I am not a reality show person. I left the United States the year that Survivor arrived, and I've always thought that was pretty fitting. I've never seen Amazing Race or Big Brother or American Idol, although I confess to watching some Adam Lambert on YouTube. (Seriously, folks, if you haven't seen him sing "Ring of Fire", you're missing out. Go watch it. Now. I'll wait.) Anyway, barring the Lambert YouTube moments, there has never been a reality show I could get into, mainly because they just seem so mean-spirited, like they're all run by a cabal of the most popular kids in elementary school.
You've got your Biggest Loser, where fat people are abused and belittled. Frankly, I don't want to watch a show that reminds me of 10 years of gym class. I don't want to do anything that reminds me of gym class. I've spent years trying to get over those. You've got your Real Housewives, which I can feel sucking IQ points from my head when I watch even a commercial for it. You've got your So You Think You Can Dance, which seems to turn out OK by the last parts but seems to delight in making fun of bad dancers for weeks at first.
And then there's Dancing With the Stars, which many people whose judgment I respect watch and enjoy but which also flagrantly broke the 11th Commandment. You know, the one that says, "Thou shalt not allow a deeply creepy and demonstrably corrupt former politician to don tight red polyester garments and samba with a woman half his age. It is an abomination."
Which brings me to the one reality show that has, for whatever reason, grabbed hold of me. I'm speaking of Top Chef, which will have its season six finale tonight. And I am totally rooting for Kevin. I could stand it if Voltaggio brother B won it, but if brother M wins, I'm going to have to stage a revolt. Especially if he wins after making some other snide comment about how Kevin's food is what he makes on his day off.
If I'm honest with myself, I have to admit that the judges on Top Chef are probably just as mean as the ones on any of the other shows, but somehow it doesn't have that same whiff of junior high about it. Maybe because we all know that junior high kids would never be talking about Escargot, Mache, and Fried Tomato without sticking their finger down their throat and making gagging noises. I know this because I once ate escargot, in high school, and it ended with a lot of retching. From me. Furthermore, there seems to be a uniformly high standard for contestants--meaning that you almost never have the "let's laugh at the wretched guy" that seems such a staple on other shows.
I won't be able to watch the finale live tonight (because it airs at midnight in my time zone, and though I'm a fan, I'm not insane) so please no spoilers until I've managed to tune in to my DVR'd copy tomorrow. If you're watching tonight, enjoy. With those three in the finale, it's got to be good. Now, Go Team Kevin!