REALITY TV CIRCUS

When it came to the best reality TV shows of 2008, more was definitely more! All the shows we selected had something that was infinitely better than the other competitors, whether it was better acting, more drama or just plain likeability. The top show of 2008 will surprise some, but not all, for it had everything a reality TV show could want…and then some.

So counting down from No. 5 to No. 1 we’ll outline all of our picks for Best of 2008. First we’re gonna name five more shows that get an “Honorable Mention” and a brief word.

Honorable Mention

10. Snoop Dogg’s Fatherhood - Who knew David Beckham would be playing soccer with Snoop? Or that Snoop and his family lived somewhere other than Hollywood? Well, folks, they do and they’re OK with it. It had the tendency to be a bit like The Osbournes, which is still the standard to which everything is judged in reality TV. But some of it sounded made up, too.

9. The Girls Next Door - Even though everyone wants to see what is really going on at the Playboy Mansion, the truth is you really don’t get to see what goes on. For one, two-thirds of the “Girls” are college grads, which means they probably know something about keeping a public image. And you can bet Hef does, else he wouldn’t have been as successful as he has been. On the believeable scale, it’s a 5.

8. Bromance with Brody Jenner - It just started this past week, which barely qualifies it for inclusion in this year’s list. It may have a chance to win it all next year; that’s how good this show is. I don’t know what it is that makes this show great, but it’s a cross between Old School, Animal House and The Hills with some really goofy contestants/frat boys that make it all worthwhile. And the Brodester is known for causing his own brand of trouble, so you know it’s only gonna get better than watching eight guys sweat it out in a hottub at the elimination ceremony.

7. Operacion Repo - This little-known TruTV staple should be on one of the bigger networks, but it’s not. Always one of our go-to shows for the week (but not yet shown on RTV Circus, my bad!) it stars a repossession company out of the San Fernando Valley, their often-hilarious attempts to repossess anything with an engine and the hired muscle named Matt Burch (top photo). In my opinion, Matt is the show. The other co-stars/repo geniuses are great, too, especially Froylan Tercero, but they aren’t Matt, the dude who always wears the 80’s Levi shorts with his ‘roid-infused physique.

6. Rock of Love Charm School - The only reason “Charm School” didn’t get higher marks is because it had to go up against I Love Money and Rock Of Love 2 on VH1. From the insane spitting incident involving Brandi C., a wad of whatever and the horror on Destiney’s face after she was spat upon (priceless) to the ridiculous stunt Lacey pulled (acting normal) to try to win the $100,000 the show was a hit, even after the show technically ended. You see, Sharon nearly pulled Megan’s hair out at the reunion show when Megan called her a hanger-on because she’s married to Ozzy.

The Best of the Best

5. Keeping Up With The Kardashians - You may think Kim steals the show with her one prized asset (that would be her ass) but you would be wrong in your assumption. The reason the show is such a hit is because ALL of the Kardashians are entertaining! Sarcastic as the day is long, the sisters (bottom photo) are always up to no good, whether they’re running the family business (a boutique) or jetting to Vegas for a quickie marriage foiled at the last minute or putting up calendars of Kim’s naughty bits on accident (Heh).

4. Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency - They may not hold eliminations, per se, but Janice does run a tight ship and you’d better not show an inch of cellulite! Janice is like that annoying, micro-managing boss that is always in everyone’s business, whether she’s arranging dates for her son (and co-boss) Nathan, or she’s giving the finger to some underwear line from Australia (actually happened) or fighting off the temptation to kill one of her underlings (Brian Kehoe) who is annoying her to the point of distraction. Or we could talk about the fact she’s at every shoot her models do and often was included (40 or not!) in that shoot. She is one-of-a-kind and sadly there will never be another like her. (Sorry Tyra!)

3. Rock Of Love 2 - What has more testosterone, silicone and methylethylthiazolinone than any other show? That’s right, tettones! There is more fake to ROL 2 than any show on God’s green earth and the reason is simple. That’s the way the show’s producers and Michaels want it. That said, there really isn’t any other show I can remember that stays true to its format and never strays from the usual Mud Bowl/Tour Bus/Fake Boobs/Strip Tease persona. It loves being raunchy, racy and sexy. And that’s why it’s bound to stay another several years. It’s like all those bad heavy metal ballads from the 80’s. There really isn’t anything to them (except for sexual overtones), but they sound good and they look great!

2. Real Chance Of Love - I was not excited when I first heard Real and Chance were gonna have their own show. But you know what? Out of all the reality TV shows on the air, it’s actually the most realistic! That surprised me, since Chance came across as the most fakeass person on I Love New York since New York. Real always had a heart of gold and so I knew he would be more sincere in his search for Miss Right. But Real and Chance have fought over the same girls at times, acted like brothers do and basically created enough drama that several ladies may even get their own shows. Milf was a hit, as was So Hood and who can forget Bubbles? Then there’s Rabbit…and Stalker…and the list goes on and on…

1. I Love Money - Never in the history of reality TV has there been a show as conniving, entertaining and mysterious as I Love Money. The premise was this: take 20 former reality TV stars in a boat to an island in Mexico, drop them off at a mansion, give them a host to keep order (or try to) and offer money to the winner at the end of the show! Who can beat that? When you add people like Real, Chance, The Entertainer (who is back for season 2, BTW), Destiney, Megan and the self=-proclaimed Godfather, White Boy you know you have a show. I’m so excited for season 2! It was must-see TV every week and that show will spawn many other shows, for starters Real and Chance’s and Megan’s shows.

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