Ryan ChartrandUV radiation, mosquitoes that spread West Nile virus and people who talk way too loudly into their cell phones; there is now enough annoying crap outside to make the outdoors officially suck. But hey, it’s cool because there’ll be enough new TV shows and returning series on this summer to entertain students indoors until they’re once again battling for a parking spot on the first day of fall quarter.
Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” will be cooking up its third season which starts June 4. Cooks compete for a chance to become the owner of a restaurant or one of its head chefs by cooking for guests at the show’s restaurant in Los Angeles. This is all done while British chef Gordon Ramsay barks out orders, points out every misstep, reminds contestants how worthless they are and drops plenty of F-bombs.
Contestants aren’t always well -experienced, so there are lots of mishaps like undercooked dishes. Customers also get in on the act like one woman who started knocking over prepared dishes after Ramsay commented on her large breasts. At the end of the night, Ramsay evaluates the performances and chooses a contestant that must leave “Hell’s Kitchen.”
Nutrition senior Matt Falstreau said that the show’s appeal lies in “the British antagonism” that Ramsay offers.
NBC is pushing its “American Idol” wannabe “America’s Got Talent” out on stage June 5 for an encore with new host Jerry Springer, who is replacing Regis Philbin from last season. Rather than throwing furniture and revealing bizarre love triangles like on Springer’s other show, contestants will perform in amateur acts that can vary from athletic demonstrations to singing for a chance at the top prize of $1 million. Contestants start out by performing for the judges – “Baywatch” legend David Hasselhoff , former “The Osbournes” star Sharon Osbourne, and resident picky British judge Piers Morgan – and if successful, eventually move on to a call-in vote from viewers to go on to the finals.
Psychology sophomore Sophie Sheridan said she is looking forward to the performances.
“It is entertaining to see people make asses of themselves,” she said.
SCI FI Channel’s “Ghost Hunters” will be back on the case on June 6 for seven more episodes of the ghostly reality series’ third season. Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson from the Atlantic Paranormal Society, a paranormal-investigation group based out of Rhode Island, will be on the scene at reportedly haunted locations.
The two will use high-tech gadgets like night-vision cameras to confirm or debunk the sightings. While their captured footage is not always too impressive, they do make some odd sightings. For example, they captured eerie infrared footage of a human figure at the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Ark.
Environmental management sophomore Renee Costamaillere said she is looking forward to the show’s return because although it is a reality show, it does not rely on overly dramatic characters.
HBO’s comedy “Entourage” will start its fourth and final season June 17, which is just weeks after the third season ends on June 3. The show, which is based on the experiences of executive producer Mark Wahlberg, follows the life of the young, popular actor Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his entourage.
Chase’s crew is made up of friends from his native Queens, New York City – best friend Eric “E” Murphy (Kevin Connolly), half brother Johnny “Drama” Chase (Kevin Dillon), and good friend Turtle (Jerry Ferrara). Chase has all of the benefits of being a high-class actor – like cars, money and women – all of which he shares with his friends.
One of Sheridan’s favorite parts of “Entourage” is Chase’s former manager Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Gold is known for being a sarcastic character with a short temper. For example, in an episode where Gold gets fired from the talent agency he works for, he tells a full office that he will start his own company that will “burn this mother-f-king place to the ground.”
USA Network will bring back “Psych,” dubbed by the station as a “fake, psychic-detective series,” on July 13. “Psych” stars Shawn Spencer (James Roday), a crime-solving slacker who can memorize the details of his surroundings and read body behavior. In season one, Spencer got stuck working as a “psychic” for a police department after he solved a crime using his unique abilities. The police became convinced that Spencer was involved since he knew so much, but he was able to convince them that he is a psychic, which leads to his position.
While it may not sound too different from USA’s other detective-style show “Monk,” Roday adds to the show with his charisma and acting style.
“The premise isn’t that funny, but (Roday’s) facial expressions are,” education graduate student Jay Greene said.
Speaking of “Monk,” the series will return on the same day as “Psych” for its sixth season. The series follows Adrian Monk, (Tony Shalhoub), a police consultant with obsessive compulsive disorder. Monk has fears of several things like germs, and he is often joined by his assistant Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard) on his travels. Monk’s disorder allows him to notice tiny details in crime scenes that he uses to reconstruct what happened.
Nutrition sophomore Lauren Bernardo said she is looking forward to “Monk” because he is not a stereotypical, hardboiled detective. For example, in one episode he goes to a hospital for a nosebleed.
SCIFI Channel will be calling on its superhero reality series “Who Wants to be a Superhero,” hosted by comic book god Stan Lee. Contestants take the role of their original superheroes – spandex and all – to compete for a chance to have their character star in a SCIFI original movie and a comic book written by Stan Lee. The heroes complete challenges like helping lost children and saving damsels trapped on rooftops.
At the end of the day, Lee judges whether contestants acted heroically and decides who must turn in their cape. Some notable characters from last season include Fat Momma, a woman who can grow five times her normal size and gains energy from doughnuts, and season one winner Feedback, who can absorb the abilities of video game characters.
Electrical engineering freshman Eric Escudero said the characters can be overdramatic at times, but he is still looking forward to the show because Lee is involved.
If that’s not enough, there are other shows set to launch: FX channel’s firefighter drama “Rescue Me” will be on the scene on June 12, and the comedy “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” returns in late summer; Shaquille O’Neal will teach some obese children the joys of a healthy lifestyle in “Shaq’s Big Fat Challenge” starting June 26 on ABC; and SCIFI will be airing new episodes of the BBC’s time-traveling series “Doctor Who” in July.