Television Shows That I Should Never Really Admit To Watching…

Most of the time, I find myself trying to steer clear of mindless, pointless, reality television. Over the last 5 years, I have turned off MTV and opened a book. I realized, during my junior year of college, that MTV and some other channels began to focus on reality television. At first, I loved watching “Real World” and “I Love New York,” but after the 10^th season of each, I finally began to see how meaningless and silly some of these programs really were. Things began to get really bad when MTV launched “Jersey Shore.” I cannot stand shows that revolve around getting drunk, hooking up, and drama. Television series like “House” and “Dexter” seem to be more fulfilling and enlightening. Usually, I watch professional sports (GO GIANTS!), “House,” and/or documentaries when I do turn on the television. I hate to admit it, but, I actually found myself watching “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” yesterday.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” it is a reality television show on BRAVO that focuses on five affluent wives and their families. The show is centered around their interactions together and personal lives. Naturally, it is full with tabloid wars, cat-fights, and other dramatics. Since my boyfriend had to visit his father in the hospital, I was left on my own for the day. As I flipped through the channels, I realized that there were a limited amount of interesting shows on. Out of 900 channels, the only thing I found of interest was “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.” The season finale was to air at 10pm so they were showing the season in its entirety.  I figured I would watch an episode or two and then find something else to watch. Little did I know, I would watch the entire season from start (at 10am) till the season finale at 10pm. I was quickly captivated by the personalities of the different cast members and the drama that surrounded them. It rapidly became an addiction and I stayed glued to the television.  Now, I have to watch the reunion episode next week to see what happened since the season ended. I hate to admit it, but, I really enjoyed watching the different episodes and seeing the drama unfold. The producers do a great job of creating suspense, which, is why I could not stop watching it all day. There are several different versions of the “Housewives” series like, Atlanta, New York, Orange County, and now Miami, but I find no interest in the personalities on those shows. I think will stick with New Jersey instead. It must be the BRAVO channel that creates these “must watch” reality shows because I also find myself addicted to “Flipping Out” too.

My boyfriend despises “Flipping Out” with a passion. The show is about an interior decorator (Jeffery Lewis), his boyfriend, maid, personal assistant, and other various workers. Once again, the main character, Jeff Lewis, has a larger than life personality. He has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and is brutally honest. This is a recipe for disaster. Jeff Lewis is always saying something to cause drama and offends someone.  He is extremely sarcastic and is unaware that the things that he says can hurt people. The new season just started 3 weeks ago and I am obsessed! I hate to admit it, but, I have been watching every season since the show first aired. It was the only reality television series that I really kept up with. I think the interactions between Jeff and his employees (especially Zoila, the maid) are absolutely hysterical. I am so excited for this season, and look forward to all the drama and different antics that Jeff and his crew will get into. Once again, thank you BRAVO for getting me hooked on another reality series.

Important Vocabulary

1. Revolve – To circle around.
2. Enlightening – To learn something new.
3. Unfamiliar – Not to know something. 
4. Affluent – To be wealthy.
5. Tabloids – Different forms of written media like newspapers and magazines.
6. Entirety – When something is viewed from start to finish.
7. Captivated – To be drawn to and interested in.
8. Suspense – To create tension and anxiety about something that may or may not happen.
9. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - A disorder where a person needs things to be done in a certain way or do certain things themselves.
10. Sarcastic – Usually used to make fun of something or someone in a roundabout way.
11. Antics – To clown around.

Vocabulary Practice - Cloze Exercise

Directions: Place the correct vocabulary word from above to complete the sentences.

1. John was up to his old ______________________ again, he was clowning around and playing jokes on everyone in Math class while the teacher was writing on the board.
2. Marissa had a very _____________________ tone when she said that she loved school even though we all know that she hated it.
3. Leaving the crowd in ________________________, the movie ended with the main character walking into a dark room where the serial killer had entered only minutes earlier.
4. Having  ________________________ causes Claire to work on projects independently since she needs to have things done in a very specific way.
5. The students were completely __________________________ by the presidential debate; they were unable to stop watching it even though the bell had rung.
6. After driving around town for several minutes, everything looked ________________________ to Marc which caused him to panic because he did not know where he was.
7. The Morrison’s are a very _____________________ family who are known for their luxurious homes and fancy dinner parties.
8. It was written all over the _________________________ that Jennifer Lopez might be pregnant again but, Jessica refused to believe it until Jennifer Lopez admitted it herself.
9. The 50 page, Global Studies review packet must be completed in its ________________________ before the Regents exam so that students can study thoroughly.
10. It was __________________________ to listen to the cancer survivor describe all the difficulties she had to overcome during her battle.
11. Dejah repeatedly told Maurice that the world does not ___________________________ around him since he believes that everyone should do what he wants to do on the weekends.

Grammar Point

It is necessary to capitalize the first word of every sentence, whether it is a complete sentence or not. In addition, you must capitalize the names of people, places, days of the week, proper names, etc.

Directions: Rewrite the sentences below using proper capitalization.

1. yesterday, my cat layla, ran across the lawn and jumped onto the car.
2. i went to disneyland with my cousins anthony and michael on wednesday.
3. darren is a senior at copiague high school, but lives in amityville.
4. jeff lewis is elasia and i’s favorite interior decorator.

Grammar Practice

Write a 5 sentence paragraph describing the different characters on your favorite television show. Make sure to remember the Grammar Point and include at least 5 of the vocabulary words!