for those who have reality tv as their guilty pleasure

There is a definite flaw in the game of My Kitchen Rules, and that is the teams knowing what there score is. This resulted in Clint and Noah giving a very ordinary five out of ten to the girls, whose meal was worth more than that.

They know to avoid elimination they need another team to get below 60, so expect the scores they dish out to get lower and lower.

I also never thought Manu Feidel would make me feel like an inadequate mother, but when he said of Gen and Tanja’s lemon myrtle lamb backstrap wiht rice pilaf looked like something she would cook and serve to kids. What? He would probably think the spag bol I dish up should be pigs swill.

Anyway tonight it was the Queensland girls Gen and Tanja turn to cook for the crew, and their menu choice can either be described as bold or freaking crazy. It was too complex to complete in the three hour  prep time allowed, and you have to set the table in that time as well.

Did any of the teams actually practice their menu with in the My Kitchen Rules restrictions.

Their menu was:

• A seafood tasting plate – prawn wonton, scallop on mango salsa, crab salad, and oyster and ginger and lime juice;
• Lemon Mytle lamb with rice pilaf, roast tomatoes, mint pea salad;
• Pannacotta with strawberies, and summer berries sabayon.

Regarding the prep what actually did Gen and Tanja actually do in their three hours. Yes they made the pannacotta, but I did not see a lot else done, considering it took an hour and 20 minutes once the guests arrived to serve the entree. Now if that had been Come Dine With Me the house would have been drunk dry, and a game of Truth, Dare or Promise started.

The entree did look trully delicious, and Pete Evans said it was a dish that would bring him back to their restaurant. For the first time I noticed how the MKR contestants have to wait until the judges have tried and given their feedback on the food.

So the dishes must be quite cool by the time they get to taste them.

The South Australian couple were fulfilling their role as the couple that never has anything positive to say when they claimed they did not like frangapani’s or sand. Now I can understand people not liking sand, but frangapanis?

Again the wait between courses was long and Gabe from NSW looked really tired.

The main was a disaster with Tanja overcooking the lamb, so it was a bit dry considering there was no sauce with it.

Marc from Perth started smirking at the plate. Of course now we know from previews that his turn in the kitchen with partner Natalie takes a bit of a Hell’s Kitchen turn.

“Presentation a bit of a let down,” said Manu which was a bit of an understatement.

Pete did like the pea salad.

After their food hitting both ends of the spectrum their dessert sat somewhere in between. The  pannacotta had split, however the presentaton of the fruit on it was excellent.

Manu said the split dd not matter, but Pete said it did for him.

Gen said “We cracked under pressure, how do you guys do it?”

“It is a hard job,” Manu concurred, forgetting to mention he has sous chefs and kitchen hands.

Time for the score:

• Clint and Noah gave them  5
• Gabe and Mossy gave them 6
• Mel and Paul gave them 6
• Marc and Natalie gave a generous  7

This gave a combined total score is 24.

Manu scored the entree 8, the lamb 4 and dessert 7, whereas Pete scored 9 for the entree, 3 for the  lamb and seven for the dessert.

They go a total score of 62, making them safe from elimination in this round.

Am I loving the show? No, but it has it’s interesting points, the food, and the personalities are starting to emerge.  Oh and of course Manu, however I just wish it had a bit more pace. But I will definitely be sticking with it, as the next two episodes could show the Western Australian and South Australian teams get their come uppance.

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The Top 20 shows commence this week, and all sorts of information is starting to flow about the dancers we are going to grow to love over the next few months.

TV Week have kindly written an article which reveals some interesting vignettes of information:

Will the Latin Dancer from Sydney is hiding a famous lover!

“I’m involved with someone with a high profile, so I’m going to keep them private,” the 31 year old smiles cryptically. “all I can say is that I’m with a person who shares my love of the stage and music – but they’re in the acting and music industry, not dance.”

If Will’s partner goes to see him at the live shows chances are we will find out who it is.

Issi fell ill with the flu  the night they all moved in together! “I spent most of the first day in bed; it was really bad timing,” says the Sydney girl. “It’s just so awful being ill in front of strangers – I have to put on a brave face so I don’t make a bad first impression.”

Jessica P is a maths geek. “I just graduated with a Bachelor of Mathematics,” reveals the 21 year old from Newcastle. “I love calculus and cryptology, and can usually be found trying to solve some algorithim. People assume I’m this dumb blonde, but it’s always better when people underestimate you.”

Jessie has been criticised by the judges fro being too insular. “The judges say I’m a bit reserved – and I know that,” concedes the 19 year old from Sydney. “My biggest challenge in the competition will be opening up and showing the public who I really am, so they like me.”

Doug’s wife who lives in Utah due to visa issue, is jealous, but it is not about the other girls. “She doesn’t worry about other girls; she’s very sercure. The only thing she gets jealous of is the experience,” reveals the Perth born hunk. ” “Being a dancer,too, she’d love to be in my shoes – but, at 32, she’s too old to enter the US So You Think You Can Dance because their cut off age is 30″

Grace describes herself as “very much single” and says that there’s good reason for this. “My friends and I often joke about how impossible it is to meet someone in the dance industry,” she laughs. “Most likely they’re gay – or, if they’re straight, they’re either taknen or a bit of a player!”

Phillipe admits there is rivalry between him and Gaz about their hot physiques. “there is a bit of healthy competition between me and Gaz,” says the breakdancer. “We work out together and I push him hard at the gym, saying ,’Come on, Man! You’re not going to get those votes if you don’t have the abs!’”

Carly used to hate dancing when she first started as a child. “I was really shy going to practice when I was three,” reveals the Jazz dancer. “I would cry in the car park and mum would try to convince me that every week could be my ‘last week’ so that I’d go inside! I guess I have have her to thank for me being here now!”

Ilona met her English hubby Simon while travelling in London. “I felt I was stealing him from his family at first,” says the hip hop performer from Sydney. “But Simon loves Australia and Kylie Minogue was his pin-up girl when he was little, so I think he always had a thing for Aussie girls!”

Kieran reveals he initially hid his passion for dancing to avoid being teased by his mates on his football and cricket teams – but the truth soon came out.  “The boys noticed I wasn’t at training and I had to tell them that I was dancing,” he recalls, “but they were actually really supportive!”

Don reveals he met his girlfriend Brooke through teaching at the same studio. “Brooke is the  best she lights up my day,” he adds. “We don’t live together but it’s serious.” Could she be the girl he marries? “Who knows?” he smiles.

Jess reckons she could not date another dancer. “I’ve been down that track before – I need a man’s man!” reveals the jazz student before quickly adding, “Not that dancers aren’t masculine, I’m just not into them. I’m more into tortured musos.”

Nick is getting married to a “cougar”. The 21 year old fiancee is only seven years older than him. He said “I do tease her about it, as do other people, but we laugh about it,” explains the contemporary mover. “Age is nothing but a number, really.”

As for getting engaged at such a young age, Nick say that as always his plan. “I don’t like playing the field,  I like the idea of having a wife, bringing up a family and being a young dad,” he reveals.

Heath is good mates with SYTYCD Au Season’s One winner Jack Chambers. “No only is he a good mate of mine but he’s so down-to-earth and humble,” says the ballet loving babe. “Who doesn’t want to associate with someone wiht those great qualities?”

Renee envisions incorporating fashion into her career in the future. “My friends and I want to start our own clothing line called ‘For Dancers By Dancer’,” reveals the 20 year old contemporary talent from Tasmania. “We want to make funky interesting clothes that young dancers would want to wear – we’ve already come up with some designs and patterns.”

Ivy confesses to having a girl crush. “Jess S is divine! She’s so gorgeous and hot,” reveals teh 23 year old jazz dancer from Victoria. “I’ve spent a bit more time with her than the others and we get along really well.”

Robbie was very close to backing out of the initial audition. “At first, I wasn’t going to try out for the show because I was 17 at the time and didn’t think I was mature enough,” he explains. Luckily, his family believed in him and pushed him to achieve his dream. “My mum and dad were constantly assuring me that I was ready,” tells the now 18 year old ballet dancer from Sydney. “And thank god they did!”

Gaz hates being single. “I’m looking for a girlfriend,” confirms the 25 year old. “I like being affectionate and I need someone there that I can care for.” So who is his ideal girl? “I just need to get on well with them, I don’t have a physical type,” he reveals. “I hate it if a girl bites her nails, though – that’s disgusting!”

Also Matt and Mikhaela say they aer just good friends.

Matt says “Mikhaela is a great looking girl and being, and Aussie bloke, I am a bit partial to blondes. But she has a boyfriend and, besides, it’s more a sibling vibe. She’s just like a sister – I let a burp out and she laughs. Even if she and her bloke broke up tomorrow, I don’t think it would go any further between us. It just feels like we’ve known each other forever.”

Mikhaela says ” There’s absolutely nothing romantic going on; it’s purely fun. We connect as friends beyond our imagination.  If I didn’t have a boyfriend, would he be my type? No, he’s like my older brother. We actually fight and have arguements so already we’re like brother and sister. My boyfriend isn’t jealous – I’ve always been one of the boys, so he assumed I would naturally gravitate towards finding a guy as a friend.”

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Poh’s Kitchen Premiers On Wednesday This Week

For Masterchef Australia fans, or just if you like cooking/food shows, Poh Ling Yeow, the runner-up of the popular reality show food show will be premiering this week. If you are interested it is on at 6.30pm on Wednesday night.

Adam Lambert Is Coming To Australia

Last year’s American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert is coming to Australia for a promotional trip. The date is going to be announced soon according to the Sunday Telegraph. His first album For Your Entertainment will be released here in March.

Natalie Gruzlewski Starts Presenting The Weather On Channel Nine News This Week

Since splitting with her husband of two years, Farmer Wants A Wife host, Natalie Gruzlewski has moved to Sydney and will share weather presenting duties with Jaynie Seal. She will be presenting it Monday to Thursday. (Source: Sunday Tele)

Danni Minogue Is Not Having Twins, But May Be Getting Her Own Reality TV Show

A Daily Telegraph article states the Australia’s Got Talent judge is not carrying twins. Also the Daily Mail reports Danni may have signed on for a reality TV show where they film her during her pregnancy.

Kyle Sandilands Is Pitching A Documentary/Reality Program in the US

Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden are pitching a documentary/reality program about a five piece boy band. We will follow the lives of the boy band while the record music and tour. (Source: Daily Telegraph)

Dicko Has Lost 16 kgs in 6 Months

Ok so they are not The Biggest Loser type weight loss figure, christ on that show you drop that in 2 weeks, however Dicko needs to be congratulated for losing the weight. He did it through Jenny Craig. He is looking good – click this Courier Mail link to take you to a photo of him.

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The question will again be raised whether The Biggest Loser is a safe way to lose weight with Geoff one of the older contestants having to leave because he was having medical problems, and had been in hospital during the show.

On the up side by the time he went home he had lost 22 kgs.

Wayne his partner got to stay, and this means one of the couple who is eliminated will get to stay and partner Wayne. Which could be to their advantage as his is losing big numbers.

The weigh in results are:

• Caitlin lost 5.1 kgs and Daina lost 3,7 kgs;
• Phil lost 6.0 kgs and David lost 7.5 kgs;
• Rick lost 6.7 kgs and Joe lost 6.7 kgs;
• Jarna lost 3.6 kgs and Lisa lost 4.1 kgs;
• Wayne lost 9.2 kgs;
• Elise lost 2.9 kgs and Teneale lost 3.5 kgs;
• Phoebe lost 3.4 kgs and Jenni 3.7 kgs; and
• Shannon lost 6.4 kgs and Chris lost 4.4 kgs.

Phoebe and Jenni, and Shannon and Chris are up for elimination.

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Clearly it is a slow news days, when Make Me A Supermodel winner, Rhys Uhlich makes the news because he nearly got taken by a bull shark.

Maybe I should show more sympathy, because it must have freaked him out, if you are interested in reading about the near miss go to the Daily Telegraph site.

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Well the producers of Come Dine With Me  have to be congratulated for the casting this week, as it made entertaining viewing, however I am still unsure how many are likeable.

First there is Bryan Wiseman, a part time actor best known for his work on Home and Away, who thought it was OK to insult people, and dominate conversation, however anyone who mildly insults him instant offence was taken. However everyone was meant to take the fact he had an asian housekeeper dressed up in a maid’s uniform as a joke.

Band manager Mel who is in Indonesian said she took it that way, but she was not looking thrilled about it. Bryan was not the only one who had a weird view of asians, as Rita the children’s entertainer said she would not normally be hanging out with her as Mel would be the type of person  who be serving her coffee or across a deli counter. WTF????

Rita won’t be coming to a my children’s party anytime soon, for someone who works with kids she just did not seem like a nice person. To be fair my dark side would have emerged having to be stuck with a few of those individuals. But I think she thought dressing up as a fairy princess meant she had a degree in child psychology.

James and Mel appeared over the whole experience by night two. Mel just looked bored the whole week, and I suspect she went on the show to promote her bands. The little bit I saw of their acoustic set means I won’t be rushing out to see them soon. She even looked like she was not getting into them. But she looked bored all week.

James I thought seemed nice, but a bit anxious. However I think Mel and James had Bryan pegged early on. He said “Bryan appears to be wanting to create his own showreel each evening”.

The Bryan show culminated in him threatening to leave Nicole’s dinner party because he was insulted by Mel rolling her eyes at him all week. Of course he had conveniently forgotten that he had called Nicole a slut earlier in the week. Though apparently she is an American slut not an Australian one. Well Bryan you are an international dickhead.

Bryan appears to take his reputation seriously as Mattie a person commenting to another post on this site claiming to be friends with him states that Bryan is currently suing a publication and has retained former media watch host and very talented barrister Stuart Littlemore to run his case.

I am not sure what the defamation case is about and wonder if it is related to the two articles that I wrote about in this blog post/ where he was extensively quoted on drug use on the Home and Away set, and another on a Stilnox incident in London.

The Stilnox incident is not the only time an amateur photo has landed on the world wide web with a photo of him naked landing on a website manpaper. Apparently the photo of him dancing naked at one of his dinner parties is out there. (For the record I went on the site but could not find it). UPDATE: A reader has kindly emailed me the link to the pic, if you are under 18 don’t click on the link http://www.manpaper.com/useruploads/mcqxqinzbawtinvkaecg_Hot%20Breakfast.jpg)

Bryan told Monsters and critics  “ 

“How it happened was, I had a dinner party and we started drinking early.

“One thing lead to another, I started dancing and my pants fell down.”

There are some other gems in the article on http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1529396.php/Star-of-Come-Dine-With-Me-Australia-in-nude-pic-shame when he talks about Come Dine With Me. He reckons he spent 1000 pounds on alcohol for his dinner party.

Now what about the contestants food:

Bryan’s – stuffed tomatoes with a multi-coloured capsicum garnish looked pretty tasteless, and I thought he should have been penalised for having assistance;

Mel – I thought her dumplings looked delicious, and I will definitely be getting the chicken recipe off the www.lifestylechannel.com.au website. I agree with James she needed some greens to go with it.

Rita’s – degustation was over the top, and was bit like a dinner party made from the Four Ingredients cook book (not that there is anything wrong with that) but a bit strange considering she thought it was all about the food. I cracked up that everyone loved her lasagne which had the Dolmio white sauce on it. Dolmio should be pretty happy with that publicity. Just goes to show fancy ingredients sometimes are not required to please the punters.

Jame’s food looked like something I would love to eat but would not cook myself, but I think the last two night’s cooks were being penalised because everyone was getting sick of each other.

Finally Nicole who I quite liked after her lushy performance on Monday night. Her food looked nice as well, and could not believe that Bryan would be so rude to microwave a very expensive piece of tuna. I am sure he would have been insulted if she had added orange juice to her Dom Perignon on Monday night.

Nicole who had been Bryan’s biggest fan all week was quite rightly put out that by the time it was her night to host that he was not being a very nice or good guest. And she nailed it on the head when she said if he is looking to get his big movie break out of his appearance on this reality TV show he will be sadly mistaken.

Rita won which showed that if you do score everyone low you do have a better chance of winning, however they did all acknowledge her food was the best for the week.

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Former The Biggest Loser continues to get paid women’s magazines articles, which I find amazing considering  last year’s debacle of her sending already photoshopped photos to New Idea.

However OK Magazine has paid for the story behind her plastic surgery where she got a boob job, and a tummy tuck.

The article in the Daily Telegraph also states she is back in the US with her son Kai. It also suggested a sponsor had to pay for her airline ticket back. Considering she tweeted she was flying Fiji airlines she must have been doing the milk run.

Anyway I do admire that she is continuing to be able to make money in this way.

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Why oh why did they show just about all the top 20 at the beginning of the show, it killed some of the suspense of the episode. Also why when you are doing one of you is going between to people it is usually pretty obvious the person with the low amount of screen time will be given the flick.

Anyway first of all lets have a look at the top 20 and see what we know about them:

 Will is  a 31 year old ballroom dancer  is from Melbourne, and may struggle in the other styles as he has no other training.

Ilona is a 28 year old hip hop dancer from the Central Coast, in NSW. She has had some training in other styles but nothing too formal. She has danced in a Guy Sebastian music clip, and also with Vanilla Ice at V Festival.

Jessica is a 21 year old ballroom dancer from Newcastle. She is also a medical receptionist, math tutor and dance teacher. She also has had ballet training which should help her versatility in the competition.

Doug is the guy who is married to the US girl, and is currently waiting for his visa. He is a 23 year old dance teacher from Perth. He has worked as a professional dancer in Tokyo Disney, and on cruise ships

Jessie – is a 19 year old contemporary/ballet dancer from Sydney. She has danced at Disney World and locally.

Keiran- this 18 year old ballroom dancer from Melbourne is an early favourite of mine even though he slightly looks like Michael Buble. He also has trained in ballet and other commercial styles.

Issi – I thought this pick was a tad contentious, as the 18 year old contemporary dancer from Sydney really stuffed up her last solo. I think she is good but not great. Has she been placed to attract a certain demographic? I am happy to be proven wrong.

Nick - this 21 year old contemporary/lyrical/ hip hop dancer was barely sighted in the top 100 episode so he will be at a disadvantage in the top 20 shows. Oh hang on is this the guy who said he was told to audition by God?

Robbie  the 18 year old from Sydney is a  beautiful dancer. He did a most fabulous solo, maybe that is why Issi has been put through to be paired with him as she is tiny. He can do 10 continuous split jumps in a row.

Heath – who had to pull out of last year because of a broken foot made it through despite a pretty dodgy hip hop routine. The 22 year old dancer from the Gold Coast can dance jazz, lyrical, tap and musical theatre. He has performed in Wicked  in the US, and also in Barney  in Dubai.

ReneeThe 23 year old from Tasmainia works as a barista. She has previously said she does not get commercial work because of her looks. I think her looks are fine.

Donthis BBoy finally got in through after two years got. He has been a long time favourite of mine. He will be very competative helped by having an already established fan base. Don is an 24 year old air con technician from Sydney (Mt Druitt). He has been doing a few jazz and contemporary classes for technique. And bad news girls he has a long term girlfriend called Brooke who is also a dancer.

 Ivy is a 23 year old contemporary, jazz and tap dancer. Previously she was a ballet dancer. When she can’t get professional dance work she waitressses. You may have seen her in a Grinspoon video clip.

 Jess S is a 20 year old lyrical, hip hop and commercial jazz dancer from Sydney, we did not see much of her in tonight’s episode hopefully that won’t be to her disadvantage when the public start voting.

Grace who reminds me of a funky looking Amy from the top four last year is a jazz/contemporary/musical theatre/ hip hop dancer. The 21 year old from Brisbane is a professional dancer and has danced on various TV shows.

Gaz – is a 26 year old BBoy from the Gold Coast. He is a fulltime dancer. He is not new to reality TV as he was a semi-finalist on Australia’s Got Talent. He has completed  year of fulltime dance to learn other styles.

Phillipe  is a cutie even though he was wearing a Ed Hardy t-shirt, when is that designer going to go out of style. The 30 year old hip hop dancer is from Brisbane. He has danced at the Arias with Jessica Mauboy.

MikhealaI was wrong about her NOT making top 20. This 20 year old  Jazz dancer from Melbourne works at Love Machine Freestyling.

Carly – is a 21 year old jazz dancer, from Sydney but has also trained in ballet, tap and contemporary. Her professional dance work includes two Bonds commercials. She says if she was not a dancer she would be an actress.

Matt - a 20 year old is  latin, hip hop, jazz and tap dancer from Sydney. He is also a mechanic. His other claim to fame is being on Nikki Webster’s single cover.

What do you think of the top 20? Do you have a favourite?  Do you think they got it right?

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Former Home and Away star, and now reality TV star Bryan Wiseman was pretty cool about drunken Nicole not remembering the chest lick she gave him. But reason is he has been in that situation before. In 2007 he sleep walked whilst on a Stilnox sleeping pill. (Source Daily Telegraph)

Chances of seeing him back on the screens in Home and Away are slim as last year he spoke out about the drug  culture on the set of the popular soapie.  Todd Lascance an actor from the show is currently before the courts on drug charges. (Source news.com.au)

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Kyle Sandilands has signed on to be a judge on Australia’s Got Talent  this season. The article in the news.com.au.

It is not known which of the judges he will be replacing. Currently Red Symons, Danni Minogue, and Tom Burlinson are the current panel.

Danni is pregnant but filming should be finished by the time she gives birth.

In other not surprising reality TV news Celebrity Masterchef  will not make it to a second series, but the Junior Masterchef will go ahead. (Source news.com.au)

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