I got a large serving of reality yesterday, power lunching at the Beverly Hilton Hotel enjoying a pre-prepared cold plate of salmon, chicken and beef over salad while listening to a panel of “The Hitmakers of Reality TV” at a newsmaker lunch series.
At the VIP reception prior to the luncheon I caught up with "Survivor" host Jeff Probst (yes, finally) who, I was happy to hear, said the name of his proposed new show granting wishes to people with terminally illnesses has been changed from “Live Like You Were Dying” to “Live in the Moment.” Props for making the title sound more positive. If Jeff were to spend a day living like it were his last, he told me he would “Wear Yankee pinstripes, play catch with Derek Jeter and A-Rod and try to hit one in Yankee Stadium.”
When I challenged the veteran reality show host to tell me how he thinks he’d fare on a host of reality shows including “Dancing with the Stars,” “Top Chef” “The Apprentice” and “Amazing Race,” he immediately and predictably answered he’d do best on “Amazing Race.” Taking the physical competition out of the mix he humbling said, “I would suck” on DWTS and even admitted, “I’ve tried it. I’ve imagined while watching an episode if I could do that. I was in my living room and put on some salsa music and I just can’t do it. I would not do well.” But, he does think he’d do well with The Donald. He said, “I’d actually like to do The Apprentice, the idea of The Apprentice appeals to me, that you have a group of people, one of you is in charge and you have to get the other people. I think I could get into Donald’s sweet spot and get him to keep me around a while.” Do I forecast a future Celebrity Apprentice contestant? By the way, he also made clear that there will not be a Celebrity Survivor. Ever.
Other highlights of the afternoon included former “America’s Next Top Model” winner Caridee English sharing with me that Tyra Banks told her she recently lost a lot of weight by doing a Fit Challenge with her friends – and winning, of course, Tyra claiming, “I feel like I know what a young woman wants, I’m like Mel Gibson in a black woman’s body" and that "As a girl who used to walk a runway in a bra and panties, it’s an honor to be up her on this panel as a producer.” Cheers ' class='wp-smiley' /> xo</p>
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Going into Sunday night’s Emmy broadcast, many TV insiders wondered whether the decision to toss aside the ceremony’s usual single-host format in favor of multiple hosts — specifically the five nominees in the Outstanding Reality Show Host category — would work. Well, it didn’t — at least according to Jeremy Piven. 
Through 16 seasons, Survivor has seen its share of backstabbing, conniving and deceitful contestants, but none of their jungle shenanigans can hold a candle to the everyday lifestyles of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. 
I should have been on Survivor: Micronesia. According to host Jeff Probst, this season, which pits ultimate Survivor fans against returning favorites, the contestants are getting some serious action! “We have love affairs, plural,” Jeff reveals. “They play from episode two, and we have the most intimate footage that we ever had of a love affair developing and consummating.” You would think these lovebirds would get a room to do their business, but Survivor producers made sure that impossible. “It’s brilliant how we captured it because it’s hard to do; they try and hide,” says Jeff. “We out-thought tem and got some great footage.” Jeff says the hook-ups definitely affected the game. “They play a big part in this season all the way to the end.” The couples that found love while starving did it without the help of basic hygiene amenities, like razors! “They don’t have tweezers, they don’t shave and the guys don’t get anything,” Jeff reminds us. “They have tampons and they have condoms, which we’ve learned because we don’t want to have any Survivor babies.”
Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough took home the Mirror Ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars Tuesday night, but by the next morning, all the congratulations turned to speculation after the race car driver announced he has terminated his engagement with jewelry designer Aliette Vasquez. What kind of speculation? Only the romantic kind, of course! The dancing partners have long insisted their relationship is strictly professional, with Helio reinforcing that notion in recent weeks with wedding talk galore. But that big smooch he laid on Julianne during the finale suggest otherwise. The truth remains to be seen, but the chummy duo isn’t the first reality show couple to be synonymous with romance and scandal.
