reality tv

Vegas Realty Crisis, Meet Reality TV: CNBC Flips Over Foreclosures

If America's subprime mortgage crisis was an earthquake, Las Vegas would be the epicenter: No U.S. city has suffered more. But all that devastation makes for great TV. Or at least CNBC hopes so, because it's mining that economic disaster for "Flipping Wars: Vegas."

'Fashion Star' Goes Instantly From Reality TV to Retail

NBC's design reality show Fashion Star wants viewers to vote -- with their wallets. The day after each episode, the line of that week's winning designer will be on sale at major retailers. Real fashions for real viewers to spend their real paychecks on. Clever -- but will it sell?

'Wall Street Wives' Gets Down to Business with Auditions

Devon Fleming's casting call for her planned reality TV series, Wall Street Wives, attracted the media attention that producers relish, and hundreds of women responded. She allowed The Price of Fame to attend a recent audition, where we got a glimpse of the sort of drama the show might deliver.

When the SATs Confuse Reality TV with Reality

In an effort to be hip, the College Board asked one-third of SAT-takers this year to write an essay on whether reality TV shows are beneficial or harmful. That was a bad choice on multiple levels, and an excellent metaphor for much of what's wrong with the whole college admissions race.

Jersey Shore, the Book?

MTV's Jersey Shore may bring in big numbers on TV. But recent attempts by the program's stars to become best-selling authors have met with, at best, modest success. And the same goes for other Jersey Shore-related books.

In the New Gold Rush, Equipment Suppliers May Strike It Rich

The uncertain economy, high unemployment and soaring gold prices are luring droves of dreamers to the gold fields. But while few prospectors will hit paydirt, the biggest beneficiaries of the new gold rush will be the merchants and servicers who support the intrepid ore-hunters.

'Sarah Palin's Alaska' Debut Attracts Record Viewership

The new show "Sarah Palin's Alaska" attracted a record number of viewers for its debut on the TLC network Sunday night. According to Nielsen figures, 4.96 million viewers watched the show, double the average viewership for the channel's Sunday prime time shows.

Undercover Boss Steven Foster Rolls With the Punches

Steven Foster, CEO of upscale bowling chain Lucky Strike Entertainment, was hands down the most easy-going Undercover Boss yet. The hit CBS reality show is still as phony as the toupee he had to wear, but at least the episode was fun.

On Undercover Boss, Bowling Exec Tries to Avoid the Gutter

On Sunday, Lucky Strike Lanes CEO Steven Foster will get a chance to show America how he rolls. The latest guest on CBS' hit show Undercover Boss, Foster will try his hand at the day-to-day tasks of running the bowling alley chain he created.

Chicago Cubs Exec Throws a Curve on Undercover Boss

One pervasive theme of CBS's Undercover Boss is that, under the surface, there isn't that much difference between executives and drones. This Sunday, however, promises an interesting confrontation as an American aristocrat meets the workers who keep his family business -- the Chicago Cubs -- afloat.

Undercover Boss Shows Airline CEO It Isn't All Blue Skies

On Sunday, Frontier Airlines CEO Bryan Bedford will take his turn on the CBS show Undercover Boss, going incognito to attempt the dull and nasty jobs required to get an plane in the air and keep its passengers happy. No surprise, he'll discover how different the view is from the bottom.

Even Jerry Springer Makes Fun of The Jerry Springer Show

Love him or hate him, there is no denying Jerry Springer's impact on popular culture. But the godfather of reality entertainment understands why The Jerry Springer Show turns off many viewers: It's not his cup of tea either. The talk show is just his job, but his passion remains politics.