1) Erika (previously #2)

The majority of the episode was devoted to Erika’s long, overdramatic, and incredibly irritating struggle over whether or not to stay in the house, but I wouldn’t have given her the top spot if it weren’t for her actual decision: in the end, she left! The housemates were openly happy about it (they claimed it was best for her, but they were pretty obviously getting sick of her), and the viewers were thrilled. I just feel bad for her poor boyfriend.

Choice Quotation: “D.C. is not the place to start a music career!” She uses this as reason for her to go back to Cleveland?

Moment of High Comedy: Her never-ending chain of complaints and drama is seemingly instigated by a night out at a bar, when she complains about how she has to pee and doesn’t want to wait in lines.

2) Andrew (previously #1)

Given all the horniness, the panda hats, and the completely ridiculous entertainment that Andrew has provided over the past twelve episodes, it’s no wonder we forgot about his offhanded comment in the first episode about wanting to be a cartoonist. He pursues that goal this week, and despite some initial rejection winds up with a published cartoon in the Washington Times. Plus, he gets a trip to the White House out of it, for which he unfortunately leaves the panda hat at home.

Choice Quotation: “Pressure doesn’t really motivate me. Sex motivates me. Candy, treats, these are motivational things. But yelling and mean words just make Andrew sad.”

Moment of High Comedy: When he gets a call from his boss at the Post, reminding him that his deadline was yesterday, he makes up a lie about the scanner not working and whips together a (surprisingly good) cartoon in record time.

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“Well, at least we don’t live in Darnall.” It’s the mantra of every Harbin resident with a leaky ceiling, every New South-er with a filthy public shower, and every Village C kid with a toilet-hating gunman on the loose.

But talk to anyone who actually lives in that hellhole, and they’ll tell you the sense of camaraderie among floormates makes it the best thing that’s ever happened to them. And now, thanks to GUTV, it’s a sitcom! That makes it campy-cool, right?

Well, if you were one of the tens of viewers who tuned into the premiere of Darnall: The Sitcom on GUTV last night, you saw that kids in this infamous residence hall live a life shockingly similar to that of any other Georgetown freshman. It’s filled with awkward floor-cestuous flirtation, irritating RAs, and slow-moving elevators. Aren’t you on crippled with laughter just thinking about it?

The premise of the show is a Friends-style living arrangement with Gilligan’s Island’s isolation. The cast is your standard, not-so-special freshmen, along with two freshman basketball players and an RA who won’t let the kids play by themselves. The episode’s climax involves a broken elevator door that leaves the gang trapped, feeble and Facebook-less in the dorm’s basement.

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Update 12:19 p.m.: Commenters are right—Vox took a walk down to Georgetown Cupcake and there are camera crews there already. But Vox thinks it may be a stretch to call this a reality show the same caliber as, say, Real World—owners Kallinis and LaMontagne are being asked to repeat their conversations several times before the cameras.

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Want to be on TV? You could be, if you hang out at Georgetown Cupcake in the next couple of weeks. Local resident Carol Joynt is reporting on her blog that the Georgetown Cupcake reality show starts filming this Saturday.

“This is no Real Housewives type of production. Instead of boob jobs, cleavage, French manicures and bitch slaps, it will be buttercream icing, the secrets behind a great red velvet, the importance of one shredded coconut vs. another, and how to please all those brides,” wrote Joynt, who has been in contact with Georgetown Cupcake owners and sisters Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne. Sounds awesome.

When Vox caught wind of the show earlier this month, we couldn’t confirm a network or name for the show. Joynt’s got both—TLC, home of Cake Boss, is producing the show, which is called Cupcake Sisters

Fine, but we still like Georgetown Cupcake: Unfrosted.

Photo from Flickr user mastermaq used under a Creative Commons license.

Bake and Wired may be gaining grassroots support in the Ward 2 cupcake wars, but so what? Sisters Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne, who started Georgetown Cupcake just about two years ago, are getting their own reality TV series.

Local blog DC Fab! says that the show “will be an educational, how-to show that will probably showcase the special Georgetown community along with going behind-the-scenes in their bakery.” (So, less Buddy Valastro and more Paula Deen?)

So far, no one has established which network is offering these local pâtissières a show. But on her blog Oh My Goff WUSA 9’s Angie Goff said an “industry insider” told her that the show will be on TLC, the same network that hosts Cake Boss. Production is scheduled to start this month, she wrote.

This may just about make up for the loss of Blond Charity Mafia, a show about brats who fund-raise and drink in Georgetown. Vox is terribly excited to see the trailer for this one, and we can’t wait to find out what the show will be called. Georgetown Cupcake: Unfrosted? Behind the Sprinkles? Endless possibilities.

Photo from Flickr user mastermaq used under a Creative Commons license.

The Real World D.C.’s first airdate, December 30, is close at hand—and here’s hoping RWDC has plenty of glam shots of Georgetown, because for now, it looks like that’s it for Georgetown reality show junkies looking to get their fill of “Hey, I’ve been there!” moments.

Blonde Charity Mafia, a reality show about the Late Night Shots crowd (the Georgetown-centric private social network for aspiring/alcoholic future-trophy wives and young Republicans, as Vox’s Juliana Brint so aptly put it) appears to have gotten the ax from its network, the CW.

The Washington Post reports that the show has been removed from the CW’s website, pulled a Facebook fan page, and that its actors have been told that they are “free to search for other TV project options.” Ouch.

All this, after the show’s original airdate was already pushed back from this summer.

Reliable Source has the deets the what we’re missing out on—like “Made-for-TV” parties that the producers organized when real party hosts didn’t want to let camera crews into their homes. At one such “Welcome to Washington!” fête, one of the four starlets supposedly meets a Congressman who gave her a job. I’ll bet!

Via DCist.

Photo from the CW website.

Real World cast members

The Real World DC doesn’t premier for another month, but if this this trailer that MTV released is any indication, the eight cohabitating strangers who moved into a house in Dupont Circle in August spawned plenty of he-said, she-likes, he-slept-with drama amongst themselves. (See: “There’s just something about Callie” and “It’s about being true to yourself, being true to others, and being genuine”).

It doesn’t seem like there will be any shortage of reverent references to the show’s taking place in D.C., the seat of government, either. Several cast members are eager to prove that living in America’s capitol city made an impression on them, like Erika, who can be heard saying, “Like, that’s why our generation is so important. We’re in a position where we can take a stand on things and our voice will be heard,” while Andrew eats something microwaveable out of bowl in a panda bear hat.

OK, so it’ll be silly, standard Real World fare. But there’s reason to hope that a lot of that silliness will take place in Georgetown. Cast members were spotted barhopping all along M Street this past summer, for example. Georgetown centric or no, Vox will be running weekly episode recaps of The Real World DC —we’ll let you know who DFMO’ed with whom after too many rail drinks at Rhino.

If you need tiding over until then, the Voice’s November 12 feature by Sam Sweeney covered The Real World, coverage of The Real World, and let us glimpse their kind souls:

So what was the cast’s relationship with the producers and cameramen like?

“As far as I’m concerned, they don’t exist,” Ty Ruff, the athletic Baltimore-native said. “It’s like mice in your house. You’re like, what the fuck, how do we get rid of these people?”

Photo courtesy Beth Ploger

This week marks Wheel of Fortune’s College Week, where the show “gives contestants the chance to pay off those pesky student loans!” and one of Georgetown’s own will be participating in tonight’s show.

Jed Feiman (COL ‘12) will be competing against students from Tufts and the University of Maryland.  In his interview posted on the show’s website, Feiman says he learned to read by watching the show and that whatever money he wins will go towards paying for college and improv classes.

The show airs at 7 p.m. tonight on ABC 7.

Every fall, the TV-viewing population receives an onslaught of both new television pilots and old, returning shows attempting to revitalize their reputations. So far, this pilot season has had its own share of decent new shows, not-so-decent new shows, and versions 2.0 of a few older ones. Here are some notable mentions:

America’s Next Top Model: Now featuring short girls. Tyra’s such a humanitarian (and the show’s been doing the same thing for so long) that she decided to extend her gift of self-indulgent critique to girls who aren’t half Amazonians. I wonder when the season with all plus-sized girls will come around…

The Beautiful Life: A new show about models (what’s with this season and models?) from executive producer Ashton Kutcher. The cast boasts Elle MacPherson, a fresh-from-rehab Mischa Barton stretching her acting abilities to play a pill-popper, and some kid from High School Musical. The September 16th premiere featured terrible acting, ridiculous outfits, and a hilariously dramatic runway walk. Apparently all half-dozen of the people who tuned in to the premiere felt the same way, because the show got the axe after just one episode.

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Oh, Blonde Charity Mafia, what will our summer be without you?

With all the talk about the “Real World” filming in Dupont and the “Real Housewives” series coming to D.C., you may have forgotten about the original D.C.-based reality series, “Blonde Charity Mafia.”  The show, which is supposed to be “The Hills” but focused on Late Night Shots (the Georgetown-centric private social network for aspiring/alcoholic future-trophy wives and young Republicans) members, was scheduled to run as a six-week series on the CW, starting July 7.

But word came yesterday that the premiere has been pushed back to a “later, unspecified date.” Yikes. Is that TV lingo for “No, you’re never going to get to see all the dramz at Smith Point”?

Well, maybe not, according to the Washington Post’s Lisa De Moraes:

Word is Dawn Ostroff, CW programming chief, liked the six half-hours that have been ordered and knew that, in a summer run, the network could not really give the show the kind of marketing and support it merited.

So, instead of debuting July 7, as planned, “Blonde Charity Mafia” — or “BCM,” as it’s called in the halls of CW — is going to be held to run some time during the official broadcast TV season. It’s being held for “midseason,” which means any time after the start of the season, in mid-September.

Yes, that’s right, “BCM” just got a promotion — before it’s even aired.

Guess we’ll just have to wait a little longer to watch all those deep conversations at Dean & Deluca…

In an attempt to fill the Tim Gunn-sized void in your Wednesday night, the CW is pushing a new show, Stylista, where contestants vie for an editorial position at Elle magazine.

Stylista’s not really in the same league as Project Runway– watching people layout pages on InDesign just isn’t quite as exciting as watching them actually design clothes, and no matter how hard judge Anne Slowey tries to channel Anna Wintour, she just doesn’t have half the charm of Heidi Klum or even Michael Kors–but there is one good reason to tune in: contestant Johanna Cox.

Joanna got her Masters from Georgetown in 2006 and worked as a “China Military Analyst” (which sounds like the most predictably Georgetown job ever) before switching to fashion. She’s well-known locally as the author of A Serious Job is No Excuse, a blog that dishes out DC-specific fashion advice.

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