Thursday, July 9, 2009

My (Partial) Dream List of DC Reality Shows





This may shock some of you, but most of us at ARWDC enjoy reality TV! If I had my druthers, here are only some of the shows I would welcome with open arms to D.C. Please comment or email us with the shows you would want to see!*

Top Chef: D.C. has become one of the top culinary destinations in the country. You may not be able to afford some of the higher end places, but from pho to burgers to haute cuisine to you name it, D.C. is making a name for itself in the culinary world. Spike from season 4 of Top Chef has his must-eat Good Stuff Eatery on The Hill, and Carla from Season 5 was a finalist. (Any readers know what she is up to now?)

The first challenge could be during Maryland crab season....or maybe re-invent the half-smoke. The White House Pastry Chef could judge the best D.C. monuments, which have been made for dessert. Or repeat past seasons, and make food for a worthy cause like DC Central Kitchen.

Project Runway: To be fair, all that I know about fashion comes from Project Runway. But what I do know, is that PR could do some trips to D.C. that would be great! How about designing a gown for an embassy ball....or a state dinner? (Forgive me if this has been done) The gown could then be auctioned off and proceeds went to a good cause.

The People's Court: I have not seen the People's Court since the days of Judge Wapner and Rusty the Bailiff, but the premise of the show would be great in D.C. Instead of taking up precious time and taxpayer dollars doing investigations and hearings, the plaintiff and the bailiff would be sent to The People's Court where a no-nonsense judge would tell them how it is going to be. I know many of you will say but wait...Due Process! Well, both parties have to agree to the Judge's ruling once they enter The People's Court. Just think--Abramoff would've been put away so much faster...no good guy wears a dark trenchcoat and fedora. The movies tell me that.

Bonus, this is actual, non-staged real-life drama that is resolved in one location and doesn't require multiple venues. Score! (thx to @nerdette for suggestion as well)


*We know about Real Housewives of DC (or is it Potomac, MD now) and Blonde Charity Mafia. Some of us from ARWDC are thrilled, some are not. Also, we know some of you will call us hypocrite.s But seriously...PR and TC require a specific skillset, RWDC does not.

10 comments:

Lindsey said...

Carla Hall is with Alchemy Caterers (http://www.alchemycaterers.com) in addition to doing appearances all over the country. Follow her on Twitter to see what she's up to. http://twitter.com/carlahall

Tanya said...

@Lindsay nice twitter find of Carla's feed -- thanks for sharing that.

@DCBadger I don't care what you say, I love Real Housewives of NJ. Cannot stop watching it. Also, I can't believe you didn't include America's Next Top Model. Or our favorite - RuPaul's Drag Race -- which you totally got me hooked on (thanks!) :)

Amber said...

Carla also helped judge the cookoff to determine who would be the head chef at the new Eatonville on 14th and V.

Christian said...

I have been reading ARWDC with passive interest and occasionaly pass by the RW Dorm, with not so passive interest. So about 30 minutes ago (about 3:20 pm on 7/9) I'm walking down Connecticut Ave and have my first RW cast run-in. I'm not sure how many in the cast there, but four were proceeding down the sidewalk toward Dupont Circle. Since I was headed back to my office I attempeted to trail with in earshot and listen into the conversation. Tall black guy, Gerardo, and the brunette were walking side-by-side ahead of Jonas Brother. I couldn't here much until Jonas Brother had a deep thought, as we passed a shop catering to Gay culture. The shop has two manaquins in underwear in the front window. Jonas Brother says, "Why don't they have a Victoria Secret for guys?" Brunette grabs his arm and pulls him foward asking "what?" to which he repeated his question. "I mean they don't have a place that sells sexy underwear for guys. Nothing gay, just, you know, nice underwear for guys." Tall black reponds, "Banana Republic." This did not satisfy Jonas Brother who shook his head and said "no, they have other stuff. Just underwear." At that moment I lost contact as they proceeded into the Dupont Metro. I can only now wonder how much more compeling that coversation got. Here I my impressions thorugh this brief encounter and purely visual analysis. The brunette and tall black guy seemed reasonably normal. Jonas Brother seemed normal until his attempt at wit shot him out of the water. Gerardo immediately sent off "tool" vibes. He was wearing cargo shorts, a "wife-beater tank," his trademark sunglasses, his hair extra spikey under gobs of gel, and abnormal John Boener-like tan (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/15/republican-leader-boehner_n_158316.html). Unfortunately, Gerardo never said anything clever enough to make me change my opinion. I'll stick with this opinion until I see the show.

DCBadger said...

@CSnDC awesome sighting!

Great to know Jonas uses gay pejoratively. Way to go, Jonas Brother! You are in DC! The gays are everywhere and don't take kindly to condescension (at least this one doesn't).

Also, for Jonas et al., I guess the closest thing would be Universal Gear on 14th Street. Decent selection of underwear but better deals are online.

Is there a gay man in this cast? I mean really.....

Berg said...

Lambda has underwear he could wear. So does American Apparel. Just saying if he really wants to find stuff.

Christian said...

Yes, that is what it was, Lamda Rising (www.lambdarising.com). While I did find Jonas Brother's comment "Gay" jarring, I chalk it up to immaturity, ignorance, and my aforementioned mis-guided attempt at wit rather than bigotry. While I stopped use of this straight-guy's insult back in high school in the 90's, I guess it still lives on as acceptable in some particularly dim-witted and slightly older (than high school) corners of our society. In regards to the "Victoria Secret for men" I am uncertain what he is looking for that would make it not "Gay." Perhaps a selection of Hefner-like silk robes and Playboy symbol boxers? Edible beef-jerky underwear? Boxer briefs with pockets and a long straw to hold two cans of Coors?

aMoreImpossibleGirl said...

I completely agree about Top Chef, but I really don't think that DC has the fashion culture that would support ProjRun. Not to play into DC stereotypes, because its mostly a function of needing to be business appropriate, but we're simply not that stylish of a city compared to NY, LA or Miami.

kindalikepuck said...

Be careful CSnDC...making salient points with wit and humor will get you in trouble around here :)

Dana said...

After all the problems Spike's restaurant has had with food/sanitation, I'm not sure it should be referred to as "must-eat".