Hair-raising Experiences

Wednesdays always seem to have an abundance of shows. Last night's were diverse and dramatic in different ways. First was "The Baby Borrowers". Toddlers were delivered to the five pairs of teens who had volunteered to try being a family for a few weeks. There's a reason for the phrase "terrible twos" and the teens found that out quickly enough. One couple received a set of twins. And a couple of pretend parents found themselves with boys who weren't quite potty trained. My favorite couple from the baby segments that aired the two previous weeks, Jordan and Sasha, pretty much fell apart. The other teams seemed to show improvement. Next time, they'll deal with pre-teens. Scary.

Next, also on ABC, came "Celebrity Circus". It was the last week of performances by the three remaining contestants; Wee Man, Stacey Dash and Antonio Sabato Jr. Each was assigned their act by the judges and they were all three dangling acts. Wee Man did the straps, Stacey Dash the bungees and Antonio the silks. They all did well and each earned 8's from all the judges. The decision of who wins, then, will be left to the judges, since winners are decided by adding viewer votes to the judges' scores. I'd like to see Stacey Dash win, but they all did great jobs.

Finally, there was "Shear Genius". Using the same format as other Bravo shows such as "Top Chef", the hair stylists have judges who evaluate their work, selecting winners and the person to be sent home. There is, in my opinion, much less variety in hair than in cooking or fashion design. Most of the fun in this one comes from the personalities. So far, there hasn't been as much friction between competitors as one might expect, but I see some coming. Charlie has won two weeks in a row and I suspect he's going to be someone's target soon. The frightening thing about this show is some of the hairstyles. You're left asking yourself, "What were they thinking?"

When you take it all under consideration, "The Baby Borrowers" have it the hardest. Unlike the circus celebrities, they don't have safety wires. And while both other shows have judges with no emotional investment in the outcome of the night's activities, the teens are critiqued by the parents of the children they "borrowed". That takes reality tv emotion to new heights.