Much More Skin Wars Is On The Way -- And Very Soon!

Ok, so if you've been paying close attention to GSN's social media, this might not exactly be a surprise, but if you haven't you are in for a treat. In the slyest way possible (you'll see what I mean in just a moment), GSN has announced that beloved reality competition show (and this guy's personal favorite friend-making machine -- no really they are all so FREAKING nice!), Skin Wars is on it's way back to your televisions. It's happening soon, we just don't exactly know the specifics.

You see that picture up there? It was on the official Facebook page for Skin Wars for all of a day before being replaced with a photo of Ru, Rebecca, Robin, and Craig that simply says "New Season Coming 2016" which is far more vague than "Coming in January". While I'm pretty sure they have already finished filming, it has only been a few short months, so things could still be up in the air. The reason I am pretty sure the filming is done with by now is that the photo has been around for some weeks, and of the couple of people in the photo I recognized (the most memorable being Brittney Pelloquin, the girl with the red hair two to the right of Rebecca) are already active on Facebook again.

Of course in the world of television many things can go wrong or take longer than expected, editing being a huge part of it. If they plan to do two seasons a year like their fellow reality TV juggernauts Face Off and America's Next Top Model (which sadly just got canceled), they are going to have to get the groove down and find a way to constantly make great television, which is far easier said than done. I hope that the January date is the "real" date, because I have been longing to see this show again. As I mentioned earlier the contestants on this show are incredibly nice, and many of them are people I would call friends now.

On the other side of things, I also recently came across another fun tidbit of information on Facebook. Spinoff show Skin Wars Fresh Paint was picked up for a full season a few months back following it's tester "pilot" episode, and now filming has officially wrapped. It looks like the show will be pressed right up against the main series's third season either following it immediately or serving as an appetizer for the main course to come.

Judge Michael Levitt made the following announcement on his personal Facebook page last week:
It's a wrap on FRESH PAINT (our spin off of SKIN WARS). So proud of the entire cast and crew. We made an amazing series and I'm excited for everyone to see it in 2016."

GSN reportedly ordered eight episodes of Skin Wars Fresh Paint for the 2016 season. It's unclear if these will all be new or if the previously aired pilot episode will be included. Judges Michael Levitt and Emma Cammack are both set to return along with host RuPaul. No solid word has come in yet if the "third judge" will continue to be the losing coach, or if they will pursue guest judges as the main show does.

Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Season 6 Trailer + Work Out New York Confirmed Air Date

It's finally here! Bravo has finally bestowed upon us the gift of a megatrailer for season six of one of the greatest reality TV shows of all time, Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills. If you haven't watched it, click that little tag at the bottom of the screen that says "Beverly Hills" and get into my reviews from last year. For now, let's bask in the glory that is season six!

Watch the megatrailer here.

Most notably, there are two new housewives, as well as two vets that are missing. Brandi Glanville (known as a "friend of the housewives" in season two, and later bumped up to "housewife" in season three-five) as well as Kim Richards ("Housewife" status from day one) are both absent. In their places are newcomers Erika Girardi, who also goes by Erika Jayne, and Kathryn Edwards a former model. Notably still there is Eileen Davidson, who I controversially claimed would be axed due to her boring storylines last year. The megatrailer reveals that Kim will be returning on a "Friends" basis (as well as being gossiped about), and many people close to the wives have confirmed Brandi will be back on a "Friends" basis as well.

Also returning are Adrienne Maloof, Camille Grammar, and Taylor Armstrong (!!) all of whom are former cast members. Faye Resnick, who has appeared many times in a "Friend" capacity will return as well as Bethany Frankel from RHONY. Basically what I'm saying is that this season is going to be full of cameos. But don't let that make you think for a second that means there won't be drama. The trailer alone proves that wrong. The new ladies are causing trouble, last season's unresolved fights flare back up, and they even have a storyline nabbed right out of RHOC with the ladies questioning if Yolanda is actually sick. Yikes!

[To watch the trailer yourself click the link underneath the picture. Embedding videos from Bravo seems to be disabled at this point in time.]

And then, on the same day, the beautiful TV network Bravo decided to gift us with another wondrous thing: The release date for the long anticipated Work Out New York.

Work Out New York is an upcoming series based on a classic Bravo reality show titled Work Out. The original series aired between 2006 and 2008. The new series, set in New York City, follows the lives of seven fitness instructors and their work out routines, the people they help get healthy, and all the drama that happens in their tight nit circle of friends.

The show follows (from left to right) Courtney Paul, Noah Neiman, Joe Lazo, Holly Rilinger, Lena Marti, Lindsey Clayton, and Layla Luciano. Each one of these trainers are hot, committed, and passionate, meaning that each one is going to be vying for the spotlight. Things might get a little tricky.

Bravo will be airing Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Tuesdays starting December 1st and Work Out New York Sundays starting December 6th. I will be reviewing both RHOBH and WONY starting December 2nd and 7th respectively.

Steampunk'd Reportedly Canceled By GSN

Sigh. I can't exactly say I didn't expect this, but the longer it was put off the more hopeful I got. It looks like all that wishful thinking was in vain because according to reliable (although unofficial) blog, Game Show Network News, the show is over and done with, getting no second season.

It's with a heavy heart that I post about this news. I reviewed every episode and got some incredibly p positive feedback from not only the fans, but the contestants and some of the judges as well. It was such a fun romp through the amazing world of steampunk, and it really turned a lot of people onto this once hidden subculture. I met a lot of cool people both from the show and simply from the culture thanks to Steampunk'd and I can't believe it was canceled.

From the looks of it, the ratings really plummeted after three weeks. Being right on the heels of Skin Wars, the crown jewel of GSN, it faired well it's first two weeks, but there were so many complaints about the layout of the show that people gave up quickly. I also feel like the elimination order (IE purposely keeping on Miss Morgan so there would be more drama) had a lot to do with the decline in the ratings. They simply forgot their target audience, which were the steampunk makers themselves, and instead tried to mold it into the current format of reality television competition. 

I sincerely believe that had they gotten a second season there would have been major revisions to the format, but it looks like GSN wasn't ready to take that leap of faith. I hope that this doesn't discourage the network from green lighting other reality competitions. Skin Wars has done inexplicably well using the same format and is just as niche a topic as steampunk is. 

I would like to thank everyone who spoke with me and help me promote my reviews. Special thanks to Ave, Tayliss, Eddie, Karianne, Charles, Tobias, James, and Thomas, all of who liked, reposted, and commented on my reviews and Facebook postings. You were all very instrumental in my understanding and enjoyment of this show, and the growing culture that accompanies it. You are all stars in my eyes, and one season or ten, you were there from the beginning, and opened up so many people's eyes to what steampunk truly is. And for that, I thank you.

GSN Gives Skin Wars Spin Off "Fresh Paint" Full Season Run

I've done it. I have predicted the future not once but twice this year. First was with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and now with Skin Wars: Fresh Paint. It looks like GSN isn't messing around with their original programming. They've found their reality TV niche and they are ready to exploit the hell out of it. Good for them!

It looks like the August episode was a pilot after all. After all this hype making it a "one time thing" it was a pilot episode all along, and apparently it did well because RuPaul is coming back with the same formula to help brand new artists find a new passion in the rapidly growing world of body paint. And yes, Ru has been confirmed. The only other person confirmed for returning is Emma Cammack, while Mat Gleason is listed, I haven't seen a formal announcement or confirmation from him. There also is speculation as to whether we will get the same mentors every episode (as in Natalie, Dutch, and Gear) or if they will rotate out each episode.

Skin Wars: Fresh Paint is a episodic reality TV program much like RuPaul's Drag U or Cutthroat Kitchen wherein there is a winner chosen with each episode. In this particular program, six novice body painters, each from a different spectrum of the art world, get a crash course in body painting and see what they are really capable of. In the end, only three make it to the finals where they are taken under the wing of one of three Skin Wars veterans from the main show. Each episode one winner is crowned and gets 10,000 dollars.

The show is hosted by RuPaul, and Emma Cammack is set to be a judge. At this time it hasn't been confirmed with Mat Gleason will return (though most sites say he is), or if they will keep the format of the "losing" mentor becoming the third judge. It has been confirmed to be eight episodes and is expected to immediately follow or precede Skin Wars season three.

Here's hope to seeing my faves Shannon, Nicole, Cheryl Ann (the drama!), Avi, Sammie, and Aryn coming back as mentors!

Bravo Finally Offers Up Details On Vanderpump Rules Season 4

I will never understand how Bravo operates. Every other TV station ever of all time announces far ahead of time that shows have gotten renewed with press releases. Bravo is weirdly secretive of their shows being renewed, with only the major ones (like the Real Housewives franchise) get talked about, and even then it's usually on Andy Cohen's show, or just in casting announcements. The smaller shows, like Vanderpump Rules just get trailers that fall from the sky. I guess that makes today a good day.

Praise the almighty Bravo gods that this show is back. I fell in love with this show while season three was airing and immediately wanted more. There had been rumors that the show was filming, but I never saw anything concrete. Now we have the trailer, and it's making the wait for November 2 so much more painful. The trailer covers so much from Kristen inexplicably still being a cast member, to her and James breaking up, to Shay having a drug problem (!?). It looks like things are going off the deep end this year right out of the gate.

But wait! There's more! More as in a new cast member coming in. Her name is Lala and who the hell cares? Her name is dumb and she shows off her boobs in the trailer. I'm not sure if I'm going to like her. Oh and they also ruined the biggest twist of the season in that Stassi is back. They probably could have saved that for the actual show to catch people off guard, but it is Bravo, so they are bound to do something like this. There's also a lot of drama with Jack, the Toms, and the rest of the crew, but that will have to wait until the premier.

Oh. I didn't mention I would be reviewing this? Well starting November 3 (iTunes/technical side willing) I will be reviewing the show every week. My body is definitely ready for this.

Bravolebs Say Work Out New York Has Been Postponed

After over a week of scrambling to find info on Bravo's new show Work Out New York, I came up mostly empty handed. Every website said it was going to premiere on August 18, but both my local cable provider as well as Bravo's official site didn't have the show listed on the schedule at all. So I took matters into my own hands and tracked down answers for myself. Turns out we have a bit of a wait.

I have gone through a lot of trouble to figure out what's going on. I sent out a lot of emails, tweeted half of the Bravoleb family, and even tried to message a few people on Facebook, but I wasn't really getting anywhere. Then, finally, like a ray of light, I got not one but two tweets back from WONY stars.

First was this:
@LazoFitness Aug 16

@Gaosalad Yea, they worked out a way to get us a slot during prime rating season. After New Years, so it airs in January.

Followed by this:
@hollyrilinger Aug 17

@Gaosalad Yep! The show is actually airing later this year. Date TBD! Will let you guys know once I know more.

It seems the shows stars aren't all on the same page, but one thing is clear, the show isn't airing tonight. My best guess, given that they gave the time slot to Below Deck next week, is that the show will premier either during the finale of Below Deck or the week after it finishes. Either way it looks like WONY went from being a late summer show to an early-mid winter show. 

I have contacted Bravo's representatives, but as of this time they have not responded. No press release for the delay has been made official yet despite it being the so-called premiere day.

In slightly related news, given that the show has been pushed back, I am picking up Below Deck season three as my second late summer/fall show along with Steampunk'd. I will still be reviewing Work Out New York when it premiers.

GSN Is Bringing Even More Skin Wars With New Spinoff

Skin Wars season two is almost over. With only two episodes (well, maybe three if they do another reunion special -- no word on that yet), we are certainly coming to the end of this year's colorful reality TV favorite. Thankfully the good folks at GSN have realized they're sitting on a gold mine, and are giving us even more, and sooner than you think.

Coming at you August 26 (the Wednesday following the finale, possibly airing after the reunion), is the first ever Skin Wars spinoff. We are getting a show called Skin Wars: Fresh Paint wherein our favorites from season one mentor new artists and teach them the various skills that they will need for skin painting boot camp. The returning champs are the ever memorable Dutch, my boy Gear, and season one winner Natalie. They are going to make sure that contestants Adelaide, Bridget, Ryno, Nora, Steven, and Max know the ins and outs of body painting.

Also returning to this spinoff is the lovable RuPaul, who is dedicated to being on your TV screens as much as humanly possible. Get him back his old talk show and we'll see him more that Steve Harvey. Unfortunately the rest of the judges are mysteriously missing, leaving us with two fresh faces to the show Emma Cammack and Matt Gleason.

The show will be a one shot (for now, I'm assuming. It looks like this is a pilot), and at the end, the three mentors will pick their favorites from the remaining three and help them towards the finish line of 10 thousand dollars. This show really feels like it's in the vein of RuPaul's Drag U, and I really feel like if the special does as well as I think it will, we will certainly will be getting a full season of this. And hopefully like on Drag U, they will rotate out mentors so we can see others like Nicole, Shannon, Avi, Cheryl, and Aryn. The smaller cash prize means that they can do a full season for well under the budget for the full show, and I'm sure the ratings would be great given that each episode is self contained.

Bottom line: I love this idea.

Be sure to tune in Wednesday, August 26 to check out this show and Steampunk'd so that both shows get renewed and we have a friggen awesome 2016!

Site News: Two New Series Reviews Coming This Month

As Skin Wars comes to a close, I've been looking for another TV series to do weekly reviews for. When I looked at upcoming shows, I fell in love with two. So instead of choosing just one, I decided to do both. That means that on both Wednesdays and Thursdays you'll be getting reviews of two of the hottest new shows. That's right. They're both season ones. And they are both amazing looking.

First up: Work Out New York

Premiering Tuesday August 18 is Work Out New York. It's a spin off of Bravo's long gone Work Out series that took place in California. This time they are focusing on professional personal trainers in New York and the drama that happens between their incredibly buff set of friends. The mega teaser looks amazing. I can see myself being in love with this show from the first episode, and that's why I'll be reviewing it. If you don't like it then obviously you are on the wrong site because I firmly believe my readers all love hot buff shirtless dudes. Plus it will keep us held over until Bravo decides to finally let us see the new season of Vanderpunp Rules.

And our second show is -- Steampunk'd

Steampunk'd is the sister show to Skin Wars, as shown when Skin Wars had a steampunk challenge with the sole purpose of introducing the show. I have been interested in this show ever since the small 15 second teasers started popping up on GSN. This could be the most original reality competition I've ever seen and even though I don't know a whole lot about Steampunk, I will be reviewing this one, too.

It's going to be a busy rest of the summer. I suspect that both shows will be relatively short, but with two shows happening at the same time, I'll definitely have my hands full. But alas, I love reality TV, and this year I made a commitment to bring you more. We've had three shows so far, and even more coming. Get ready!

More Bad News For Real Housewives Fans -- Nene Leakes Won't Be Returning To Atlanta

It looks like Beverly Hills isn't the only Bravo show undergoing a dramatic casting change. Late yesterday, People Magazine broke the news exclusively that Nene, the raining queen of the Atlanta installment of the Real Housewives franchise won't be coming back for season eight.

It's painful for me to say this, but it looks like Atlanta's first casting casualty is the HBIC herself. I don't know why she's leaving, in fact she hasn't said specifically any reason herself. It doesn't even seem like Bravo is willing to budge on the real reasons going on behind the scenes, but it's obvious that Nene won't be short of work any time soon. With her stage acting on Broadway, her television career, and her upcoming RHOA spinoff, she's going to be doing pretty well on her own.

Nene issued the following statement via her official Facebook page:

"This is so hard for me to type! I cry as I do so! After seven seasons, I am so grateful for all the love and laughs! I can confirm that I have decided not to return to RHOA for the eighth season. Thank you everyone that has watched and supported me over the years on this amazing platform! Special thanks to Andy Cohen, True Entertainment, & Bravo for giving me the opportunity to show the world Nene Leakes and sometimes give them NayNay. This has been such a big part of my life but I am excited for new beginnings that I will share with you soon. With lots of thoughts and prayer, I've decided to step out on faith and not fear. xoxo"

At this time we are still expecting Nene's spinoff show where she will be road tripping with fellow former RHOA co-star Kim Z. Nene has not yet announced any further career plans, but surely we will be seeing more of her in the near future. Nene was the last remaining original cast member for this installment.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Ditches Two Wives, Possibly A Third

It looks like the upcoming season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is going to suck. Hard. Over the past few weeks Bravo has made a string of announcements about the show, and none of them have been positive. It looks like the next season will pull a RHNY and have a completely new cast.

Why God? Why must you punish the gays by taking away Brandi Glanville from our televisions? Bravo formerly announced yesterday that she is not coming back for the new season. This instantly makes me feel like the show is going to be cancelled. This announcement is a quick followup to last month's announcement that Kim Richards wasn't going to be returning as well, leaving only four ladies in the current lineup.

But what about Yolanda? Shortly after taping wrapped for the last season her Lyme Disease spiked up. During the taping of the reunion a few months later she could barely stand to be on set for thirty minutes. She also released a statement saying she could no longer read or write. It really looks like she won't be returning, although no official statement has been made.

What is the show going to do with only half it's cast. If you add on that the fandom really didn't feel like Eileen Davidson made enough of an impression to last another season, it looks like we are left with a skeleton crew. I guess that means it's casting time for Bravo. Who can they look to cast?

Well according to Radar Online, Bravo has already talked to the other-other Richards sister, Kathy Hilton. You know, Paris Hilton's mom? The one I said they were going to have on next season? Yeah. I'm taking all the credit for that. You're welcome Andy. No official statement has been made as of yet. It's also worth stating they haven't confirmed anybody coming back other than those who have bowed out.

So what do you think? I am personally devastated that Kim and Brandi are gone, but I can't say I'm no surprised. Kim really needs to get away from the public eye and focus on herself, and without Kim, Brandi is alone and set to be the enemy of the state. This season may be off to a rocky start, but I honestly hope it's not going to fail. I'm already pretty positive RHNJ is doomed without Teresa, and I can't have two shows cancelled in one year.