“Bayou Billionaires” on CMT

Reviewed by Justine Young

If the title conjured situations similar to the premise of Honey Boo Boo child in your head, then you might be disappointed.

Contrary to what the Beverly Hillbillies/Kardashian fusion title implies, the Dowden family is relatively normal despite CMT’s attempts to portray them as rednecks during the opening montage of “Bayou Billionaires.”

While it’s nice to see an honest, hardworking family receive large amounts of money from a gas company because their land sits on top of the U.S.’s fourth largest natural gas deposit, the shenanigans that follow provide little entertainment for anyone but themselves.

There are no memorable lines viewers can hashtag and there are no fights that Saturday Night Live can spoof. Even the episode where the Dowden boys make a ninja-zombie-apocalypse movie fails to delight.

The Dowdens are a dull bunch. Even though they’re an enthusiastic crowd, Gerald and Kitten, the father and mother of the family, are far too sweet to each other to do anything worth taping. Yes, it’s cute that Gerald made Kitten a whole float for the local parade, but honestly we all know that we would have cared more if the float had fallen apart because of good old-fashioned country bumpkin construction. Sadly, the only interesting characters would be Grandpa, a 90-year-old ladies’ man with five girlfriends and a pinup calendar, and Albert, the only one who acts like a genuine redneck.

After the misleading country yodel theme song has subsided, all the viewer is left with is a family who likes to spoil itself with a new pair of dentures and some designer boots for Grandpa. In other words, this show is tantamount to background noise for the students who can’t do their homework in silence.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

“Broadway or Bust” on PBS

Reviewed by Ayaka Namura

We all have a dream, don’t we? If you’ve ever felt like giving up on your dream, just watch this show.

“Broadway or Bust” is a new competitive reality show of America’s top high school musical performers who want to be the best in the country. It airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on PBS.

The kids in this show are talented and passionate about what they do. This show is full of songs, dances, energy and emotion. It is like a competitive, reality version of “Glee.”

There are 60 finalists chosen from 50,000 high school students nationwide to go to a boot camp in New York City where Broadway musicals and their dreams reside. These kids are the best of their local high schools, but can they be the top high school performers in the country? Not easily. It is a bumpy, turbulent road to success.

In New York, they spend a week to get ready for the competitive National High School Musical Theater Awards and finally showcase together at the end of the week at the Minskoff Theatre. Only one male and one female will win the award.

Watching many young people try so hard to do their best while learning from the coaches and their competitors is stunning. The contestants respect each other and the whole atmosphere is shining.

So don’t give up on your dream! “Broadway or Bust” tells the audiences’ hearts that if you keep trying to reach your dream, it will come true one day.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“Breaking Amish” on TLC

Reviewed by Emma Hjortman

In TLC’s new reality show, “Breaking Amish,” we get to know Abe, Jeremiah, Kate, Rebecca and Sabrina. Amish and Mennonite individuals who go through a big change of lifestyle after asking themselves the question, “Is there more to life?”

Despite the risk of being shunned or even exiled by their families and communities, they move to New York and start to experiment with life as they know it. In the end they will decide whether they want to go back to their normal life, or seek a future life in their new world.

After watching the three first episodes, and repeatedly being astonished by TLC’s lack of respect for these Amish communities, I have come to the conclusion that this isn’t a show I will continue to follow.

The Amish people have chosen to dissociate from electricity and technology, wanting to live a simple life close to God. One of their rules is to not be filmed or photographed. They consider it to be an unacceptable act of pride.  Despite that fact, several of the scenes are filmed in the Amish villages, and sometimes you see family members on television, even though it goes against their religion. I find that disrespectful.

Furthermore, I also find it very disturbing that they expose these young people, completely unfamiliar with today’s mass media. It’s a big deal to be in a reality show, but given the way they act sometimes, when they right before our eyes start to experiment with alcohol, love and drama, I don’t think they understand that.

If you feel like this a show for you, just turn on TLC, lie back, and witness how five people destroy their atypical lives. After all, it’s them who will suffer for the consequences of this show.

Rating: 1 out of 5