MTV's "Real World: Brooklyn," ABC's "True Beauty" and "The Principal's Office" are Among the Season's Best Unscripted Series

amp160Lost amid all the excitement about the recent return to network schedules of such topflight scripted fare as Foxamp8217s 24 ABCamp8217s Lost NBCamp8217s Friday Night Lights TNTamp8217s The Closer Sci Fi Channelamp8217s Battlestar Galactica HBOamp8217s Big Love FXamp8217s Damages and USA Networkamp8217s Burn Notice have been a number of unscripted gems that are making it easier to escape from the harsh realities of punishing winter weather and crushing economic concernsamp160Topping the list is Real World Brooklyn the 21st season of MTVamp8217s venerable reality franchise in which twentysomething strangers live together in splendid environments and try to get along In recent years this show has devolved into a shocking and ultimately depressing celebration of the very worst in young adult behavior But early episodes from this season have been as entertaining and enlightening as just about anything else on television these days The Brooklyn bunch includes Katelynn a postop transgendered female who is slowly coming out to her new friends and acquaintances and dealing with the difficulties of a longdistance relationship JD a young gay man who was raised by a physically and emotionally abusive father Ryan an Iraq War veteran and musician Sarah a former lesbian who is now in a relationship with a guy and Chet a colorful outspoken Mormon The exchanges between these guys and gals have been consistently and surprisingly humorous and heartfelt and there has been one standout sequence that I will never forget in which Ryan and Chet comically bonded while singing to each other in a small boat Note to Brody Jenner This is a true bromance The scene in which Katelynn came out to JD and the two exchanged stories about the challenges they faced growing up was the most moving I have seen on this series since Danny learned that his mother had died during Real World Austin back in 2005 So far Real World Brooklyn is rich and rewarding televisionamp160Similarly engrossing and more than a bit alarming is truTVamp8217s compulsively watchable The Principalamp8217s Office in which principals and other administrators in a handful of high schools around the country are shown dealing with problem students in this era of adolescent empowerment The endlessly patient and preternaturally composed adults on this program are a marvel to behold The smug snotty and sometimes ridiculously stupid kids are another matter Best to laugh at them and that is very easy to do lest the awful truth set in These empty headed responsibility averse digitally driven youths represent a significant crosssection of the future American work force The Principalamp8217s Office is mandatory viewing for anyone concerned about what goes on in schools today and how taxpayer dollars are spent or wasted Be afraid Be very afraidamp160Similarly thoughtprovoking is ABCamp8217s irresistible guilty pleasure treat True Beauty in which several impossibly attractive men and women compete for the distinction of being named the most beautiful unaware that the showamp8217s judges place greater importance on their personalities and compassion for others than their looks Every week two of them are called to the Hall of Beauty amp8211 a gallery filled with large photographs of the remaining competitors amp8211 where one is made to suffer the indignity of painful elimination Each sendoff concludes with two janitors taking out the portrait of the latest reject with the rest of the dayamp8217s trash How can you not love this Sadly it would appear that because the secret of this show has been so well publicized that it cannot return for additional seasons Then again future potential competitors are likely so selfabsorbed at present that they arenamp8217t aware of the details or even the show so maybe hope is not lostamp160MTV has another winter winner in Randy Jackson Presents Americaamp8217s Best Dance Crew which in its third season is more professionally polished than before Mario Lopez makes an appealing host and judges Lilamp8217 Mama and Shane Sparks give informed extremely detailed critiques that seem far more instructive than those from the judges on such bigbudget talent contests as American Idol and Dancing with the Stars The third judge JC Chasez was absent on last weekamp8217s season premiere but guest judge Kid Rainen a member of the Season 1 winning crew JabbaWockeeZ did a fine job filling in and should be asked to return It is impossible to not be impressed by the dancers in all of the crewsamp160Over on VH1 is a new unscripted effort that should serve as a gripping cautionary tale for all those young and famous celebutards in Hollywood who think the current good times will never end Confessions of a Teen Idol plops seven former young male stars that once enjoyed huge teen followings into one of those nicely decorated reality show living environments where they endure a series of frequently humiliating experiences that are designed to prove they are still fame whores at heart The embarrassments include shocking rudelylit closeups that reveal the depth of every line and pore on their faces The guys are also subjected to loopy sessions with a perfectly dreadful amp8220therapistamp8221 who specializes in fame She seems not to understand that fame and reputation are two very different things but whatever Some of the guys are recovering substance abusers who derailed their careers Others simply walked away and started new lives outside of the entertainment business Now they all want back in or so the amp8220therapistamp8221 would have them believe I hate to say it but at this point Christopher Atkins Eric Nies Adrian Zmed Jeremy Jackson Jamie Walters Billy Hufsey and David Chokachi appear to each have a better chance of achieving cheesy reality show stardom than reviving their former careers Hasbeens Scott Baio and Jason Hervey are also on hand as handson executive producersamp160Also currently on VH1 is Tool Academy a piece of prime GradeA reality show trash the likes of which this network continues to put forth with a sustained gusto that is aweinspiring The premise Nine guys lacking sensitivity chips have been enlisted by their desperate girlfriends to take part in a boot camp structured to make them better boyfriends But the guys think at least at the start that they are participating in a reality series titled Mr Awesome amp8211 and each one thinks heamp8217s a shooin for the grand prize Shocking surprises spill forth and tears freely flow as many of the girls learn that their guys are preening pricks and at the end of each episode one of the boys is bounced out after being told amp8220Youamp8217re just a toolamp8221 It may be the best exit line on any show ever

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MTV's "Real World: Brooklyn," ABC's "True Beauty" and "The Principal's Office" are Among the Season's Best Unscripted Series

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Ed Martin

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 6) - By Carl Mayer

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MTV's "Real World: Brooklyn," ABC's "True Beauty" and "The Principal's Office" are Among the Season's Best Unscripted Series

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Ed Martin

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 6) - By Carl Mayer

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