The MoleReality TV: The
The Mole
Reality TV: The race is on. Not the race to identify the fink in ABC's new reality series"The Mole,"but rather the network-wide scramble to create a new"Survivor"– that is, other than"Survivor 2."The Alphabet net thinks it has a winner with this action mystery series, mainly because"The Mole"is a big hit in Europe. But then again, so are plastic sandals for men.
Survivor: The Australian Outback (Survivor II)
Reality TV: Die-hard fans might miss Richard, Rudy and the queen of tapioca, but there are plenty of greedy and paranoid players on the prowl for $1 million in"Survivor: The Australian Outback."CBS shrewdly scheduled its money train right after the Super Bowl, and the show that earned the year's most lucrative timeslot is sure to ignite hype and water cooler chatter once more. It should — it's the original and still the best.
Big Brother
Reality TV: Ten strangers, three months and one network that has taken the reality TV craze one step too far. CBS'much hyped Euro import"Big Brother"debuted Wednesday night with all of the style and drama of a Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol commercial.
Temptation Island
Reality TV: A knock-off of"Survivor,"Fox's"Temptation Island"is merely a lightweight libido experiment. The network behind"Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire"continues to churn out copies, and this one is nothing but a trip into the shallow thought processes of unstable dudes and dudettes.
Heavy metal mania
Reality TV: VH1 greenlights'SuperGroup'series — VH1 and J.D. Roth's 3 Ball Prods. ("Breaking Bonaduce") have gone into business with a few heavy-metal American idols. Cabler has greenlit"SuperGroup,"a reality show that casts Ted Nugent, Scott Ian, Sebastian Bach, Evan Seinfeld and Jason Bonham as members of a new band aimed at bringing metal back to the forefront of the music scene.
Survivor
Reality TV: Who wants to be a millionaire? Sixteen people who abandoned their jobs, families and remote controls to spend 39 days on a South China Sea island — that's who. CBS'much-hyped"Survivor"doesn't have a phone-a-friend option and $200 questions about cereal aren't applicable. Instead, this"Real World"-meets-"Lord of the Flies"gamer offers up snakes, rats, cash and more personality conflicts than your average workplace.
Bands on the Run
Reality TV: If video did indeed kill the radio star, then made-for-reality TV bands have their weapons drawn for the gussied-up video stars who fill what's left of musicvideo in music television. VH1 updates"It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"for a trio of scruffy rock bands, adds an element of the entrepreneur contest at the heart of"Risky Business"and then gets it all on tape for"Bands on the Run."It's"Survivor Rock'n'Roll"for these bands of dubious distinction competing for fans'dollars and VH1 fame.
Charity's a reality at TLC
Reality TV: GRB, cabler to bow philanthropy pilot –"Growing Up Gotti"producer GRB Entertainment is moving from mobsters to millionaires. Shingle is teaming with TLC on a one-hour pilot about philanthropists who anonymously perform random acts of kindness.