After being a bottom vote getter for four of the last six weeks, Kristy Lee Cook was finally eliminated from “American Idol” last week, despite getting praise from the week’s mentor Mariah Carey. The country singer, who sold her horse to buy a ticket to the auditions, was sad to leave, but there is a little something keeping her upbeat.
Kristy Lee could finally disclose to the press that her boyfriend Andy proposed to her in her Idol apartment on March 15. He proposed again last Wednesday night on the set of Idol, dropping to his knee this time. No wedding date has been set, but Kristy Lee mentioned walking down the aisle in June 2009. Would she invite judge Simon Cowell, who told her Wednesday night he thought her time was up, to the wedding? “Oh yes, of course I would,” Kristy Lee said.
I love reality shows, but you have to admit – many seem far removed from actual reality. One that I find frighteningly real is “Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel. This shows follows crab fishermen in the Bering Sea – one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. However, there is a bit of controversy surrounding the fourth season premiere, which just aired last week. The first show opened with an intense storm. Waves were shown pounding the Wizard, one of the many crab fishing boats featured on the show. Then, the camera switched to below the deck, where crew members found their stateroom was flooding with seawater. Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it?
There is only one problem – the boat flooded in September of last year and the huge storm occurred in October. Yikes, could one of the most real reality shows be faked? Well, not entirely. I do not think there is any doubt in anyone’s mind that crab fishing is indeed a dangerous job. However, the Hollywood Reporter is suggesting that producers embellished a bit with the editing of the first scene. While Discover denied that there is ever any reenactment footage used in the show, they did admit that separate days of filming were combined for the first episode.
So, what is the big fuss all about? Discover considers “Deadliest Catch” to be more of a documentary series than a reality show and usually holds the show up to high standards. Discovery president and general manager John Ford said that the Wizard was hit by a wave that caused the flood, however the wave wasn’t actually caught on tape, so the shots were pieced together in order for the story line made sense. He said that the opening was quite a dramatic scene, but the episode remained accurate and the show remained authentic. He said they never use re-enactment footage, however do use “pickup shots” to help the continuity of the show.