Everyone, no matter who you are, needs a little mind candy from time to time. Whether it’s silly but enjoyable books to read, online debates about the best crayon color, or even watching TV. Mind candy is something that lets your brain take a break from the usual stresses of the day to enjoy something a little silly or dramatic or out of the ordinary. For me, nothing gets me out of that “work, more work, work again” mode than reality TV. I can sit down and watch hour after hour when the mood strikes, which is a real rarity for me. Normally I just cannot sit and watch even one TV show without feeling like I need to get on the computer, crochet, go for a walk, or do anything else.

When I do watch reality TV, these are the shows I enjoy, in no particular order. Some of them are done now, but most of them are still going strong.

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Celebrity Apprentice

I secretly call this show the reality game show for marketing people. I never watched the non-celebrity version, but I can’t imagine it’s as fun as this one is. First of all, they have just the right level of celebrity as contestants. They are anywhere from B-D list in my opinion, but the one thing they all have in common is that they are business minded. For the last two seasons, I wrote episode updates and in doing so got hooked. This year, I get to watch the show without working during it (imagine that!).

This year, I’ve enjoyed rooting for Bret Michaels. Bret is a fellow diabetic and playing for the American Diabetes Association. That’s one thing that is so great about the show. The celebs are passionate because they are playing for charities that are near and dear to their hearts.

The best part? He raised $100,000 on the very first night for diabetes!
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The Real Housewives of New York City

This show is light years away from your average person in anywhere-land, USA, and that’s one reason I like it. Who can relate to this stuff? I first started watching because I noticed Bethenny from Martha Stewart Apprentice was on the show. I liked Bethenny on that show, and find myself rooting for her on this one as well. This season has been one of the craziest ever. Here’s a clip:

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Celebrity Rehab

Here’s my secret desire: to be someone that helps others. I’ve always wanted to be a social worker or some kind of person that sits and holds someone’s hand and helps them get to the next level in life. I’ve experienced a lot in my life, and always wanted to be the type of person that would encourage others to rise above the rotten things life has handed them to make them believe that there is a better way. That they deserve to be happy. That despite the worst childhood and all the negative leftovers that remain into adulthood, you can rise above it all and be free and happy. You can.

When I tell this to my husband, he says that I already do that with writing. I’m not sure about that, but it would be great if he was right. I know for certain that if I was in a traditional social worker role, I would undoubtedly be terrible at it. I would get too emotionally involved to help. That’s one reason I adore Dr. Drew so very much. Let’s face it, he’s smart, dedicated, gorgeous, and with all he’s done to bring addiction to television is a modern day superhero. I think it’s important for people to see what addiction really does to people. Sometimes people really can’t understand how addiction affects their life and maybe by seeing it through the lives of these celebrities they will finally be able to do that.

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American Idol

This is another one I didn’t watch right from the beginning. I came in around Season 4, but have been glued to the TV every Tuesday and Wednesday night since. Just when you think they can’t find yet another great singer, here comes my favorite Lee Dewyze this year:

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The Singing Bee

This was a short-lived show, but I never missed an episode. Joey Fatone from ‘N Sync fame hosted, and the contestants needed to complete song lyrics in order to win. As you can tell by this clip, singing ability did not matter:

What did matter was knowing the words. I was awesome at this show, and loved the fact that tone-deaf folks like myself got to win on a show about singing.

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Any Cooking Show

Cooking as spectator sport…. who’d a thought? I can’t list just one show because I pretty much watch them all… Top Chef, The Next Food Network Star, Iron Chef, any cake or bake off… you name it. If it has cooking or baking or decorating… I’m probably watching it.

What’s your favorite reality TV show?

I have a new favorite show, and it’s name is Castle. Now, don’t get me wrong, we’ve seen this show before. It’s been done. It’s formulaic. But I love it anyways. I love it in part because of the writer character of the show, played by Nathan Fillion. Fillion was that cute guy on Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. He’s been on numerous shows including Buffy and of course, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, (which isn’t a show technically, but we love it anyways.)

I love the writer character on this show immensely. It takes a really special actor to pull off a character like Castle. You can’t overdo it the wrong way (if that makes sense) and Fillion is probably the perfect guy for this job. I’ve watched a handful so far, and I like the whole “writer following a cop around” type schtick. It works. It’s cute. My husband and I laugh out loud at times. But there are also some really great storylines. Castle with his daughter is a good example. I am so happy to see a teenage character on a show that isn’t a rebellious, smart-mouthed, mess. It’s lovely. Yay – writers of Castle. You rawk.

Love the mother played by Susan Sullivan, and Castle’s apartment is pretty groovy too. Whose place is that in real life? I want it.

Besides all that, is it just me or are there a lot of redheads on that show?

I’ve been catching up on these through DVD, which the producers were very smart about getting out there quickly I think. The show is on now so you can watch all of Season 1, get caught up, and dive into Season 2. The show airs Mondays on ABC.