Oct 24, 2016

Reality TV by Amy Andrews

My name is Amy Andrews and I am a reality TV addict. Specifically talent show TV.

Keep your Masterchefs and your Survivors and your Great Races. Give me people who can - even the ones who think they can!!! - sing and I am one happy camper. The Idol franchise, the XFactor franchise, the xyx country Has Talent franchise. LOVE THEM ALL - although I do prefer the ones where its just singing, I have to admit. I don't really care if you can juggle flaming swords or bend yourself into a box the size of a rubics cube. I mean, its clearly talented, just not my catnip.

I love everything about singing shows. I loved the snippets of peoples lives. I love the utter confidence some people have in themselves despite often times no real reason for it. I love listening to judge critique/feedback. I love it when people surprise the judges. I love when they can make a judge cry. I love it when they make me cry but hey....that's not hard to do!

Here are some of the ones I have loved over the years -

Who can forget this amazing audition for Britian's Got Talent that went viral around the world and made this woman a superstar!



And here in Australia, Dahmi Im knocked us all for 6 with her incredible talent in X-Factor a few years back.



Another thing I love about these shows is how they put new spins on classic songs. This guy - Taylor Henderson - was also on Australian X-Factor a few years back. He has this little rough note in his voice that used to make my 15 year old daughter whimper. I was not far behind! I absoutely loved this version of Cindi Lauper's Girls Just Want To Have Fun.




And, I've kept the best to last. Anthony Callea was on Australian Idol about ten years ago now. I was watching the night he performed The Prayer and I will never forget the goosebumps and the tears that spurted immediately to my eyes when he hit the chorus. I knew I was watching magic happen!




What about you? What's your reality TV catnip?


18 comments:

  1. I watch Amazing Race and Dancing With the Stars. I did watch American Idol before it was canceled

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    1. Hey Tammy! I dont mind the dancing shows either!

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  2. Lets try again lost my last post

    Amy

    I loved Idol and The Voice Anthony Callea was awesome and I loved Harrison on The Voice so many fabulous artists and I love the judges on The Voice

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. Ack Helen! How could I forget The Voice! Love it!

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  3. Hi Amy! I have to admit I don't watch the talent shows but I do love the clips that circulate of the times when someone amazes the audience and judges. I suppose I like the high points and not necessarily the rest of it. Or maybe I'm just scared of finding something else I might want to watch!

    I've found myself watching a season of The Amazing Race or My Kitchen Rules but it depends so much on the contestants. If there's too much backbiting I tend to lose interest. A little human drama is fine. Just not when it gets nasty. I love those moments when someone nice, and not necessarily full of their own self importance, achieves something special.

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    1. Even the snippets on see on the ads for those cooking shows is enough to turn me off, Annie! The backbiting is awful....

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  4. I must confess I don't watch much commercial TV, Amy. We are more you boxset junkies. Just finished War & Peace - fantastic and are moving onto season 7 of the Good Wife - I love this show.

    I do absolutely love that Susan Boyle clip - cry every time I see it.

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    1. The Good Wife is one of my favourite ever TV series, Jen!

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  5. The Block. The Voice. The Amazing Race but the first two are my favourites. Did love Idol before it was axed.

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    1. My daughter was addicted to The Block for a while, Jan. But the back biting was pretty bad on it too!

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  6. We're big Masterchef fans in this house. The husband and I both enjoy cooking so it's an interesting show for us. I also like So You Think You Can Dance because of my dance background. But that's pretty much it for reality TV in our house.

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    1. We've just had a dessert only here, Stefanie and I watched a few of those episodes because dessert... but still...the infighting was too offputting.

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  7. I know we're twins, AA, but we're not on the same page when it comes to reality TV. Mind you, I do love that Susan Boyle clip -- to see her astound the judges was just so utterly...satisfying!

    Me? I can't wait till tomorrow night and The Bachelorette. ;-)

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    1. Ah yes Michelle - I can see why you're a Bachelorette girl :-)

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  8. Hi AA - my favorite reality TV (Only watch the music ones)moment was seeing Luke Kennedy come on stage and sing just a few notes of Un Giorno Per Noi/A Time For Us and watching judges Ricky Martin and Joel Madden's expression and then Ricky's joy at listening to such a beautiful rendition. My favorite Voice moment ever. :)

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  9. Okay, I just scurried off and Googled that, Helen. Awesome!

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  10. Ditto Stef! The kids and I like Masterchef (they reckon I should enter with my omelette - about the only thing I can cook, so...maybe not :)). SYTYCD is AWESOME!
    And Amy I remember when Anthony Callea sang The Reason to get his wild card slot. My favourite song for years all because of him. Those moments are so uplifting.
    But any of the building/kitchen/bachelory ones seem to be all about celebrating the cray cray, and making fun. Can't do it. They just make me sad.

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  11. Hi Amy, I loved reality shows when they first started. Devoured the Biggest Loser and wished I could get locked up and starved/forced exercise to shed some kilos! Loved Australian Idol and have followed Guy Sebastian's career with interest as we all liked him so much and voted for him. Enjoyed MasterChef in the beginning too. Adored So You Think You Can Dance. But then life - and writing - got in the way of television watching. Now when I do tune in, I loathe the way they try and make the contestants cry all the time. Hate the crying! (But still, reality shows can be addictive!)

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