIERE EPISODE 1: “First Impressions” (June 13, 10:00 - 11:15 PM ET/PT) Bravo’s hit culinary series “Top Chef 3 Miami” premieres with a supersized episode featuring 15 rising chefs, a sizzling Miami kitchen, and the restaurant industry’s most renowned talent. Upon their arrival at Casa Casuarina, formerly the Versace Mansion, the chefs are invited to sip champagne and eat hors d’oeuvres. Quickly thrown into their first quickfire challenge, they compete for the coveted prize - immunity. The chefs then must entertain special guest Anthony Bourdain (Host of "No Reservations" and Chef at Les Halles, NYC), and impress this season’s judges’ table - Padma Lakshmi, cookbook author, actress and host; Tom Colicchio, celebrated culinary figure and co-founder of Craft Restaurants; returning judge Gail Simmons of Food & Wine; and “Queer Eye’s” culinary expert Ted Allen.

You can see an interview with Mr. Queer Eye himself, Ted Allen, this Wednesday on RealityCheckByGina as we gear up for premiere night!

A Reality Check With ... John (CBS's "Pirate Master")

John Lakness is a self-described "unapologetic nerd" who taught himself to program computers while in grade school, which got him into plenty of trouble with "hacking, cracking and anarchy." Lakness describes himself as Tarzan dressed in a tuxedo to entertain at a dinner party. A consummate athlete, John takes any physical challenge he can find as a way to stay fit: wrestling, running, swimming and a refusal to drive when cycling is at all possible. He sits down with RealityCheckByGina to talk about being the first one to leave the game & what he might have done differently.

RC: Were you a big fan of pirates growing up? What drew you to Pirate Master?

John: I don’t know about that. Growing up, everyone has a fascination. I got brought into Pirate Master as part of Pirates Magazine. I was writing pirate romance stories & thinks like that, I got into it for a number of reasons. Basically it was like, “Here’s this pretty boy!” The thing about piracy is that it’s such a big field of history. You can spin it any way you want. It was really a way to capture the imagination.

RC: Your job description under your name on the show says Scientist/Exotic Dancer – can you explain that a little further?

John: I was in the quantum electronics department at M.I.T. Quantum electronics is day stuff & obviously, Chippendales shows don’t start at 8am. I find a way to get out there. The physical aspect of getting from one place to another isn’t the hard part – it’s the mental part, going from a cubicle rat to a wild entertainer. I needed a mode of expression.

RC: What were you told going into Pirate Master? Did you not expect it to be so physically demanding?

John: No, I expected a lot! Are you kidding me? I know what a pirate ship was like. Jeez, we didn’t even do close to the amount of work I was expecting. Those girls were tougher than I was, though. It wasn’t the kind of situation that required intense competence on a boat – things like getting those sails working, figure out the trade winds, find food. I wanted to be Black Bart: the quirky, smart, strange guy who works hard & is competent. I was ready to get on a real pirate ship & fire some cannons!

RC: You seemed to do well in the challenge for the treasure. Did you feel that you would be safe from pirate court?

John: Oh, forget about how well I did! When I pulled that treasure out of the water, I thought, “Oh, I am safe!” As soon as Cameron said, “The black team no longer exists,” I just went into a head spin.

RC: Your approach in pirate court was to threaten to take the only compasses the pirates had with you if you were cut adrift. Do you stand by that tactic?
John: There are definitely different ways to leverage. I had very little to go on in terms of what was going to save me. Everyone went into court thinking they were going to vote me off. It’s based on things I can’t really control. I needed to bring out a strong emotion & lay it all out on the line. There might’ve been a better way to leverage the compasses but it might have only worked with professional stockbrokers!

RC: Nobody likes to go out first on these shows. Were you angry or were you accepting of the decision?
John: Well, I guess I knew that I was either going to win or go off first. I felt if the game was slightly in favor of someone like me, then I would win because I played boldly & intensely. I thought, “If I play an extremely bold game & this game is meant for the bold, then I’m going to win! If I sit back & play a weak game, I could sit back & have a 1-in-16 chance.”

RC: Do you think that Joe Don’s days are numbered as captain?

John: At that point on the show, I saw a mentality developing where people had accepted their role as subservient to this guy. As a viewer, I think it’s difficult to understand that it’s more than just people thinking logically about the game. When you’re really in the situation & you live it, this guy isn’t just some reality contestant who gets nominated as captain. He IS the captain. I don’t think things are going to change anytime soon.

RC: What are your future plans?

John: Plans for the future, well, I don’t like to divulge too much about things because the best I can hope for is that I can create excitement.

Pirate Master airs Thursday nights on CBS.

For all your Pirate Master links, check out sirlinksalot.net

Pirate Master: The Voyage Of The Scientist/Exotic Dancer (5/31/07)

Pirate Master opens with the players rowing in open, foggy water. They come upon a pirate ship where they are greeted by host Cameron Daddo. The pirates learn that the vessel is fully functional, and they are expected to pull their weight. Their first task: pull a treasure chest out of the open water. Cameron tells the pirates a story of a pirate named Henry Steel who hid his treasure in 14 different places. THIS is why they are there – to find the treasure, keep what they do find, and hopefully end with a grand prize of 1 million dollars.

The pirates immediately begin getting acclimated with one another. The creepy award is immediately bestowed upon John, a scientist AND exotic dancer … boy, those are just a dime a dozen, aren’t they? He invades everyone’s personal space & hits on every girl that looks at him. He’s not thinking of the right kind of booty, though, as the rest of the pirates set their sites on the money at the end of this journey. Another pirate we should keep our eye on is Louie, a zanier version of Survivor’s Rupert, who keeps things entertaining. It’s not long before the water starts affecting the pirates and Joy takes a beating from sea sickness.

Pirates are split into 2 crews for missions only– the red crew & the black crew. They are sent out on a mission to find the first treasure. The winning crew gets to keep what they find which is always a great motivator. The pirates must paddle up the Indian River to find a dead man’s tree. Then, on foot, they must find keys to unlock a cage which holds their next map. The red crew immediately finds themselves rowing off course while the black crew sails ahead.
After finding their new map, the crews head up the river where they have the opportunity to sabotage the other crew. The black crew takes full advantage, slowing the red crew down. The crews end in Crocodile Lair where they must dive down and find the treasure tied to croc heads. The red crew catches up and for a minute, things start to look very tight. In the end, Creepy John figures out where the crocs heads are & pulls out a win for the black crew. Other members of the winning team include: Louie, Ben (a musician), Alexis (a fashion publicist), and Cheryl (a district attorney).

The black team is asked to immediately elect a captain and Joe Don, a firefighter is chosen. JD must pick two officers & he chooses Cheryl & Ben. The rest have been demoted who must now obey JD’s orders, much to their dismay. JD, Cheryl, and Ben receive keys to the captain’s quarters & now run the ship. To top it off, JD gets half the prize (of $40,000), Cheryl & Ben split $10,000 and the rest of the winning crew gets $2,000 each. This can only breed animosity – nice job, Mark Burnett.

Joe Don must now mark 3 pirates to be cut adrift by marking them. Those 3 pirates can make their case in pirate court to stay. However, all pirates may band together to mutiny against their captain and cut HIM adrift. Everyone is in agreement that Creepy John has gotta go. Louis also ended up on the target list along with Joy. Creepy John eases Joy’s fears by attempting to plan a mutiny against JD.

At pirate court, Louie, Joy, and Creepy John made their case to stay on the ship. Creepy John threatens to take the only compasses the pirates have with him if he is cut adrift. He also makes a fairly convincing argument against Joe Don but JD is quick to fire back against him. The pirates vote by placing a ballot on a dagger – once all ballots are counted, the pirates have decided Creepy John has been cut adrift. I’ll be talking to Creepy John myself tomorrow so make sure you check back to get all the dirt on what went down on that pirate ship!

Pirate Master airs Thursday nights on CBS

Get all your Pirate Master links on sirlinksalot.net

My D-List Mission For Kathy Griffin

You'd think that one D-Lister would understand another. Such is not the case thus far with Kathy Griffin, whose new season of Bravo's "My Life On The D-List" premieres next week. Let me back up a minute. I have been a long-time fan of Ms. Griffin's. She did a comedy show at my college years ago & I went to see her. She was hilarious (of course) and since then, I have followed her career - watching her show, buying her standup specials, etc. On May 27th, she was scheduled to do a show at the Mohegan Sun Casino in CT where I am from. I figured, "What a perfect opportunity to interview Kathy about her tour & new show!"

It is cool to be a full-time writer of a blog about reality television. Life could be worse, right? I get to watch tons of reality shows & interview the stars of them once they're eliminated. Some people don't understand the one downside. Talking to your favorite reality stars means you might learn things that you didn't want to know. You were happier being in the dark - not knowing they can be rude or that a show isn't really what it says it is.

I don't believe Kathy Griffin is a D-Lister. I'd say she's B-List. She was front & center at the finale of American Idol, she sold out Carnegie Hall (a place few female comedians get to play), and she often is a guest and co-hosts The View. D-List is like ... Screech on Celebrity Fit Club. Kathy's staff says she doesn't do in-person interviews & now she's not interested in a phone interview either. I find this interesting since on her show, she says she'll take any job she can get and is a self-proclaimed "media whore". Is it all just a ploy for ratings?

I emailed Kathy myself thinking, "If she's really D-List, she probably answers her own emails." So far, no response. I'm on a mission to get this woman to interview with me. I will watch her new season of her show because it's one of my favorites - but I'm starting to think that I (and you, the viewer) are being scammed by her reality show.

Here is the letter dated May 24th. I'm still waiting for a response. So far, the only responses I get are her "people" telling me she's not interested:

Dear Kathy,

I have been a big fan of yours for a number of years. I saw you live when I was in college some years back & I thought your show was great. I have watched your D-List show on Bravo as well as bought your specials on ITunes.

When I started my reality website a few months ago after years of doing radio, I was excited to talk to my favorite reality stars and recapping all the best shows. When I heard that not only was D-List coming back this summer but that you were going to do a show in my home state of CT, I was excited. I figured - what a perfect opportunity to be able to interview you.

Your publicity staff told me you don't do in person interviews and that you would only do an interview if you felt that ticket sales needed a boost. I have readers all over the country & really wanted to promote D-List & have the opportunity to sit down to talk with you whether in person or over the phone. So far, my efforts have been in vain.

I want you to have success. I, of course, don't think you belong on any D-List. Someone who co-hosts The View, corresponds on E!, and sits front & center at the Idol finale is not D-List in my mind. I always thought you were really real & stayed true to your fans.

I can't tell if the show is set up or if that's really how your life is. Either way, it is undeniably entertaining. I just wanted to say that as someone who writes about reality & has followed you for a number of years, I was hoping you'd be more open to interviews & meeting those who are interested in you.

Good luck with the show, I certainly hope our paths do cross. Since I had no luck so far with your publicity people, I thought I'd come directly to you and hope you do, indeed, read these emails yourself.

Thanks,

Gina

www.realitycheckbygina.com

gina@realitycheckbygina.com

A Reality Check With ... Dr. Boogie (Bravo's "Shear Genius")

Let's face it - when Dr. Boogie is on the screen, there's no shortage of drama OR comedy. This is precisely why he will be missed on Bravo's "Shear Genius". Boogie was eliminated last week just before the finals for not being a team player. He sits down with RealityCheckByGina to dish on his skills & his man-crush on Rene!

RC: How did you hear about “Shear Genius” & what made you want to apply?
Dr. Boogie: I heard about the show – they knew I was a Hollywood baby runnin' around Hollywood. How can you do Shear Genius without Dr. Boogie? I went in for an audition, they loved me! They didn’t want me to leave.

RC: Tell us a little bit about your training & background?
Dr. Boogie: I come from Paris Beauty College in California. I’ve owned a couple of hair salons, I’m from the Bay Area. One day, I went up to Morris Day (who lived in my town) & said, “I can do your hair better than that!” It worked for me. I met Eve the rapper – I dyed it platinum blonde! She hated me for it but it put her on the map. I became a celebrity stylist.

RC: Once you sized up your competition in the beginning, did you feel confident? Who were you worried about?

Dr. Boogie: I wasn’t worried about it. We walked into a room & saw each other for the first time, I thought this would be fun.

RC: You got eliminated last week after stepping in to the photo shoot too many times & making the model’s hair too heavy. Did you sense you were in trouble?
Dr. Boogie: I didn’t see that I was in trouble. They have judges, they have a scoring system. I guess I didn’t produce what they wanted me to. We’re all winners though!

RC: When you watched the episode back, what did you think about the photo shoot you worked on?

Dr. Boogie: Here’s the situation, I had 2 options: let her hair be in her face & have a picture with a whole hairy face or keep her hair out of her face. I could get it right or not get it right.

RC: Is there anyone in the finals that surprises you?

Dr. Boogie: Oh my God! Ben! I love Ben but I couldn’t believe it! I thought after the red carpet thing, he would’ve been in the dumps.

RC: Explain the infatuation with Rene.
Dr. Boogie: Rene is so cute to me! Look at him, he’s like a Ken doll. I never really had a Ken doll but it did take me back to my younger days when I played with Barbie dolls. I had to flirt with somebody! None of the cast members wanted me, so I went up to Rene!

RC: Who do you stay in touch with?

Dr. Boogie: Not everyone, I love Daisy & Tabatha – they’re my homegirls. When the show is over, we can be all friends! I’m on my way to New York now to find out who the winner is!

RC: Where can we find you now & what are you doing?

Dr. Boogie: You can see my website where I’ve created my own line of products & hair pieces. Women can have that Hollywood look, and save time & save money. Check it out!

Check out the finale of "Shear Genius" tonight on Bravo at 10pm EST

For all your Shear Genius links, visit sirlinksalot.net!

My Interview On WPLR

Sorry it took me a few days to get it up but here is my interview from last week on WPLR. You can always stream their station live HERE - check out Chaz & AJ in the morning, they're great guys!

So You Think You Wanna Audition?

Reality shows make auditions seem like a lengthy but maybe simple process, right? You stand in line, you wait, you see the judges, they tell you if they like you, and you either move on or go home. But the reality audition process involves much more hoop jumping then you might have thought. Jennifer, a dancer from Connecticut, made the trip to New York City to try out for Fox' "So You Think You Can Dance". Here was her experience:

"The audition process was long. I waited outside for like 6 hours and when I finally got inside, I had to wait another 4 hours. Once it was your turn, you had to show your best 30 seconds of dance in front of the producers and other directors. You were then brought up in group of tens to show your best 30 seconds. Afer that, they line you up and give out golden tickets to those that were put through to the next round, which would be the next day. I got one of the golden tickets. Then you had to go downstairs and sign a million contracts and go through an interview both on and off camera. There were cameras everywhere! The next day was a day of waiting again. I was brought to this room with about 100 other dancers and we waited for 10 hours to perform our 1 min solo in front of the judges that you see on tv. It was an amazing experience!"

Thanks to Jennifer for sharing HER audition experience with us. If you've tried out for a reality show, and want to share the process, send an email!

So You Think You Can Dance airs on Fox Wednesday & Thursday night.

Preview: Pirate Master

Before you pass off CBS’s summer reality show “Pirate Master” as a ripoff of Survivor, take a closer look. Yes, the pirates have to live together & work together. Yes, every week someone is voted out. And yes, there is a monetary prize at the end that each pirate is after. But this is no vacation on a beach on Fiji. These 16 pirates have to live & work together on a real pirate ship circa 1730. They must eat, sleep, and work as if it were truly the year 1730. Each week, 3 pirates are marked by their captain and must get up to speak at pirate court to plead their case. The pirate voted out is cut adrift or the pirates may mutiny against their captain and set them adrift. I'm excited already!

“Pirate Master” host Cameron Daddo sat down with RealityCheckByGina to talk a little about the upcoming premiere.

RC: Did you have much sailing or experience on the water before doing this show?
Cameron: My sailing experience has never been in a big ship like that. My experience has been in catamarans, wind surfing, surfing, and swimming. I’ve spent a lot of time in the water, I’ve always loved the sea.

RC: Were the contestants prepared for how physical this show would be & how much work they would need to do?
Cameron: Absolutely not. I don’t think any of them expected what actually happened. The ship is a working ship & they needed to put in the work. There were chores to be done. The motion of the ocean got to them in the very beginning. It’s not for the faint of heart. The 4 hour watches really knocked them around as well. In the expeditions they’d be dealing with running, mudpits, sabotages – come back, prepare food, be up a few hours later. You throw in a barrel of rum on top of that – that’s a lot of hard work!

RC: Was there a lot of effort that was put into being historically accurate?
Cameron: Not so much the history aspect of it, certainly the period of it. We kept as close as we could to the time period & make this world alive for them. We created this world where they’re back in 1730 and all the tools they used (compasses, maps), everything was leather, old. The art department & expedition organizers worked overtime to keep this illusion, this world alive & make it believable for them.

Make sure to check our Pirate Master, premiering Thursday May 31st on CBS!

Get all the Pirate Master info you scallywags can handle at sirlinksalot.net