TV Preview: Farmer Wants a Wife

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:15:25 PDT

When a network sends you a DVD screener, and the envelope is filled with real-life farm hay (completely with real-life farm smell), it's never a good sign. That, though, is exactly how my screener copy of Farmer Wants a Wife, a new CW reality show that premieres April 30, showed up at Sugar HQ. Once I dug the paperwork out from the hay, I learned that the show ships 10 city girls off to the country to compete for the affections of a tanned, frequently shirtless small-time farmer named Matt.

Of course, the women will be put through a series of farm-related tasks, including cattle milking, tractor riding, and corn picking. They'll have to adjust to life in a town with a population of 351 (or, well, 361 now), and they'll have to deal with all of the other country-wannabes as they live together in a farm house. Basically, it's like every other reality dating show you've ever seen, but with more flannel and cowboy hats.

Honestly, this one baffles me. Do women in general find farmers that sexy? Is that the question I'm even supposed to be asking? And, when it comes down to it, is this better or worse for the state of humanity than Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious? To check out the trailer and judge for yourself, just

Photo courtesy of The CW

The CW Dishes on New Reality Shows and More

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 11:29:09 PDT

It's The CW"s turn at the TCA press tour today, with panel discussions with the casts of each of the CW's new shows. Network Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff took the stage this morning to chat about what's coming up for the network, which is entering its second year. Here were a few of the highlights:

The two-hour "Beauty and the Geek" premiere will kick off the CW's season on Sept. 18, and this time around, there's a twist: One geeky girl and one hot guy will also be in the running. "The experiment has evolved," the promo voiceover intoned, getting a chuckle from the crowd.
Remember "Crowned," the mother-daughter beauty pageant? It's on. Oh boy, is it on. We watched a promo for the eight-episode reality show that toed the line between hilarious and horrifying, with one daughter crowing about how she and her mom are the thinnest team in the competition and another saying she'd do a mother-daughter pose if Hugh Hefner came calling. The campy, over-the-top elements include a "desashing" ceremony, where the losing teams have their team sashes cut off with bedazzled scissors, and Carson Kressley.
A few remarks on some of the CW's recent cancellations: Ostroff said she has no regrets about "Veronica Mars," saying "I feel like we gave 'Veronica Mars' every chance." The "Gilmore Girls" situation was portrayed as a collaborative decision where neither the network nor the show's stars wanted to see the show come back for another season and have the ratings slip again. And "Hidden Palms" was originally seen as an eight-episode miniseries that the network could have ordered more of had it caught on - which, obviously, it did not.

More bits, including "One Tree Hill" and "Gossip Girl," so

Asia, the "Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll" winner, has decided to do a solo career instead. Heh. For this season, the show will be searching for members of a new girl group called Girlilicious, apparently bringing a whole legion of new Dolls into the world.
Like NBC, the CW is also planning to do green themes in all of its programs this season. Apparently, the "Everybody Hates Chris" episode will be called "Everybody Hates Earth Day."
"One Tree Hill" has a full-season order at this point, and the network sees the four-year jump in timeline as a way to get the characters out of college, where story lines can be stagnant and dull.
"Gossip Girl" is going to be getting its own online alternate universe, with the ability to shop in the characters' stores and go to their parties (and, apparently, do some really awkward digital dancing).
Remember "Farmer Wants a Wife," the dating show the network announced in the spring where urban women will compete for the affections of one tractor-driving country guy? It's going forward and has apparently already been cast. Someone asked how many farmers they talked to. Ostroff: "I saw quite a few farmers." Hee.
The CW is very proud of itself for being the youngest of all the broadcast networks, with a median age of 32. They have an executive whose sole job is to track trends among the target 18-34 demographic. In between sessions, they're explaining some of those trends on the big screen, among them Twittering, Female Fantasy Leagues, and Moo Cards. Moo Cards?