TV: Reality TV Stars Say the Darndest Things

You've often heard the phrase: Kids say the darndest things. Well, children have nothing on those who sign up to go on reality shows. And the quotes that come out of their mouths are not just the ones they are caught off hand saying. These are the quotes the mean to say. In fact, it's often these quotes that thrust these otherwise nobodies into new TV stars.

Celebrity Fit Club. During a teamwork drill devised by Harvey Walden IV, the Marine instructor, Celebrity Fit Club contestants are asked to make a prison break from a P.O.W. camp, the scenario Harvey has set up. The fit clubbers are chained together and must rely on one another to get the job done. Tanisha Thomas, one of the Fit Clubbers and alumna of another reality show the Bad Girls Club, doesn't quite make the grade. One of her teammates, Kevin Federline, (ex of both Brittany Spears and Shar Jackson who is also on the show) gets nabbed. Tanisha starts sobbing, "I couldn't save Kevin. I couldn't save Kevin." She was inconsolable.

Sebastian Bach, former lead singer of Skid Row, generally out of control and taking very little serious, put this one in total context. As he sees Tanisha sobbing, he keeps repeating (paraphrased): We're on a fat camp. He's not really dead. It's a TV show. Nonetheless, it took Tanisha a long time to recover for her failure to save Kevin from his imaginary demise. Oddly, Tanisha never cried that much over the real pain she caused as a member of the Bad Girls Club.

As Harvey screamed at the crew in his drill sergeant way, Sebastian Bach roared in laughter, not to Harvey's face as he wouldn't have lasted long. He did it in the interview with the camera people afterwards. He told them: "I must be a masochist or something because when he yells like that, I want to laugh."

Not all of the quotes come from the pseudo celebrities themselves. Some of the funniest are said about them. Spencer and Heidi Pratt, who starred on MTV's The Hills and then I'm a Celebrity-Get Me Out of Here, and star on pretty much every cover of every tabloid these days caused one of NBC's reality programming bigwigs, Paul Telegdy,totell Access Hollywood, "They are insincere, lazy, entitled and they claim the devil has possessed them."

Just as outrageous, on the premiere episode of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Dennis Rodman was asked if he was an addict. Unlike the other patients who sign themselves in generally, Rodman had a court order to attend the program. He attended or went to prison. He said he knew he was not an addict despite the wild parties and antics that went on nightly at his home. He told Dr. Drew Pinsky with a very straight face that he had friends and was close with people from all walks of life---meth heads, people like Dr. Drew, athletes. He said it was because he was "very Zen" so he could understand people on a higher plain. Dr. Drew simply nodded. He didn't make notes on that one as he does with other patients.

Not all were evil comments or over the top in terms of dramatic. Troy McClain who tried out to be Donald Trump's Apprentice found a following with viewers because of his sincere colloquial style of speaking. Although he wasn't chosen, it being on the show changed his life in a way he'd never thought. The response he received to quaint phrases have led him pursue public speaking more, something he never would have attempted. To Troy everyone spoke in the same easy fashion he did. Mr. Trump was so impressed by McClain that he offered to pay for the man to finish his education which he'd be unable to do because of family obligations. On the NBC Web site McClain commented: "I can talk about being true to family, having fun and working hard. Most importantly, nice guy's can finish first! (At least in the top five.)"

If anyone puts the verbiage that comes out of the mouths of reality stars best, it's Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, first scene televised on The Apprentice which became the catapult that launched her, despite her miserable personality. In her defense, Omarosa says the show "demonized" her, that the camera only showed her bad acts, never her good acts.

After Trump gave her the immortal "You're Fired" admonition, Omarosa knew it was only the beginning for her, regardless of whether or not the public liked her. She followed up The Apprentice with Fear Factor and then was asked to be a host for the Style Network's coverage of the Oscars. She is quoted as saying: "I was on track to become the biggest bore in history...Being on the show changed my path."

Everyone has something to say, and everyone has someone who is willing to listen to him. If that weren't the case, karaoke wouldn't be so popular. We all scoff at reality TV, yet we continue to tune in because you never know what the cavalcade of characters will say next.