301 replies to this topic

[Cheese Pleese]

The basic premise of the show:

The HotHouse is The Block-in-paradise, with 14 couples invited to Queensland to design and build a $1.5 million house. It will require a degree of co-operation and Survivor -style diplomacy, with one couple being voted off the show by their peers each week and the viewers deciding which couple wins the house, which, fully furnished, is expected to have a market value of $2 million

Ok, how is this going to work? I mean I would want to keep the people who do good work around but then they would be my biggest competition. If you knew you were going down, wouldn't you do something dodgy or at least be tempted to do so?

And what's the deal with the host? She sounds like she's advertising an escort service on the ads for the show.

Edited by Cheese Pleese, Jan 15, 2004 @ 11:58 PM.

[Aussie Andrew]

This show looks like a Poor man's "Dreamhome" but ... more expensive.

We know all the couples will be bland or annoying, and I'm not really looking forward to it. I'm sure the host has never picked up a painbrush in her life.

But if I were going down, nothing like defacing property to show them who had the last laugh.

[Andrew's Mommy]

"Dreamhome" was more of a precursor of "the Block", taking two derelict homes, transporting them to cheaper blocks of land in the outer 'burbs (and I remember this was set in Melbourne!!!), and getting two battler couples to renovate. The winning couple completely shat on the trendy, let's put red tiles in the bathroom and create an inner city apartment in an outer suburb twits. In fact, they were very much like Amity, only in it for the publicity they could get for their business!

So it'd be nice to win a $2Mill house out in the Queensland sticks, but realistically, what the heck would the winners do with it other than flog it to the highest bidder??

[chocolatesauce]

The location of the Hot house will be in ...........................Bribie Island!

Starts Feb. 2nd

Another article

Edited by chocolatesauce, Jan 20, 2004 @ 5:43 PM.

[Cheese Pleese]

Andrew's Mommy - Heh, the outer Melbourne suburb thing reminds me of Kath & Kim. What channel was Dreamhouse on? And when did it air?

Aussie Andrew - I believe the host was from Body+Soul. I still think she sounds like she's advertising escort services or phone sex lines.

chocolatesauce - Thanks mate. I was wondering when info for this show will turn up. I mean in-depth newspaper stuff rather than this is what Ten etc are going to have this year.

Ten's Big-Brother-meets-The-Block-style program, The HotHouse

Okay I thought it was Survivor meets The Block.

ETA: Just saw the host's picture on Ten's website...She's the poor man's version of Suzie Wilks.

Edited by Cheese Pleese, Jan 21, 2004 @ 8:21 AM.

[Andrew's Mommy]

CPI remember it being on Ch9 about 3 yrs ago. Much less upmarket/less publicity, and only just at the start of the surge of relaity TV, so was much better than what we'll be getting.

[Cheese Pleese]

Thanks for the info, Andrew's Mommy. I might watch this show depending on the timeslot. Maybe there will be people to cheer for and not just snark on.

[The Australian]

This is the one new Aussie reality show for the 2004 season that actually seemed interesting at face value.

However, what are Ten thinking by trying to shoehorn it into the Big Brother format and screening it daily???

It's a concept which I feel would work beautifully as 60 minutes once a week with the occasional 90-minute special. Instead, it'll be 30 minutes on weeknights with 28 different people to try and concentrate on during the first week! I'm not feeling confident about this at all...

Still, the short ads featuring the various couples are a great idea (even if there only appear to be 4 people competing at the moment!) and I'm willing to give this presenter girl a chance - even if I haven't the slightest idea what she actually has to do besides stand in front of a microphone and read some narration!

[Aussie Andrew]

The Australian And she also has the pouting part down pat easily.

But gee, by the way its going. I'm going to be sick of TV by the time BB4/5 comes along.

Can we just kill off these 28 people? That's far too many. I now know how schoolteachers feel every start of the school year. In 30 or so minutes a day you should learn all these kids' names.

[chocolatesauce]

Only 13 of the couples have been chosen so far, the other couple is going to be chosen by a radio station.

[Aussie Andrew]

I hate you B105.

Stop getting involved with famewhores and taking up the radio frequencies. No doubt we'll have them every day, but also on the radio all the time too.

[chocolatesauce]

GAH! They are polling to see if Emma Race should host the Hot30 FULL TIME!

[Andrew's Mommy]

How/where do we vote against her???

[Cheese Pleese]

WT? Emma Race. One thing that AusIdol forum posters were united against was against her hosting Inside Idol.

On topic, The Australian, I agree it is a dumb idea to show it like BB. IMO I think not only will it be confusing but boring.

E.g. So and so is painting this, so and so is sanding this, so and so is arguing with so and so about the gazebo...Repeat with different DIY tasks until the end of the episode.

I could handle it say one hour a week but every single weekday for 30 minutes. Ugh...I agree Aussie Andrew, it's going to get old fast. But as you know Network 10 likes to repeat everything to death etc. So they have to have something else other than The Simpsons, L&O and its derivatives, EBLR and Becker. I wonder how Seven is going to treat TAR this year. I hope it gets a good timeslot but then again that timeslot is good for me...If Ten got it, I wouldn't mind seeing repeats of that show.

I will give this show a shot and see how it is.

[chocolatesauce]

You vote against her by going to the Hot30 website and clicking on 'New host' or something. And then you vote against her. YOu have to put in an email adress, so I kept sending in entries with random email adresses such as emmaracesmells@hotmail.com. Yes I know, I am twelve. :)

Has anyone seen the new promos for The HotHouse? With those two girls in? At first I thought they were lesbians, but then after seeing the ad again I realised they were just friends who are going to flirt with everyone and be famewhorish. Bah.

[The Australian]

Well the official website has been updated for the run of the show itself, which means that everyone except the radio station winners have been revealed. MIX 94.5 here in Perth was banging on about the show this morning, so I wonder whether it is an exclusively Brisbane thing to win the last spot?

Typically for a show like this, there's a maximum of product placement and an absolute bare minimum of actual information about the contestants themselves. Indeed, half of their little questionaires to the couples consist of the questions "What is your Taubmans Colour Profile?" and "If you could choose any car from the Ford range, what would it be?". Subtle, eh?

Anyway, here's my brief take on everyone so far:

Calvin and Heather - Team Normal. Took much of the initial promo duties and look like an absolutely typical couple you expect to see on a renovation show. Very Fiona and Adam (that's quite good for me).

Chris and Sarah - Team Douglas. Age gap of 16 years between them doesn't exactly bode well for pressure situations. He's got my name, though, and reminds me of a cross between Lex van den Burghe and Shane Warne post-eye job. Probably leave early.

Ben and "Cat" - Team Artiste!. Very unfortunate hair here, and the youngest team. Possibly a stronger team than several older ones, but I think their youth will ultimately tell against them.

Matt and Cher - Team Zany. The guy totally reminds me of a younger ClownJon from TAR4, and is apparently a "corporate entertainer". Read 'magician not good enough for kiddie parties'. Either a viewer favourite, or will get on everyone's nerves very quickly.

Beau and Trudy - Team Bogan. Neither is an oil painting to look at, and the sun's definitely got to her well and truly. Can surfers build a oceanside property meant for the beautiful people? Maybe, but I can't see it.

Simon and Jules - Team Worthy. The only couple to leave their children to participate on the show, and the only couple who actually seem like they want a house to live in for more than the minimum period stipulated by the producers at the end of the show! Great to see people who aren't your typical The Block rejects.

Brett and Jeff - Team Drama. It's Gavin and Waz minus the singlets-and-Y-fronts gimmick and the honking! Just as with the new guys at The Block, it will be tough for them to step out of the shadow of "the boys". Especially when they seem to talk and act just like them on the promos.

Phil and Libby - Team Driven. She's an ER doctor? Then what the hell's she doing here? She does look like a very competitive type from their photo, and I can't help but think that they might be at the centre of any prospective scheming.

Kristian and Amy - Team Oh-My-God-They're-All-White-So-Far-What-Are-We-Gonna-Do?. They look nice and may have what it takes to go a long way - but come on Ten, who are you kidding when it comes to why they were picked?

Scott and Petra - Team Interchangeable. No hook, no difference from countless others of their type...they'll probably win the lot on that basis!

James and Natalie - Team Smarm. They both obviously have big tickets on themselves and they look like the only people in the world who would let Tim J-P from Changing Rooms loose on their house because they like his designs. Do not like them at all, so far.

Mark and Michelle - Team Pedantic. They're both graphic designers, and she's a clean freak. I forecast trouble - possibly not to Flo and Zach proportions, but they come across as being quite tightly wound.

Jacintha and Shivaune (?) - Team Nikita. What can you say after the promos lead us all to thinking they were lesbians? They're actually sisters, and from the way they're talking on the promos it seems that much of the bitch activity may come from them. Wey-hey!

Oh, and Erika? Sorry love, but Suzie Wilks did the "I'm going to help them build stuff" thing long before you did. And she has a brighter personality and an, erm...better figure than you can ever hope to have. Get back to voicing the 1800 numbers after midnight...

[Aussie Andrew]

The website - STOP PIMPING FORD AND TAUBMANS!

Suzie Wilks 4 LYFE!

Calvin and Heather - Team Boring, but god how BIG IS HER NOSE?!

Chris and Sarah - Can you say Phil and Amity 2.0. But just make Amity just a bit tubbier, and put them in dead end jobs, and there we go.

Ben and Carl - Artist and Makeup Artists. Please, these people are conceptual artists, we all know they're lazy asses.

Matt and Cher - Two bubbly people that will quickly fizzle out. We all know that's for sure. Nice the first two weeks, after that they turn into lawn gnomes.

Beau and Trudy - Surfies. Will definately get on well with the Artists. And be lazy. He may pull his weight but.

Simon and Jules - Go away. Now. He looks like a boofhead, she looks like the monkey pulling his strings.

Brett and Jeff - Oh great. Boys 2.0.

Phill and Libby - Phil looks like he's just woken up from a 20 year coma and this wife who's amazingly good looking turned up because of his sudden wealth. Lazy IMO.

Kristen and Amy - These people are so from Melbourne. I hope we don't hear them whinging about the humidity and heat that much.

Scott and Petra - See looks like she used to be a man. HI PETER. He looks like he's on drugs.

James and Nat - *Yawn* ANOTHER COUPLE. And gee, she's BLONDE TOO! These people have never done a day of physical labour in their life.

Mark and Michelle - Oh look, MORE artists, just what this show needs. *Rolls eyes*

J&C - I refuse to spell out their long and silly names. We all know the jealous wives will so kick them out in week 1. And come on girls, the sex appeal will only work on the straight single male teams, and going by the looks of it, there are none here.

*Yawn* What a stupid looking show. I can't wait to hate.

[Sarahj]

I can't wait to hate.

Probably why these reality shows survive - it's us at TWoP, watching it so we can bitch about it later on the forums. We could be doing a terrible, terrible thing.

[Cheese Pleese]

Thanks for the contestant assessments esp the references to TAR! The show may win me over if they have contestants as endearing as Ken and Gerard.

Anyway, there's an interview in the Herald-Sun with the host, Erika Heynatz. It says she has acted in Farscape, Head Start, Crash Palace and Heroes Mountain. Before taking up the hosting gig, she was trying her luck out in LA. Is she any good as an actor? I'd give her some credit if she could lose the XXX phone operator tone.

Edited by Cheese Pleese, Jan 28, 2004 @ 8:31 AM.

[Andrew's Mommy]

The ad I saw down here is really plugging the "not all couples" aspect, but the whole vibe I get is that they're perhaps trying to play the two girls as a kinky lesbianish pairing.

But as above, anything that could pass as a fantasy for a guy will be voted out by their wife/girlfriend in the first week!

[AndyCake]

The Channel 10 info about the hostess is ridiculous! Is she for real? Who puts their whole goddamn resume up on the show website, down to every pathetic bit part and stupid acting course they have done? She's obviously slept with some big wig from Channel 10 (she had to slap down Emma Race from Australian Idol to get to them) because not only does she have all that crap on her page on the CH 10 website, on the section for the building team, she's got her photo as well.

[chocolatesauce]

I read in some article that they were trying to get her as popular as Suzie Wilks (???!!!!Suzie Wilks popular???!!!) in time for the shows airing so people would watch her.

[Aussie Andrew]

Like I said before, SUZIE WILKS 4 LYFE! I don't want a cheap phone sex worker. I always liked Suzie. For.. reasons... uh

Sarah J, I hope we're not singlehandedly keeping these shows going.

[The Australian]

Well it shouldn't be forgotten that Ten did everything they could to try and get Suzie Wilks in order for her to host this show over the closing months of last year.

For whatever reason (there were actually no Changing Rooms episodes shot last year, IIRC), she obviously didn't accept. So they cast around for a replacement and found Erika instead.

I note with amusement that Nine are apparently promoting new Changing Rooms episodes in 2004. I will never understand Kerry Packer's decision to keep signing people to sit around doing nothing, and then just when their contract expires and other networks move in, suddenly find a reason for said celebrity to stay on at Nine.

Personally had Suzie made the switch and hosted The Hothouse, I'd wager it would have been a big success right from the start.

[retrograde]

It says she has acted in Farscape, Head Start, Crash Palace

What d-grade Australian actor hasn't?

What an insipid-looking bunch of couples. Granted, I don't know what else I'd expect from reality tv contestants. I want to make a faux-reality tv show called "The Island", that's advertised as a show hosted by Jamie Durie and Gretel Killeen, where vacuous couples and slutty singles go to an island to date each other, build houses, compete in physical challenges, make over each other's gardens, and eventually compete for a millionaire's hand in marriage. But the "reality" is that they all just get dumped on an island, never to be heard from again, thus clearing society of the noxious, gormless types of people who go on reality tv shows.

[katisha66]

I wish the host would get her fringe out of her eyes. Man, I hate that!

[Aussie Andrew]

Me too! That peeves me off so much! I wish she'd walk into a pole of something because of it. Although maybe as a sex worker, she needs it in her eyes so she can't see her client

[Andrew's Mommy]

I am blaming the pregnancy for getting The Hothouse and The resort confused.

All these things are all the bloody same anyways.

Caught about the first 5 minutes. Looks uninspiring.

Edited by Andrew's Mommy, Feb 2, 2004 @ 5:43 AM.

[bluezombie]

Hee. Its OK. Happens to many of us. But was I the only one watching? I actually liked it, so far. Probably because there hasn't been the overkill that is Channel 10 yet.

Trudy, I instantly hate you. You have all the qualities I hate in someone, and I've seen about 10 minutes of you. That's all that I need. Yet Beau is my favourite so far. Odd, that. I can't decide whether they should win, or go first.

Petra seems like a complete ditz. She was saying how she wasn't Barbie, but I think she just might be. I like her guy so far, despite his calling himself a Ken doll. That's one strike though.

Erika is an annoying hag. A total Suzie Wilks tryhard. And what was with trying to touch and fondle every single one of the males there. Does she realise they're there because they are in couples? Which means they're single and off limits? Go away.

I also hated the bossy bald-ish guy who tried to boss everyone, and lead them.

The two chicks seem to be OK so far, surprisingly. Wonder if it'll last.

And I have to express my disgust that we were shown scenes of a fight right at the beginning, which they made out would be on tonight, then it isn't, and they tell us it's tomorrow. I bet it's probably three weeks away, and lasts for one second anyway.

But overall, this didn't get boring over 90 minutes which is a good effort, and should get more interesting over time if I can figure out which episodes to avoid seeing it 5 nights a week. A good start. Especially good was the spreading out of the meeting of all the couples, not cramming it all into 10 minutes. Now I remember most of them.

[Andrew's Mommy]

Give it time.

They'll rope Tim "I've really done nothing good since DAAS, not even the Don't Forget Your Toothbrush Gig" Ferguson into hosting a weekly highlights show. Then they'll get smartarses from BB's 1 2 & 3 who are already at minute 16 of their 15 mins of fame to pass judgement.

Then there'll be the uncensored highlights when the caravans are a rockin'.