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Joanne Brokaw

freelance writer s columnist

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This Life

A humorous look at life, faith, and everything in between

This Life: July 2005

Test Your Reality TV IQ

As I sat watching Chef Gordon Ramsey lambaste yet another contestant on FOX’s “Hell’s Kitchen”, I got to thinking about how far network execs have gone to come up with fresh yet enticing reality television shows. What’s next? “Bowling with the Stars”? “Celebrity Crosswords”?

Just for fun, I thought we’d play a little game to test your knowledge of reality television. Below are the plotlines for both real and fictitious unscripted television shows. Your job is to figure out which shows are (or were) real reality shows and which are the creation of a column writer on a deadline.

Good luck! The answers can be found here.

Chicken Dancing with the Stars

Following on the heels of the summer ballroom dancing series Dancing with the Stars, celebrity contestants meet on the dance floor to see who can master the complicated yet poignant wedding favorite, The Chicken Dance. It all leads to the final showdown, broadcast live from the wedding reception of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

I Want A Famous Face

Enthusiastic fans undergo plastic surgery to look like their favorite celebrities.

Meet Mr. Mom

Dads are left to run the household and mind the kids for a week while overworked and under-appreciated moms are given a surprise luxury vacation.

Truth or Consequences: New York Times Edition

A panel of average Americans are given stories from the front pages of the New York Times and asked to determine which are fact and which are fiction. The reporter that stumps the most contestants gets a five-book deal from a major publishing house.

Cathouse

Follow the day-to-day activities inside a real working whorehouse.

Pimp My Pet

Dogs and cats from the local animal shelter are given a total makeover before being put up for adoption. Watch Fido and Fluffy go from SPCA slum to condo chic.

Amish in the City

Amish kids are let loose in the big city to experience all of the things forbidden in the Amish lifestyle - from drinking to dancing, and yes, even using electricity.

You’re Fried

High school students vie for management positions in a major fast food chain by completing tasks until one contestant is left standing with his nametag intact. The contest will be judged by a panel of experts including Donald Trump, Ronald McDonald, and The Burger King.

Extreme Quilting

Watch eighteen Amish women finish a queen-sized quilt without the aid of a pattern or thimbles.

Rob and Amber Do The Dishes

They’ve survived, they’ve raced, they’ve married - and you were there to witness it all. Now see America’s sweethearts manage daily household tasks without the aid of passersby or sympathetic strangers. This time, they’re on their own.

Beauty and The Geek

Seven beautiful but academically-challenged women are paired up with seven brilliant but socially inept men to compete in challenges ranging from spelling bees to massage lessons to rocket building. The team left standing wins $250,000.

Celebrity Chutes and Ladders

Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears compete in an challenging game of ups and downs until one couple reaches the last ladder.

Playing It Straight

A beautiful woman looking for love has to determine which of the handsome male contestants are straight and which are gay based on a series of dates and challenges. A $1 million prize is at stake.

THE ANSWERS HERE