A new Fox Reality Channel series (debuting Saturday, August 15) about five guys who keep the home fires burning while their high-powered Hollywood wives bring home the bacon. And by "high-powered Hollywood wives", we mean Tempestt "Vanessa Huxtable" Bledsoe and Jillian Barberie Reynolds, star of American Idol Extra and those Nutri-System commercials.

We watch as the guys cope with kids, cooking, cleaning and laundry while struggling to meet the endless demands of their high-maintainence wives/breadwinners.

What's going to make this fun to snark on is that none of these guys is a real househusband, i.e. a man who chooses to be a full-time stay at home dad and approaches it as the serious vocation it is. These guys all look like famewhores who are pretending to be Mr. Mom while trying to jumpstart their failing careers.

Three of them are "aspiring" actors who seem to spend most of their time going on auditions. The other two are a retired Major League ballplayer (former LA Dodger Billy Ashley) and a washed-up sitcom actor (Darryl M. Bell of A Different World) who seem to spend most of their time hanging out with their buddies and reliving their glory days.

I'll be watching in the hopes that at least one househusband will turn out to be a massively entertaining tool on the level of Slade Smiley or Simon van Kempen. My money is on the one who proudly describes himself as Ryan O'Neal's best friend.


www.foxreality.com/househusbands

Oh good grief, Charlie Brown; a knockoff of "Real Housewives Of..."--the male version.

Don't forget Good Day LA on Fox. What a fucking train wreck. If I had to choose between watching Good Day LA and hitting myself in the head I would choose hitting myself in the head without even pausing to think about it - there is less brain damage incurred with a blow to the head.

I can't believe that they are making this show. This can't be right. It must be a lie. I will close my eyes and refute its existence even in the face of undeniable truth.

She should fire her makeup artist on Good Day LA. She always wears barbie pink blush and frosted lipstick. I would say she looks like a drag queen, but I have yet to meet one that doesn't know how to make herself look better with makeup.

Also don't forget her "featured" role on "The Soup". Joel has clips of the trainwreck that is Good Day LA almost weekly.

This show sounds like a natural fit for Joel and his crew.

I am so happy that I stumbled upon this item in TWOP - this show sounds like a must watch.

Nooooooo! Why, Ron, why?

I had already made a thread for this. I guess it got lost somewhere.

I always wondered if Jillian's husband worked or not. I am one of those who watches Good Day L.A. sporadically but never heard whether Jillian's husband actually worked or not.

Darryl Bell doesn't work. Now that is a shocker.

DIRECTV is showing the first episode of this show at various times on their T101 channel.

Jillian Barberie Reynolds made a toss away comment last week about not liking for reality TV and then said something like, well there's that, when called on it. I guess she meant this show.

I dislike (close to hate) JBR because she's vapid, ignorant and often mean. She also has to relate everything to herself and seems to have no empathy. Vapid I can tolerate and maybe even ignorant on a magazine show but mean not so much. I'm interested to meet the man who married her.

I've adored Darryl Bell since A Different World, so I will check this show out.

Chainey, I agree with you about JBR. What a piece of work.

I watched the first episode of this; it's On Demand here. I kinda liked it. Most of the husbands are pretty funny/likeable...it might be a different story if I was their wife going off to work every day and they were home ignoring the stuff I asked them to do and making a "kegerator" (Danny, I'm talking to you!) for his "man cave" instead...but I thinking it's interesting so far. And JBR's husband is HOT!! And he seems pretty normal; wonder what the story is of how they hooked up! He did say that he HATES her Good Day LA "character" - and that if she was like that in real life, he would divorce her! Darryl is now married to Tempest Bledsoe and she seems the most emascuating of all the wives. But he seems pretty self-deprecating, so that might just be their dynamic, it's hard to tell.

I too watched the first episode. Agree with most of what you say, maryjk, except I think we'll end up finding Danny annoying. He seems VERY childish.

Did Darryl say they were living in a friend's house? What's the story there? I can't believe he and Tempestt would be out of money... surely they could live well on residual cash alone.

Totally agree about Danny, tanyat! He seems like the most annoying of the bunch; his schtick is gonna get old!

And I didn't catch the comment about Darryl and Tempestt living in someone else's house. It was a nice house, but I remember thinking that with their combined income (from residuals + sound investments), they should live in an even nicer one! I will be interested in hearing more about that...

If Tempestt is as nasty as I heard she was on Celebrity Fit Club, then I wouldn't be surprised. Being a Cosby Kid doesn't make you special, sweetie. Get over yourself.

Grant looks like Christian Bale. I also find it funny how naturally the guys get along. I mean they don't appear to really know each other outside of the show except for Grant and Billy but their hanging out seemed less artificial with each other than the women on the Housewives shows.

Charlie looks like Ryan O'Neal.

Charlie - He seemed REALLY familiar to me. I kept thinking that he was a bit actor I'd seen in something before. But I checked out his imdb profile and there's really nothing there. I can't figure out why he seems so familiar...

I kept thinking that and I thought it was funny that they named the baby, Ryan and then BAM the real Ryan O'Neal pops up and my mind exploded.

When I saw Tempestt and Daryl's house, I was pleasantly surprised that they had as much money as it appeared they have. I can't imagine they earned that much from A Cosby Show and A Different World. They were members of a cast and not the primary members, and if you recall, Lisa Bonet was written out real quick when she did things that disappointed the powers that be so I have to think that other cast members would have thought twice about asking for a raise etc. I'm an entertainment atty and having worked on talent agreements I think the deals and rights for talent are better now than they were ten years ago, but unless such person is the star of the show, they are not going to be making "bank." I don't think either Daryl or Tempestt have done much work since their respective shows, so good for them if they were able to save and make smart investment decisions.

Except I'm 99.9% sure Daryl said that they were living with a friend while they figured out their housing situation, or something to that effect. Whatever the wording, it made me think they were having money troubles. The episdoe is no longer on my On Demand menu, so I'll have to wait for it to air on Fox Reality to check this again.

Just saw this on On Demand--never watched any of the "Real Housewives" so I don't know how it stacks up, but I liked it so far. Charlie freaks me out a little bit, but the rest of the guys seemed more or less cool. I think I like the kegerator guy the best (and his wife the least), but the ex-baseball player had the best lines... I loved the one that went (I'm paraphrasing) "I'd love to be coaching, or doing anything with baseball, but skin care is our future right now." And I got the impression that Darryl and Tempestt actually get along really well and the nagging is just an act for the audience. An annoying act, sure, but not the real dynamic of their relationship.

And what is up with the daily to-do lists? I understand an occasional reminder or request, but if my husband did that it'd be the last thing he did. I was surprised that more than one couple seemed to think this was totally normal.

My SO and I have been adjusting to him becoming a house-fiance recently so aside from the amusement factor, this was a therapeutic show for us. I'm not the only woman in the world that leaves a list (and I'm certainly never going to call and check to see it is in progress - though w/o a child in the house the stakes are lower) and my man-cave/kegerator allowance now seems quite generous.

Is this being shown anywhere besides FoxRealityNetwork?

I remember reading that Bill Cosby had it written in every single child's contract that they'd receive royalty checks after the show ended (just like the Full House cast receives a ton of royalties every week). He wanted to make sure all of the children were taken care of and were never homeless. So if they are living with a friend due to low funds, I find that very odd. Darryl hasn't really worked consistently since A Different World, so I can see him having very little money to his name, but Tempestt has worked somewhat consistently. She's had her own talk show (albeit short-lived), she's done independent films, she did Celebrity Fit Club, and another reality show, iirc. So if they are broke, they must be spending those royalty checks as quickly as they come.

I caught this On-Demand and thought the show was very odd. Other than Darryl, Tempestt, and Jillian Barbarie, I wasn't familiar with anyone. I did feel for Jillian when she mentioned that when she comes home from work in the afternoon, her daughter completely ignores her. That must suck tremendously, particularly because I'm sure Jillian sees her current job as relatively stable and it provides pretty good income for her daughter and her husband to live off of, I'm sure.

Are we sure Charlie isn't Ryan O'Neal's once disinherited brother? They are practically twins, in look, mannerisms, and personality. If Charlie left home at 14 like he said and went into a life of crime, I can see Ryan never claiming him as he was a Hollywood up and comer. I did find it ironic that his wife is some psychologist and she ends up with the career criminal.

I really liked this show, I don't know if I would watch every week, but I'll set the DVR and watch sooner or later.

biakbiak
No kidding! He is hot. Jillian? Not so much.

Kegerator dude? How old are you? The only thing missing from the garage scene was a bong. Did they just not show it?

I actually found Lisa Ashley to be the most emasculating of all the wives in some strange way.
Just the way she made her husband sit there while talking about periods and developing breasts with the teenage girls, him answering the phone and hawking her makeup line...just very annoying, IMHO.
Shame too because he's a pretty good looking guy. Lisa better hope he doesn't tire of her alpha bitch routine and trade her in for a younger model.

Man, I'm mad I missed this. I wanted to at least watch the first episode. I only wanted to do that for Tempest and Darryl. Residual TCS and ADW love.

I don't understand why the husbands without children stay home. The families appear to be wealthy enough to hire a housekeeper.

circe221


I'm wondering if he was forced to stay or if it was his choice. In any event, totally inappropriate (uncomfortable??) for young girls to be discussing their periods and puberty at large in front of one of their friend's father. Why didn't he at least offer to get himself coffee or make a phone call until the discussion changed back to skin care? That whole scene was cringe inducing. I think Lisa wouldn't hesitate to castrate him. His daughters seem to have a bit of an attitude about his "not working" and I believe they're getting it from somewhere (looking at you, Lisa).

So these guys are mostly wanna be actors? Can someone help me out here? I've always heard that reality TV was the kiss of death for a real actor. Anyone?

nevermind

akamai69 - Yeah, it wasn't clear if she forced him to stay or if it was by choice. But judging by the look on his face and his expressions of discomfort, I'm guessing it wasn't by choice.

I actually felt very uncomfortable watching the discussion take place with him there. Just weird...

And those daughters are totally a product of their mother. They'll have to find some poor sad sacs and keep their balls in a jar just like mommy did to daddy LOL

All the men, minus the makeup hawking ex-baseball player, are wanna-be (Charlie, Kegerator Guy, Grant) or out-of-work (Daryl) actors.

I don't like the title of this thread. Very sexist and reeks of a double standard.

There is nothing wrong with being a stay at home husband/dad.

I wish the shows premise would not have been Hollywood. I think it might have actually been more interesting.

I don't think Bill Cosby had anything to do with royalties; they're union and abide by Screen Actors Guild contract. Do you remember the actors strike a year ago? The strike had to do with royalties and payments for non-traditional media; reruns and videotapes and DVDs had been covered before.

Don't forget: they also get royalties for international viewings, DVD box sets, reunion shows, personal appearances etc.

I remember Cosby telling Tempestt that he would work out her acting schedule so she could go to college; he was adamant that the kids get a college education.

I also remember one of the kids (I think it was Malcolm Jamal Warner) interviewing that Bill Cosby was pretty on the kids (and their parents) about hiring reputable accountants and attending monthly meetings with said accountants to keep track of the money they were earning.

Yeah...like the other posters, pretty much the only reason I watched the show was to see what kind of insane man could live with and marry Jillian Barberie. Grant seems nice and normal. God help him.

The shots of JB makeup-less were truly horrifying.

I look forward to watching this show now that I am back from out of town. Jillian and Tempestt are the reasons I look forward to watching it.

I have watched Jillian since her early days on Good Day L.A. Jillian did say on at least one interview that she plays it up for the cameras. She must, because in her early days on the show, she was not like the person she portrays now. It is like watching a sitcom when watching Jillian on the morning show and how she interacts with her two co-hosts. It will be nice to see her home life and see more of Grant.

Grant seems like a good daddy. His little girl is so attached to him, and it seems like she wishes it was just him and her in that house at all times. I don't know much about Jillian except what I've read here or seen on The Soup, but her carrying the dog in the pink dress seemed about right.

It was hard to watch abusive-dad Ryan O'Neal grinning unabashedly while his friend talked about how important and wonderful family and children are.

I had this on my DVR and finally watched it today. I thought that Darryl said that he and Tempestt were either watching a friend's home or staying at a friend's home while they dealt with a moving situation. So I thought it meant that maybe they were between places. Like they moved out of their old place and the new one wasn't ready yet.

Charlie and the Kegerator guy were the most annoying to me. and surprisingly, I liked Grant the best. I thought anyone who would marry JBR would have to be annoying. I thought wrong. Jillian better watch out or those mothers at the play place are going to snatch him up! They were funny.

The royalty claim was made in two autobiographies I read about Bill, and the actress who played Sandra confirmed it in an interview many moons ago. So, yeah, I believe them that Bill had it written into the contract that kids would be set for life. Unless Bill comes out and denies that, I'll stick with that.

I finally watched it on demand, and I thought Darryl's comments about the man cave and their reactions when the garage door opened were hilarious. I can't tell if Tempestt is really that annoying or if they just have one of those relationships where they constantly bicker. The affection seemed real. It would get old if I were their friend and had to hear it constantly.

I liked Grant and Bill the best, although I thought Bill's daughters were pills and need a good grounding. Lisa bothered me as well. When the two of them were talking, I can't remember what she said but my back went up. Something about how she's working to keep him in the lifestyle to which he's become accustomed when instead I saw a man who has given up coaching baseball (because you know he could find a position somewhere - if not the professional leagues then at a small college or high school) to help her out with her business. I wasn't surprised by the discussion regarding periods and bras with the girls; that's when my face (still) breaks out the worst so a Q&A about skin care for teenage girls was going to go there. Was he supposed to be taking notes? I don't know why he felt he had to stay. It was strange.

Kat and keg man bothered me the most. If he wants to be an actor so badly, shouldn't he be spending more time in acting classes or at auditions and less time building a kegerator?

Charlie baffled me. Do you think we'll see his confession to his in-laws in an episode? Wow, I hope not!

I just happened to catch the first episode, saw that Darryl was going to be on, had an hour to kill, so I watched. Glad I did. It was better than I thought it would be.

Darryl and Tempest's residence. They never said they were having money problems, but that they were staying with friends until they worked out where to live. My guess? Not low on money but likely were lucky enough to have sold their house before it lost too much value and are thinking what they would do next, where (or if) to buy next. Fairly common story in CA right now unfortunately.

I'm sure Bill Cosby did right by the Cosby kids and also those who starred on A Different World as well since that was his show too. He wouldn't want them to be another cautionary tale like so many other child actors.

Royalties are based on union wages? That's incorrect. Yes, the union had a battle on their hands but those are different royalties. Its not like the cast of Friends is making union royalty wages on Friends reruns. Think about that a minute. Cosby Show was a bigger show than Friends. Same thing there.

What was Billy doing at that meeting? Good lord. The wife clearly had the intent to ask the questions she did and she still brought him? I'm nominating her as the worst one just based on this.

I'm sure it was done for effect, but I really can't believe that Kat pulled her car into the garage like that. It made her seem like an uncaring bitch. What was wrong with the driveway when you realized your husband had his "friends" over?

Charlie and his nonchalant "I robbed banks. Caught up with me. I spent 8 years in prison." That was SO unexpected. And here is Ryan O'Neal as his best friend. No wonder his wife isn't on here, she probably doesn't want her clients to know the details of his past. Color me confused on why his wife was under the impression that he could keep that he spent almost a decade behind bars as a secret from her parents when they are actually part of her life and part of their grandkids life. Interesting.

I wasn't thinking Charlie looked like Ryan O'Neal until he appeared next to him. I was thinking he reminded me way too much of Richard Gere. Now I'm thinking its a cross between the two, but man does he somehow remind me of R. Gere in some of his movies.

I have long been horrified by Jillian. If you told me she was married to a loving, intelligent Christian Bale look alike, I would have never believed it. I am stunned. She says that she is toned down off camera. She may be a bit, but she still comes off shrewish and obnoxious to me. Oh and Jillian, please lose those asscrack revealing sweat pants. They don't even look good on teens, much less someone like Jillian.

She also does the weather forecast for the NFL games on the Fox channel on Sundays. I don't watch Good Day LA so I don't know how she is on that show, but I've enjoyed watching her on the NFL pre-game show. Her banter with Terry Bradshaw is usually funny.

I just happened to catch this show today so I'll give it a try just because Jillian is on it! I feel bad for her that her daughter cried everytime she tried to pick her up. That would break my heart too. Could be that little Ruby was just really tired when they filmed that. Kids can be just awful when they're tired!

Okay. Lisa Ashley is a headcase. Who the hell cares how old she is? Or that she was married before? Why make this a big, deep dark secret? And IMO she was more upset about telling the girls her actual age than she was about admitting that she was married before. One good thing, Billy stands up to her. Allowing the discussion to be derailed by her outrage - outrage! that Billy's mom had already spilled the beans long ago speaks volumes about their relationship. And she calls her daughter a Drama Queen!

Grant + Jillian. He's too good for her.
Tempestt + Darryl. They act like the Bickersons, but IMO it's just that, an act. There are times when T can barely stop herself from laughing when dealing with him. I think they're solid.
Danny and Whatsername. Child-man. She can do better.
Charlie & Absent Psychologist. Getting Danny to dress up in a chicken costume was kind of mean. I think he's trying a little too hard with the "Harried Dad" routine. Still kind of bemused by the felonious past.

Did Lisa Ashley actually think that people believed that she was 29? She looks closer to her actual 42 so I would have believed maybe 36 or 37 and not looking great for that age.

I haven't watched Good Day LA in years. Every time I see Jillian I want to reach through the television with a pair of scissors and cut that mop of crap that she thinks is hair. It looks awful.

rubyred
No kidding. I think it went something like this: "Oh shit, I'm going to be on a reality show and it will be all over the internet that I was married previously...and the fact that I'm 50 and not 29 will also be revealed...! Fuck me!"

Then, we she found out that everyone else had been lying (through omission) - she went apeshit!! Delusional. It's really not all about you, Lisa. Hub can look on as she has his balls made into a chandelier.

Charlie: That was below the belt. Calling a friend or even a faux friend and lying about an acting job? Pig. This guy is smarmy, filthy and absolutely up to no good. I love the way he lies and nearly winks at the camera. Good thing he's getting parent advice from the Dad of the Decade, Mr. Ryan (Love Story!...circa late 70's...saaaaaaaaaaaaad) "Do I know you?" - to daughter Tatum only months ago...

Grant is hot. He seems to know how to handle his wife...