This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There's such a barrage of reality shows swallowing up our television time, it's hard to keep track of who's schmoozing whom and who's been doing the backstabbing. Here's the cooler talk about last week's episodes of some of your favorite reality fare, written by The Salt Lake Tribune's resident unscripted-TV buffs. (Warning: Spoilers ahead. If you didn't watch last week, read at your own risk.)
Amazing Race,
Sundays, 8 p.m., KUTV Ch. 2
What happened?
Seven teams flew from Maputo, Mozambique, to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - and winning the leg was all about making connections. Charla and Mirna jumped on an early flight to Johannesburg and hit the mat first in Zanzibar. Teri and Ian were eliminated.
Best whine & cheese moment
Danielle's airport meltdown - after she and Eric were taken off a connecting flight in Johannesburg - set a high mark for hysterics, if not decibels.
American Idol
Tuesdays, 7 p.m.; Wednesdays, 8 p.m. KSTU Ch. 13
What happened?
It was pop song week with Gwen Stefani as musical mentor. But Phil Stacey AND Chris Sligh butchered favorite songs from The Police, which should have gotten them arrested for life. Sligh's rendition of "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" conjured little enchantment for him, and he was booted.
Best whine & cheese moment
Little Sanjaya Malakar was working the crowd with his "fauxhawk," seven ponytails that fanned out over the top of his head like the bottom of a dust broom. But that laughably bad 'do was enough to keep him out of the bottom three.
America's Nex Top Model
Wednesdays, 7 p.m,KUCW Ch. 30, encore Sundays 8 p.m.
What happened?
That looks fierce on you . . . not! The girls got a tough lesson when Sarah won the challenge for best outfit, but Dionne picked it out. Snap! The girls were dudes in this week's photo shoot, and dudes were brought in to look like the girls. Diana was eliminated because the judges felt she lacked passion.
Best whine & cheese moment
Renee just can't help herself. She started to stir up trouble (again) when she asked Whitney if, "realistically," there could ever be a plus-size model on the cover of Vogue. That's triflin'.
Survivor: Fiji
Thursdays, 7 p.m., KUTV Ch. 2
What happened?
Finally, the newly formed Ravu tribe won a reward challenge throwing fireballs at targets only to get burned later in the puzzle-based immunity challenge. Ravu's rasping Rocky irritated his tribemates for the last time when he mocked them for eating too much while enjoying their reward. They put this Rocky down for the count by booting him out. But watch out - he becomes the first jury member.
Best whine & cheese moment
Rocky was loud and obnoxious to the end and screamed his last words into the camera: "I'm extremely pissed off!"
Contributors: Vince Horiuchi, Sean P. Means, Alicia Greenleigh and Stephen Hunt