Vulture drew this quite funny Venn Diagram up, showing the intersecting world of reality TV shows.

Thanks LindaJKearns for sending it in.

After K-Fed collapsed on the set of Excess Baggage, A Current Affair, did a story on whether reality weight loss shows push their contestants to far.

Here is the link to the video.

Excess Baggage producers and Channel Nine must be loving that The Biggest Loser ratings are sitting in the 800,000 viewer mark. Clearly the early start for Loser is not working at the moment.

A Queensland University has done a study on where you are placed to sing on talent reality can effect the voting patterns.

The news.com.au article states the study found the person who sang last had an advantage over the other contestants.

It states:

They found that even after accounting for a contestant’s talent, those who performed later in the show had an advantage over other contestants.

American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson regularly performed later and went second in the final show and has gone on to become arguably the world’s most successful Idol contestant.

Researcher Dr Katie Page said the later a contestant performed in a show, the more likely they were to not be in the bottom two in the following round.

Is this what academics do studies on these days? I thought universities are about intellectual rigour?  Any fan of the show would have been able to tell these researchers that the last spot is commonly known as the pimp spot, as that is where the producers will regularly put their favourites in to help keep them on the show. Remember which position Reece Mastin was put in the week after he landed in the bottom two in the last season of The X Factor Australia?

At least she acknowledged that where you perform is not pulled out of a hat, it is where the producers decide where you should sing.

The study also found contestants who performed first were more likely to be judged favourably than those who went second or third, which were found to be the worst positions to perform.

Apparently this has to do with memory of the voters, but I would also say that a lot viewers also can miss the first few songs as they not be settled in front of the TV yet.

Anyway I hope by the time my kids get to university this quango research has been replaced with some academic rigour, because I can just save the not inconsiderable fees and teach them this stuff at home when they are in fourth grade.

Reality TV shows should entertain and the really good ones will also get you thinking. Wife Swap Australia does both, but don’t panic it is still trashy TV.

Wife Swap Australia premieres tonight on Lifestyle You at 8.30pm, and the first question I thought of was why did it take so long for an Australia version of this show to be made?

For those who have not seen the overseas formats of the show, Wife Swap is where two wives are swapped into the other’s daily life. They have to live half a week under the rules of the original wife, and then in the second half of the week they get to instigate their own rules. At the end of the week they face off a cross the table, where they might accept a few home truths or bite back.

If you are thinking of having an extra-marital affair maybe go on this show as most of the couples are happy to see each other at the end of the seven days.

Normally the wives are placed in polar opposite households to ensure they are way out of their comfort zone. And that is where the drama starts.

They normally swap them on the basis of class/socio-economic level, culture, values or even just basic hygiene.

And of course each wife starts the episode thinking her household and parenting philosophy is the best.

What is good about the show:

• It gets you thinking about what type of family they would they swap you with;
• You are able to feel superior and get judgemental about other peoples child rearing philosophies and values;
• Watching the wives meltdown when they get to their new houses and live under new rules; and
• Watching the husbands meltdown once the rule changes are implemented;
• Seeing some self awareness seep into the families – so some mini-transformations do occur.

Also the show does make you reflect on your own parenting style – the positives and negatives.

But don’t let potential mother guilt stop you from watching the show.

Episode one sees the nouveau riche neat freak, Stephanie Montford swap with the working class Nicola Barry who has a more laid back approach to parenting and household hygiene then Stephanie does.

There are tears but not from the wives, and the person who comes out of the show the worse is the teenage Montford daughter ( for her sake I hope she steers clear of the internet for the next week), and it is a lesson to us all on how not to turn our kids into brats.

However episode one is just the entree, as episode two showcases the biggest dickhead I have seen on TV ever. I know big call but I don’t think he had one redeeming feature.

At least The Situation from Jersey Shore has a six-pack…

This guy Pete Zantey thinks he is a rock star and wife swap wife, conservative neat freak Leanne King gives it to him. I was barracking for her all the way. If you only watch one hour of reality TV this year let it be this episode of Wife Swap Australia.

Wife Swap Australia is not just the reality TV show of the day, it is reality show of the week.

Wife Swap Australia premieres tonight on Lifestyle You at 8.30pm.

There will be episode recaps up on the blog after the show has screened because you are going to want to talk about it.

Also if you were on the show what type of family do you think you would be swapped with?

Below is an article that I wrote for The Punch today outlining some tips to consider if you want to become a reality TV star. It would appear a lot of the readers there are not fans of reality TV….

Here is the article:

Getting bored and wondering what you can watch on TV – well some channels are programming new shows to be watched now.

Unfortunately they are mainly on Foxtel. This is not a full list and as more start I will continue to update as some of the big free-to air shows should be starting by the end of January.

Here they are:

Wife Swap Australia – Starts Monday 9 January at 8.30pm – This is going to rock it is based on the US show where wives swap  places with each other for a week. Cue fireworks.

Cricket Superstar: Starts Wed 4 January at 8.30pm  - it is a Cricket reality TV show where the winner wins a scholarship.

Dance Moms: Tuesdays at 9.30pm on Lifestyle You – Bossy dance studio teacher with ambitious mothers of daughters. It started on the 3 January and is pretty darn entertaining.

Kourtney and Kim Take New York – E! – Tuesdays 9.30pm – You saw the Kardashian wedding now see the divorce.

Scouted – E! – 9.30pm Wednesday – Reality show on model scouters discovering models.

Shipwrecked: The Island – Lifestyle You on Wednesday’s 9.30pm. This looks like a mix of Lord of The Flies and Survivor. Ten young people are marooned on an island. They must build shelters, create communities and compete to win new members to their islands.

Becoming Chaz: Lifestyle You -  A one off on Monday 9 Jan – about Chaz Bono turing from a women into a man. The journey not literally the operation.

Design Star Series 6: Lifestyle Home – Starts Sunday 8 January at 6.30pm. A fun design show where the contestants compete in challenges to win their own design show. A contestant is eliminated each episode.

Biggest Loser UK Series 4: Lifestyle You – Starts Thursday 5 at 8.30pm. This show is self explanatory…. for those who don’t know it is a competitive weight loss show.

Undercover Boss Series 3 – Lifestyle – Starts Monday 9 January at 7.30pm. It is the UK version of the show where the boss goes undercover back to the “shop floor” to learn things about the company and its employees.

Katie – Lifestyle You starts on Friday 6 January at 10.30pm. It is follows Katie Price aka Jordan around on her day-to-day life. Will check it out but not one  I am terribly excited about.

Supersize Vs Superskinny - Lifestyle You – Starts Thursday 12 January at 9.30pm. It is about people at both ends of the weight spectrum.

The Zoo – Lifestyle – starts on Sunday 8th January at 7.30pm. For animal lovers as it goes behind the scenes at the London Zoo.

American Idol – Fox 8 starts Sunday 22 January. The singing competition is being fasttracked from the US.

OK the heading is making this article sound a bit better then it actually is.

I spotted this photo gallery on Daily Telegraph  site which is a where are they now reality TV stars montage. One I had completely forgotten about was Scott Cain the winner of series three of Pop Stars. What is he doing now?

I spotted some old favourites like Rebekah Le Vauney, Sara-Marie Fedel and Claire Winton-Burn. It would be interesting to know what they are doing now.

Though a search on YouTube would reveal why his music career did not take off. Only click on it if you are either really curious or really bored.

UPDATE: What reality TV stars would you like to know what happen to them? Give me some names and I will try and follow up…

Foxtel has launched a new reality TV channel for blokes called A&E. It will be launched on 16 February 2012 and will be targeting a younger male audience.

The channel will deliver hundreds of hours of original and exclusive unscripted series to viewers in dynamic High Definition. However it will also be available on standard definition.

The schedule for A&E in Australia is comprised of original and exclusive programming from the US.   It will feature Australian premiere seasons of shows including Storage Wars, Storage Wars Texas, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Billy The Exterminator, Pawn Stars and American Pickers.

Also Cordell Jigsaw will produce the one hour special MegaTruckers.

MegaTruckers follows blue collar hero Jon Kelly, the man who built Heavy Haulage Australia from scratch, and his “hard as nails” drivers hauling some of the world‟s largest and heaviest loads across the treacherous Australian terrain.

Australian exclusive premiere series on A&E include:

Storage Wars: The stakes are high; the rivalries are intense; the drama is explosive. Get set for a wild ride as Storage Wars follow teams of bidders looking to score it big in the high stakes world of storage auctions. Storage unit auctions are the newest and biggest untapped source for hidden treasures, and opportunistic individuals bid on unclaimed properties hoping to strike gold.

Shipping Wars: Dive into the cutthroat world of heavy-duty movers as they battle for the chance to transport the un-shippable. The competition begins with uShip, the world‟s largest online auction house for independent truckers. The battle is fierce as the movers have only minutes to bid, and the lowest bidder gets the load. The race is on as they set out to deliver the loads in time, and any setback can cost big bucks.

As well as Storage Hunters, American Hoggers and Big Shrimpin’. Plus exclusive first run seasons of the hit series:

Pawn Stars, brings viewers inside the doors of the only family-run pawnshop in Las Vegas, where three generations of men from the Harrison family buy and sell collectible, unusual and historically significant items. Their customers, often as colorful as the merchandise, are carrying on a centuries-old practice: pawning or selling their possessions to make a quick buck.

Ice Road Truckers: For two months out of every year, a group of exceptional men and women find their way to the Canadian tundra to undertake one of the most dangerous jobs on earth. In blizzard conditions, these truckers travel over ice roads and frozen lakes with every trucker trained in self survival, from fixing his truck in sub zero conditions in seconds to escaping from a truck if the ice cracks. On the other end of the journey are the miners whose lives depend on the truckers making it to their base.

As well as Swamp People, Axe Men, American Pickers, Dog The Bounty Hunter and IRT: Deadliest Roads.

The show that looks the most interesting out of that lot is Storage Wars, however I know there is some fans of Pawns Stars on this blog.

So you watched the wedding now watch the break up. Kim and Kourtney Take New York season two  was filmed just after the wedding of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries so hopefully we will see the tension on air. Obviously they will be editing Kris to look as bad as possible.

It is the first time ever I am looking forward to a Kardashian episode.

However if this clip below is anything to go by you can see why she is divorcing him.

Kim and Kourtney Take New York Season 2 starts tonight on E! at 9.30pm.

China cracks down on reality TV as it is being too real about the new China and its youth. (Source: New York Times)

Lee Furlong host of Cricket Superstar talks about the show. It premieres on Fox 8 on Wednesday 4 January at 7.35pm. (Source: TV Week)

TV Tonight is saying former Australian Idol host James Mathison might be in the mix for host of The Voice, as no one has been officially announced yet. The other two names mentioned have been Darren McMullen and Jabba. I hope he is right. (Source: TV Tonight)

TV Tonight also reviews The Amazing Race app, the positive thing about it is that it does have Phil raising his eyebrow!

The US version of So You Think You Can Dance has had a rating decline so there will be no results show, it will be all be rolled into one. (Source: Hollywood Reporter)

Because there has to be a Kardashian on every show, Khloe gets Punk’d on Punk’d by Miley Cyrus and Kelly Osbourne. (Source: Huffington Post)

Also Kim Kardashian has a new look to go with the New Year. (Source: Huffington Post with Pic)

Celebrity Wife Swap cast member Carnie Wilson talks about her weight gain. More importantly are we going to see this series in Australia? (Source: Huffington Post)

Courtney Stodden does another gyrate for the cameras in the hope of getting her own reality TV show. (Source: Daily Mail)

Rachel Zoe keeps herself covered up on the beach in the Carribean, but she looks like she has lost any baby weight she might have gained. (Source: Daily Mail)

Janice Dickinson alleges America’s Next Top Model winner is not picked by the judges but the Cover Girl executives. (Source: Radar)

The Bachelor or Bachelorette have never had a non-white person in the title role. Cheryl Robinson writes about this in her new novel The One, where her main character is black and in her forties and is in the title role of the show. (Source: PR Web)

Erin the single mum from season one of Farmer Wants A Wife is getting married. (Source: The Herald)