Friday, February 25, 2011

Outrageous Kid Parties Begins

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

How do you know when you're watching and reviewing too many different television shows? You can't tag all of them because of the character limit. I was going to have to take out Minute to Win It, Wipeout, The Middle, and Teen Mom 2 to be under 200 characters. So, I've decided to split my Friday commentaries into scripted shows and unscripted shows. I considered splitting by days instead, but ultimately found that this will probably work better. Now, I should clarify that this is a new idea and I may have to play around with it some, but for now, commentaries and reviews will be broken down as follows:

Scripted: The Middle, The Simpsons, Family Guy, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mr. Sunshine, Better with You, Hot in Cleveland, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, South Park, Terra Nova, Futurama, Melissa & Joey

Unscripted: Minute to Win It, Wipeout, Teen Mom 2, The Unpoppables, Cake Boss19 Kids and Counting, Outrageous Kid Parties, Kate Plus Eight, Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant 

This breaks it down fairly evenly, and I think that, with the stigma against "reality shows," it may be a little less annoying for those of you only interested in sitcoms and stuff.

Commentaries this week include: The Unpoppables, Cake Boss19 Kids and Counting, Outrageous Kid Parties, Teen Mom 2, Minute to Win It, and Wipeout. If you are interested in any of these, click "keep reading" ... if not, you won't have to scroll forever to get to the next post. :)

The Unpoppables (S01E05 & S01E06): A surprise party to make her husband happy. Nautical & tropical is the idea. Okay, now I get why they're always seeming rushed... if you work more than 3 days before the event, the balloons start to deflate. For this job they will need 3000 balloons in 15 shapes and sizes, pvc pipe for the tiki bar, and an assistant to help with the ship, and 20 different colors of balloons. Scissors on a pull-cord you wear, haha. Katie has to make smaller fish because the boat isn't that big. I liked Brian's neat technique of getting the balloon to flare by blowing up two smaller balloons inside the outer one. I loved the big fish!! The tiki bar and everything over there was also really cool... and I like that Addi let the original shirt idea for the bartender stay.

Fundraiser in Marin County, California... for a hospital. They promise a giant castle that will be ON GRASS. Scottish theme... interesting. Addi makes small gifts like balloon flowers and rings for the committee planning the event. Driving golf carts THROUGH the castle.... that sounds tricky!! 30-foot high castle! And a knight. And a maiden & giant golf ball. 4,000 balloons for castle, 500 for golf ball, knight, and maiden, 6 inflators, and 6 assistants. They're working in a warehouse that's hot and that's bad for balloons. 646 is the balloon for the brick. The balloons sweat in the heat and that makes them pop. Katie goes dumpster-diving to look for something to build a tee with, LoL. Turns out there's bits of glass on the floor, too... so it wasn't just the heat causing so many popped balloons. There's some in the air, too, so they move. Brian decides the air is too contaminated so they just start over, losing tons of work. Double-enders.... you can tie either end... cool. I couldn't tell if Katie was being sarcastic or not when she said that circles are her favorite shape. Brian has a picture of sorts of another knight made of balloons to go off of. 8-foot balloons cost $80... Katie is putting one inside her golf ball frame. The end result was pretty cool.

As a side note, this show isn't super-interesting to me. I might drop it if it doesn't pick up. I like the few facts that they give every episode, but otherwise, the finished product is cooler than the process, which is a complaint I don't have with Cake Boss, which is the only thing I can think of that I watch which is remotely similar. 

Cake Boss (S04E05): Columbus Day... lots of pies normally, but now they're doing orders for pies and shipping them... 200-300 a day is normal, the orders forced them to do 1,000+! Buddy knows that the test is going to be rough and that they might not be all into their best. The girls are handling the pie orders for the most part. Columbus was born in Italy and so Buddy is doing a cake, and it's going to sit on the back of a float and get served at the end of the parade. The ocean and the ships were a cool idea. haha, Joey says that he can figure out what the guys mean and need, but he can't do that with his wife and her sisters, haha. Mauro came over from Italy when he was 7, and he's still an Italian citizen 34 years later. He has a "Resident Alien" card, and is now in the process of becoming an American. "I'm a Sicilian, I'm good with a knife, what can I say" was funny. Lisa is 26 weeks pregnant, and it's breech. They're going to wait and be surprised to find out the sex. Some of the pies are over-baked and the girls are much more concerned than the guys. The parade was in Morris County. 

19 Kids and Counting (S06E07): El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala... mission trip with 11 of the kids: John-David, Jana, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, JoyAnna, Jeremiah, Jedidiah, and Jason. They are giving gifts to people. 750 pounds of supplies on this trip!! James, Justin, Jackson, Johanna, Jennifer, Jordyn, and Josie are staying home with Michelle. .
Jill got her braces off after almost 3 years. This is the 5th trip that the Duggars have taken to Central America... it's Jason's first time out of the country. Two other families are going, too. 42 checked, 42 carry-on for the Duggars... wow. Scorpions and bats... eek. El Salvador was the first stop, then Honduras. They're singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the bus? The 6 hour trip has taken about 9 hours. No hot water or working toilets. Meanwhile, back at the house, Cousin Amy volunteers to come over and help clean... they do some weird shots of her with her cleaning supplies, LoL. Cleaning 9 bathrooms would drive me crazy!! LoL. Lots of hiking... and the girls still wear sandals, despite venomous snakes and scorpions. They don't seem fazed by it. The hike is supposed to be 2 hours. It was 3 miles. No security/customs where they crossed between Honduras and Guatemala. Priscilla Keller is at the Duggar home... how is she always around? Did she move to Arkansas on her own? The village in Guatemala that they're visiting is accessible only by foot or helicopter! No running water or electricity at all... it's called Carisolito. JimBob's Spanish is appalling. Hearing Jessa and Jinger say that their dad "still has a very JimBob accent" was funny. The extent to which he was butchering the language was actually almost offensive.

Outrageous Kid Parties (S01E01): so I wasn't going to pick this up, since it seemed like a cross between Toddlers & Tiaras (which I didn't like) and My Super Sweet 16 (which was my guilty pleasure for a while in graduate school). But, then I found out that there were only 4 episodes, so I figured I might as well. The first episode is the 6th birthday party for Gracie. Layton, Utah... wasn't expecting that! She was born when her mom was 40, and already had two other kids. Mom describes Gracie as wild and living in a fantasy world. The theme of the party is Fantasy Fairy Tale. Mom hired a party planner... 150-200 people. $15,000 is the original budget. $750 for a dress... my wedding gown (before alterations) didn't cost that much! Brother is turning 18, sister is turning 16. Mom wants them to invite their friends to this party. Dad hearing $10k was shocked, and the older kids were laughing. Reception, photographer, videographer, actors is gonna be like $20,000... mom's thinking about having one invoice that Dad sees and another that he doesn't see, LoL. Mom and Gracie ambush sister's cheerleading practice and asks them to create a "Gracie" cheer. Invitations were $3,000... scrolls!! She wants the brother to go door-to-door for $100 with a friend and say things like "hear ye hear ye...." and present the invitations... in costume. The cake is looking to be $2,365.78!!!! "What Gracie wants, she normally gets" ...ummm... no limits?? Another $1250 for the carriage. It just really just sounds like Mom can't let go of her kids' childhoods! We know that there must have been a fight between Mom & Dad, but we don't see it. 2 makeup and hair people for a six-year-old?? Why wouldn't ONE be plenty?? She wants her kid to look "relaxed and refreshed" at the party so she takes her to a spa... geez. 45 centerpieces, 2000 flowers, 300 costumes.... for what ended up being 250 guests. The buffet table was on the dance floor... why is there so much dancing at a party for a six-year-old?? The dad was wondering about the cost as he kept seeing more and more on the day of the event... and the mom just told him "honey, we'll talk about this later." OMG. Why are there more costumes than people? Oh, the actors! Mom isn't thrilled that she hired people to help with Gracie yet Gracie wanted her mother to dress her. Gracie wanted a blur bird on the cake, and it was purple, so she cried... honestly, that's a pretty big mistake. She got some sort of big wheel and her comment was "I don't know how to drive." She misses her party and wants another, hahaha. TOTAL PARTY COST: $32,304.28!! More than my entire wedding. Overall thoughts: this show seems better suited for an hour-long format, I think.

Teen Mom 2 (S01E07): I think it's early September. Unless we're having different time periods for each Mom, which is completely possible.  
Jenelle: She and Kieffer have no place to live. They're going to move an hour away, to Wilmington, on her financial aid. Jenelle is already talking about "after college" with Kieffer.... umm... hasn't it still only been a month or two? She drops off Kieffer and then goes to interview... she gets a job waitressing and he's upset that he didn't get anywhere, so he's not happy for her. She doesn't realize how much books are going to cost, so she doesn't have as much money left for rent as she thought she would. She goes to a math class, she also has English, history, and psychology.
Kailyn: She can't afford a place big enough for herself and Isaac. She'll have to get another job. She's wearing shorts to her interview?? Hostess until she learns waitressing, that's nice. I hope they edited out some of the interview, because if that was all of it, that was ridiculous! Jo sent a really mean text when Kailyn told him she got a second job. Jo tells her that she's not stable in any aspect of her life and that she won't be able to live on her own for long. 
Chelsea:  Megan comes by to get some of her stuff. If your BFF HATES your boyfriend, maybe you should consider the fact that you're in a bad relationship. She didn't finish high school stuff in time, so she can't start beauty school. She's thinking of just getting a GED, but knows she'll disappoint her dad. She's looking at a November start now, but it still requires her to finish high school or a GED.
Leah: Corey takes her fishing to propose to her... what a dangerous way to do it... what if it fell into the water!!?! Her mom didn't sound very excited, LoL. His parents seem much happier about the situation. Leah goes to talk to her family's pastor the very next day and he agrees to officiate the marriage. Leah takes Ali to the eye doctor since she crosses her eyes. Lots of people in her eye exam... She has a problem with her one eye turning in, so she'll wear glasses to correct it. In 4 months, she'll be re-evaluated, and may eventually need surgery. spinal stuff won't affect her eyes... only brain stuff will affect eyes. She gets the glasses fitted, but she'll have to go back to pay for them, since they're $160 and not covered by UniCare. 

Minute to Win It (S02E28 & S02E29): Another double-header. . this time featuring the guy they made 127 Hours about. STOP DRAWING OUT THIS MESS. One more week. If it isn't better next week, I'm giving up. But first, we need to finish Anthony & Hugo... 

Game 7: What A Racquet: Hold the racquet between your legs and get a gumball to roll around and land in a specific square. If the gumball bounces off, you can grab another and keep trying. We were in the middle of this one when the time went off last week. So, this week, Anthony finishes... and he lost. Hugo tries... he also runs out of time. The audience wants Anthony to go again... but the brother thinks that Hugo should go. Anthony ends up going, and gets it with 33 seconds to go. I smiled because he was so happy, hehe. Hugo decides that it's time to go home, so they walk.

Now, onward to the guy who cut off his own arm to save his life... Aron Raulston. Oh, and this all went down in 2003 by the way... it's not uber-recent. It's stories like this, however, that make me want to be sure that someone always knows where I went!

Game 1: Wheel of a Deal: Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks... 16 cards are face-down. You flip one at a time and put it on the proper podium. Get all of them sorted before time runs out. 7 seconds to go when he finishes.
Game 2: Noodling Around: A stick of uncooked spaghetti is in your mouth, and you have to pick up 6 pieces of penne that are arranged around a table. Don't drop any. He finishes with 15 seconds to go.
Game 3: Whack Job: Half-filled water glass is covered with an aluminum pie tin, then an empty toilet paper roll is on top of that, then an egg on top of that. Use a broom to knock out the pie tin and the tp roll, letting the egg drop into the glass. You have to do it 9 out of 12 times... that's rough in my opinion. He gets it at 27 seconds, and goes on to get 12 out of 12.

**** this is where we break for the second episode**** (and in the second episode we see an inspirational message from James Franco, who portrays Aron Raulston in 127 Hours)

Game 4: Hangnails: hand six 3.5" flathear nails on a suspended string. You can start over if they fall off. He runs out of time. He tries again. He cuts it close, and finished at time.
Game 5: The Nutstacker: Use a chopstick with 8 metal hexnuts on it to get one off at a time and build a tower with them. He says that he likes that one, which surprises me. He's doing well, but this is a hard one, and he's just on pace to finish. However, he gets the last one on there with 4 seconds to go and clears it with a single second left on the clock.
Game 6: Knock it Off: Use a ball of yarn to knock over the top can of two stacked cans on various podiums at various heights. Don't knock over the bottom cans. You have to do this 4 times. You have to be pretty far from them, too, which sucks. I was worried for a second there, but he finishes with 3 seconds left.
Game 7: Broomski Ball: roll tennis balls over a broom handle to get them to get up and into three wastebaskets - the farther away the basket, the taller it is. You have multiple balls and get many in one basket as long as you get one in each in the end. He gets the first two baskets pretty quickly. The final ball goes in with just 4 seconds to go.
Game 8: Ping Tac Toe: Water-filled glasses make a grid, and red balls and white balls are the x's and o's. You alternate throwing colors and try to get a tic-tac-toe with either color. He doesn't really get anywhere.... just a single ball in a glass when time runs out. He gets further the second time, but blocks his own best shot and ultimately runs out of time again. 

Wipeout (S04E08): Family night. 12 pairs. For the first round, both people go at the same time, and the clock stops when both make it to the finish. Snowblower, big balls, polar bear express (sweeper), yule log jam. Some funny wipeouts on the first obstacle, which is new. The person who fell down on the conveyor belt and just slid off kinda sucked. Oh... she gives up at the polar bear... too bad. She demands a way out of this, and she doesn't want to swim it. Her son eventually pushes her in. Another mom who isn't enjoying this... big face-splat on the big balls. The twins were funny. The log jam just dropping is always classic. On to the ski lift... stand on a small platform that revolves. Hold onto the handlebar above you to lift yourself up and over the sweepers as you rotate by them. I was expecting Ding and Dong to be bad at this, and they were indeed the first team eliminated. Only 3 teams moving on... Sneaky Twins, Sister Moms, and Scrawny & Brawny. The remaining twin jumped off and let the Scrawny & Brawny win the $1,000.... interesting. Now, Swiss Alps... dizzy dummy to diving board to rotating platform to crankshaft to knee sweeper to spinny platform. Two families will go on. Diving board to trotating platform to bouncy platform is so funny to watch. I saw some new techniques for crankshaft (that only work because this one sways) that were interesting. Scrawny gets across first. Then a twin. Then a Sister Mom. Then the other twin. The twins stay and everyone else has to do it again... sucks. Sister Mom makes it. Then Brawny makes it. Watching everyone fall at the end is funny. Scrawny makes it. Too bad, I wanted it to be the Twins and the Sisters. Wipeout Zone today consists of bobsled blast-off, Icy Stairway from Hell, Frostbite (sweeper-type), and Sinister Snowflakes. Best combined time wins. A twin is up first... bad jump and he falls from almost the very top of the staircase. Gets knocked off the frostbite pretty quickly. Falls off the first sinister snowflake... fails to make the jump the second time, finishes with 10:09 on the clock. Now, the dad from Scrawny & Brawny... he slips off the top stair. and then he falls on his way back down. He falls right off the frostbite. Rides the first snowflake incorrectly and falls into the water. Misses the connection on his second try. Finishes with 15:49. Now, other twin... slips off the last stair. He barely makes the stairs at the end but holds on. Gets thrown off frostbite early. Bounces off sinister snowflake, but makes it the second time. 16:29 combined finish time. This doesn't give the girl from Scrawny & Brawny much hope, but she tries anyway.... she gets to do the bobsled, but not anything else, LoL. Spring episodes in 2 weeks!

Off season/Coming Up:
Teen Mom (no idea)
16 and Pregnant (no idea)
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