These girls are really good at being ‘Bad’
By Beth Teitell
Boston Herald Columnist
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
I was chatting with a TV junkie the other day, and she seemed surprisingly chipper for someone whose favorite shows are on summer break. Had she discovered the great outdoors? Movie theaters? A life beyond the couch?
‘‘Have you heard about the new show on Oxygen?” she asked, barely able to contain her excitement. I had not. She threw her head back and cackled with glee. Well, dear reader, get ready for the reality show to end all reality shows: ‘‘The Bad Girls Club,” a series that will feature beloved (behated?) bad girls from reality shows past, plus a few unknown bad girls, all of whom will make a pledge to reform their diva ways - yeah, right - and then move into a house in Los Angeles together. This gem will air in December. (Note to the six contestants: It’s probably best not to borrow anyone’s shampoo without asking, and I’d be wary about having my boyfriend over. And it would be wise to recall the brownie-defacing debacle on ‘‘America’s Next Top Model.”)
‘‘I LOVE this country,” the TV Junkie said (and not in a flag pin-wearing, Toby Keith-listening way, believe me).
‘‘Bad Girls” is the bratty brainchild of the production team behind ‘‘The Real World” and ‘‘The Simple Life,” among other greats. I may not make time for it in my schedule, but I sure do admire TV Junkie’s brand of patriotism. With its all-diva lineup, ‘‘Bad Girls” is like the sports highlight reel, the sushi plate with just California rolls, the all-chocolate roll of Necco Wafers: just the good stuff (or, in the case of the wafers, just the less-bad stuff).
The Web site for Bunim/Murray productions says the girls will ‘‘work with each other to tackle aspects of their personalities that, while making them fabulous, often tend to hold them back from success in relationships or careers.”
Hmmm, as I recall from vintage reality TV viewing, their ‘‘fabulousness” leans toward the bitch-slapping, hissy-pitching, trash-talking tantrum. Think high-decibel ‘‘fabulous.”
But my guess is that rather than tame the drama queens (there isn’t enough pepper spray in the world), the show will encourage their natural instincts. As animal trainers - and preschool teachers - know, the worst way to eliminate bad behavior is to pay attention to it. After all, nice girls don’t beat thousands of others at open casting calls.
Speaking of casting calls, two were held this past weekend (in New York and Las Vegas) with a third coming up in L.A. in mid-July. I didn’t see any Boston dates on the schedule, and no one returned my call, but the Web site did say to check back for ‘‘frequent updates,” so who knows, we could have a casting call of our own.
My advice: Don’t try to cut in line.
