Spike TV's Joe Schmo 2 debuts tonight
Tonight at 10 p.m. ET, Spike TV debuts a second season of its spoof reality TV show. Joe Schmo 2 tackles relationship reality TV shows as it fools two people into thinking that they're on a real reality TV show, not a fake show populated entirely by actors. Jane Schmo, aka Ingrid Wiese, who holds a master's in international relations from Syracuse, tells the Seattle P-I that being tricked "was a little embarrassing, but it's been a great experience so far." She wasn't even angry: "I feel like I'm really lucky to have been on this show, as opposed to a lot of the other shows that are out there, because I don't think this show was making fun of the people who were on the show, but the genre itself."

Burnett's Casino Series Premieres

Tuesday night is the series premiere of Mark Burnett's The Casino. It's on at 9:00 ET/PT (check local listings, etc.) on Fox. Of course with so little unscripted/reality TV on these days and the many hours when there's nothing on worth watching, it's scheduled opposite For Love or Money. The Casino is supposed to be a behind-the-scenes look at life in Las Vegas. Let's hope Burnett's magic touch continues and this turns out to be another hit in his string of hits.

Burnett Wants To Produce Rob & Amber's Wedding
Survivor All-Stars couple Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano may have their nuptials aired on TV, a la Trista and Ryan, if Mark Burnett has his way. Rob tells The Boston Globe as part of its profile of the couple that "Mark Burnett is very interested in producing our wedding." Burnett doesn't deny that: "Obviously, the wolves are circling around them, trying to profit from young love. They understand the dangers. If the wedding reveals them to be the funny, vulnerable, and interesting people that I know them to be, away from the Machiavellian game, then people will come to like the at-home Rob and Amber. I don't want it to be some reality television farce. I would like to work with them and protect them." Don't expect a special this fall, though, as they don't have wedding plans yet. Amber says, "We don't care about being hot." But they are taking advantage of their current hotness: Rob says that they "fly everywhere first class, get put up in the penthouse suite, people offer us huge sums of money just to show up at places -- you would be stupid to turn that down."

The Schmo Must Go On......

" Joe Schmo 2" Premieres on Spike TV Tuesday, June 15 10:00 PM, ET/PT

DVD Release "The Joe Schmo Show: Season One Uncensored" Hits Retail Stores June 22

Spike TV's hit series returns in hilarious form with "Joe Schmo 2," premiering Tuesday, June 15 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT). Season one introduced American audiences to the next wave of reality programming, the "faux-reality" series where only one contestant was real. "Joe Schmo 2" not only features a "Joe Schmo," but in a daring twist, a "Jane Schmo" as well. Aside from "Joe" and "Jane," everyone else on the show, from the host to the other 'players,' are actors following a pre-determined storyline.

How will our two reality 'contestants' react to encountering a show filled with every outlandish element of reality TV? With so many reality shows out there, there is a wealth of stereotypes to choose from. How far can producers push this 'reality' a second time, and now with more than one "Schmo?" It's twice the fun, but twice the trouble. Will the actors be convincing enough? We saw from the first season that under pressure the actors sometimes fail to remember their fictitious life histories. Will our unsuspecting "contestants" figure it all out, and if they do, how will they react?

Tim Walsh is this season's "Joe Schmo." A resident of Washington, DC, Tim is true to his Irish roots - a bartender with entrepreneurial aspirations to open his own bar. He's athletic, witty, outgoing and an overall genuine guy. Ingrid Wiese is our first ever "Jane Schmo." Also a resident of our nation's capitol, Ingrid is the classic girl-next-door meets woman-of-the-world. She's intelligent - with a dream of becoming the next Madeline Albright someday - strong-willed, and thankfully, up for anything.

Tim and Ingrid believe they are participating in a new series entitled "Last Chance for Love" and vying with other contestants for $100,000. "Last Chance for Love" parodies elements from many of the romance/relationship shows currently found on television ("The Bachelor/Bachelorette," "Average Joe," "For Love or Money," "Meet My Folks"), including over-the-top eviction ceremonies, cutthroat competitions, and many shocking twists.

Our two "Schmos" are again surrounded by stereotypical reality show contestants - "The Bachelor & Bachelorette," "The Playah," "The Drunk," "The Gotta-Be-Gay Guy," "The Heir," "The Moron," "The Bitch," "The Weeper," and "The Stalker." Ralph Garman, who portrayed the smarmy host of the original "Joe Schmo," returns this season in disguise as Derek Newcastle, a pompous but randy British reality show host.
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