Stay in school!

In the most recent “Teen Mom” episode, Maci dropped two college classes as she struggled to juggle the demands of motherhood and being a student. Obviously, her priorities changed when she had Bentley, but they’ll both have a better shot at brighter futures if she gets her degree. At least I hope so … She wants a degree in journalism!!!  Meanwhile, Maci’s ex, Ryan, went to see a lawyer and plans to surprise her with court papers.  I’m not Ryan’s biggest fan, but this might be the right way to get their child custody issues smoothed over once and for all.

I’m proud of Farrah for finally visiting Derek’s grave. The moment was sad and hard to watch, but I think she’s making progress in trying to deal with the very painful death of her daughter’s father. I like how Farrah keeps Derek very much a part of little Sophia’s life by showing her the book filled with his pictures and talking about him to her. Sophia’s on her way to getting potty trained, but that poor new puppy… I hope Farrah takes it out of diapers soon, too!

-- Ann

Auction Hunters

Chris here,

Next on the docket in the Pawn/Storage Locker/Auction show category is the show "Auction Hunters" on Spike. I can honestly say I've never watched anything on the channel prior to Hunters so the network is new to me.

"Auction Hunters" is all about the happenings of Allen Haff and Clinton "Ton" Jones, two professional storage locker buyers. Both Haff and Jones roam the country looking for the next "find" in an abandoned storage locker.

Haff is an antiques dealer and Jones has experience in guns and safes. Hunters shows the chemistry between the two when buying the storage lockers. Both whisper quietly to each other to keep a low profile when hammering out how much to bid on a locker. 


Hunters is a hybrid of the previously mentioned A&E show "Storage Wars" and History Channel's "Pawn Stars." It is a hybrid in that both Haff and Jones try to get the winning bid on a locker like on "Storage Wars" and attempt to sell and hammer out a deal with the local person who specializes in the item(s) the two are attempting to sell, like on "Pawn Stars."

Some of the finds on Hunters are on a bigger scale compared to Wars. On a recent episode in Dallas the guys found a jet engine made for a cruise missile, something you would never have thought to be stored and left to be unclaimed in a storage locker.

"Auction Hunters" and "Storage Wars" are very similar. They both premiered within a month of each other in late 2010. They differ in the sense that Wars primarily takes place in the Southwestern United States whereas Hunters takes place all around the country with episodes filmed in Chicago, Boston and Dallas. 


The show airs on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. on Spike. Visit the show's website here.

Clinton "Ton" Jones and Allen Haff, the "Auction Hunters"

Birthday blues

While Maci and Ryan seemed to be getting along better, things turned icy fast on "Teen Mom" after she told him she wanted to have a bit more time with their son, Bentley, to take him trick-or-treating on Halloween (which is also Bentley’s birthday). Ryan and his family looked uncomfortably stone-faced at Bentley’s birthday party. When Maci said was definitely taking Bentley, Ryan swore at her in front of their son and stormed off. “You gotta do what you gotta do,” Ryan’s dad told him – which apparently means taking Maci to court. I don’t know who was in the wrong here – it seems like a peaceful compromise could have been worked out – but I hope, for the sake of their son, Maci and Ryan’s relationship becomes more cordial.

I loved the look on Tyler’s face when he found out he got his first job ever at a pizza place! Catelynn was also thrilled to find work. These two have a lot going for them: a generally positive outlook, maturity beyond their years and a loving relationship.

What’s next for Farrah? She clearly wants to open her own restaurant, but struggled in her final project in culinary school. While she doesn’t seem to have the same financial struggles as the other teen moms, I think she has an especially difficult road ahead because of the death of her daughter’s dad.

Amber is still mired in the drama over whether she’ll end up losing custody of her daughter, Leah. On the bright side, she rented a cool new house from a friend’s mother. It’s a good fresh start.  

--Ann

Reunions

Valerie here...

I have no intention of ever attending my high school reunion. I graduated with a whopping thirty-six kids in a town that was smaller than small. There was an IGA, a gas station, a local hardware store and it was big news when a plant nursery moved into town. Now, a new lingerie shop is conveniently located next to the school crosswalk.

I do not intend to revisit that past. Despite my resolve, I think it would actually be less painful to attend my high school reunion than sit through the "Real Housewives of New York" reunion specials. I almost reached for an aspirin halfway through because the constant fighting gave me a headache. I felt sorry for Andy Cohen, the host, who remarked that the women were acting "like beasts."

At one point, my husband, who was eating on the couch shouted, "I am going to throw my sandwich at that ..." I'm not sure which woman he was referring to — they all deserved a sandwich flung unceremoniously in the face.

The women, donning jewel-toned dresses, watched footage of themselves saying and acting horribly. And yet, they were still able to point the finger at some other than themselves. As a woman, it was mortifying.

Here's the thing: I am always — please, forgive the cliche — sticking my foot in my mouth. Open wide and insert. It happens to all of us at some point, perhaps a bit more frequently for me. I blame genetics. Regardless, I am pretty familiar with apologizing for my behavior. I find that most people apologize when they realize they've said something offensive or hurt another person's feelings. It's what keeps us humble.

These women, are not humble. Whenever Andy rolled the film, the women had smirks on their faces as if to say, "See how she treated me. Vindication!"

All of the women at some point, treated a cast mate poorly. I've been in arguments with friends where be both may have said things that were not fair, or kind. Yet, I can take responsibility for my part. I don't answer for their behavior.

These women, however, absolved themselves as having any part in wrongdoing. They were the victim. Even when Andy pointed out some of the things they said or did, it was like they were oblivious. The best we got was when the Countess semi-acknowledged that she may offend on occasion, unintentionally.

When confronted, most of the women would say something to the effect of, "It was never intended to be mean..."

Sure, insult someone's physical appearance, spouse, etc. and laugh it off. It means nothing. I think the ladies need a refresher course in empathy and manners.

I know, I'm on my soapbox. It's actually taken me some time to blog because I was processing that nightmare show. I'm all for Trash TV, but I may be leaving the viewership of the "Housewives." There are no redeeming qualities to it anymore — and these "high society" gals have truly epitomized trash.

I'm moving onto more comical reality shows. Any suggestions?