38 replies to this topic

[Hamid]

So, am I the only one who watches this show? I check in regularly to see if this is the episode Bob Beckel and Eric Bolling finally have a smackdown on live TV or when Dana Perino professes her eternal and undying love for Greg Gutfeld. Any thoughts or am I in a minority of one?

ETA: Just some more thoughts on the hosts: Firstly, I do like that they really do seem to get along and that it's not just one lone guy spouting off his views. It's quite a welcome break. Quick breakdown of the hosts:

Dana Perino - she and Greg have this weird chemistry with each other that just seems to work. I do wish she wouldn't stammer so much when on live TV. She speaks professionally for crying out loud.

Greg Gutfeld - can be funny, though he can try too hard and his references can be a little obscure, but maybe that's just my generation.

Eric Bolling - Seriously, seems like a nice guy, but does every little thing have to be about how Obama's messing up the country? And the Beckel baiting can sometimes be a bit much.

Kimberly Guilfoyle - Decent enough especially on legal issues, can be a little shrill though and the producers, male panelists, and herself need to stop playing up the sex kitten thing. Like now. She's a mom in her early forties. Do enjoy her mom-dancing to the entry/exit music though.

Andrea Tantaros - Tough to evaluate, this one. Very tough. Sometimes she makes valid points, but other times can be trying too hard to be funny and included "in the group" and can also make completely absurd points.

Bob Beckel - One of two interchangeable liberals on the panel. He can make the occasional valid point, but if he did half the stuff he jokes about, it's a miracle he made to be alive to do this show to begin with.

Juan Williams - The second interchangeable liberal. Can make a decent point, but does seem rather lost at points in the show.

Edited by Hamid, Jun 21, 2012 @ 12:15 PM.

[stewedsquash]

I guess I am the other one who watches this show. It has become my MUST SEE tv. You have summed up the hosts really well. It is the first show I have ever been addicted to just to see what they will say.

[mansonlamps]

I would watch it, but I never heard of it. And I have Fox News on all the time. What time is this show on? Probably when I'm at work.

[stewedsquash]

Ha, the name is its time! The Five at Five on Fox News Channel. There are five regular hosts and two alternate hosts and it comes on at 5pm. It also repeats later in the night, midnight or later and also I think for the whole week on a Saturday night time. It is a great show. I like all the hosts, even the liberal ones because even they are smart and funny. All of the hosts have interesting, well lived lives off screen which makes them interesting on screen. I also love the controlledness of the discussions. It does get heated but never off track if that makes sense. It is never a screaming match and while they do discuss serious subjects, it is balanced with out and out silly. It has really become to me what 60 Minutes was to my dad back in the day. I dvr it and if I get behind, I never ever delete until I have watched every single ep because I don't want to miss any little thing. And most times it is the little things that are what makes the show.

ETA Fox News is also my go to place for news but I have not gotten into Hannity or O'Reilly. I just can't watch/listen to Hannity because of his way of speaking. I like him but think he is very overrated and boring. So yeah, I watch conservative tv but I can be selective and not just follow because it is conservative.

Edited by stewedsquash, Aug 11, 2012 @ 11:09 AM.

[mansonlamps]

Duh, I'm a moron. Of course it's when I'm still at work. I think I'll DVR it just to check it out since it's getting raves here, if only from a couple of people. I love political discourse, but get a little tired of all the interrupting and talking over each other on most of the other shows.

I actually listen to Hannity on the way home from work mostly for amusement. I do agree with many of his points, but he's so over the top most of the time it's hard to take him very seriously. It kills me that he almost refuses to use Obama's name, just refers to him as "the Anointed One." Cracks me up.

[shabbieshok]

I haven't seen the whole show, just many assorted clips and short videos, and this group is as batshit crazy as the rest of the Fox crew. Guess Fox programmers like loco at five.

[Hamid]

Oh my word! I don't know if anyone saw last night's show, but old Bob Beckel may be out of a job soon enough. First, he totally embarassed himself on the Ryan medicare plan with his woeful ignorance on the subject, then minutes later he drops the F-bomb at 5 in the afternoon. What's worse is that he's pulled this sort of stunt two or three times before.

I used to think the guy was entertaining, but this is just tragic. They really need to replace him with an intelligent and articulate liberal to combat the four conservatives on the panel.

Actually the panelist who's really won me over in a big way has been Dana Perino. Out of the panelists, I think she's the one who really does serious research on the topics they're discussing and can sometimes take the other panelists to school for indulging in frivolous subjects like Shark Week and the Spice Girls. That and I think she's attractive, but married darn it! I just like her whole appeal all around.

Edited by Hamid, Aug 15, 2012 @ 6:51 AM.

[Major Misfit]

but old Bob Beckel may be out of a job soon enough. First, he totally embarassed himself on the Ryan medicare plan with his woeful ignorance

Oh , I wouldn't worry about Bob losing his job. I think "woeful ignorance" is a requirement to work for Fox News. If he gets good enough at it, they might just give him his own show.

[stewedsquash]

Oh , I wouldn't worry about Bob losing his job. I think "woeful ignorance" is a requirement to work for Fox News. If he gets good enough at it, they might just give him his own show.

Your response is confusing to me, in context to the quote to which you were responding.

I am a week behind so I just caught the Fbomb episode. I had to rewind to catch it and he was obviously shaken that it slipped. I thought he said it in response to Eric saying "fix it" several times but when they came back Eric said he had been hitting Bob hard and took responsibility for it. AND(!) did you catch the bumper preview of Bret Baier's show? He ended it with "Now back to The Five, which is apparently now on a seven second delay" and a mischievious grin. Ha, I love this show. I adore Bob Beckel and want to be his girlfriend. I put him right up there with Alan Colmes as two of my favorite liberals. Mostly because they seem like nice, interesting, manly men who genuinely care about people and just happen to be liberal in their views. They are both passionate but not bitter. And I do a little "aaaaawe" whenever the four conservatives protectively gather around Bob.

I agree about Dana, Hamid. She is just so darn likeable. She kills me when she talks about her childhood. She was very sheltered and it doesn't faze her. That is one reason why her and Greg's schtick works so well. I wonder if she plays golf? Cause it would be cool if she would be the third woman member to be admitted to Augusta Country Club. I find her and Condoleeza to be fascinating women.

[Hamid]

I think of Bob now as kind of a rough around the edges uncle. The one who can sometimes mess up and yell at the kids, but one who you would protect when times got rough, though I have noticed that Juan has been filling in for Bob for two out of three days this week. Hmmm....

So, I looked up the number of twitter followers that each panellist has and Dana is still far and away the most popular panelist on the show (despite "the monster" Greg, love their banter). Then Greg a distant second, but still strong, then Kimberly in third, Eric in fourth, Andrea in fifth, and Bob and Juan are bringing up the rear which is really no surprise, given the large conservative audience FNC enjoys. I am a little surprised that Kimberly's more popular than Eric, given Eric's position in the middle of the table. Really Dana should be in the middle of the table flanked by Greg and Kimberly, but then again Kimberly would lose her position in what has been referred to as the "leg chair", which is odd because whenever Kimberly and Andrea are on the same show, Kimberly always gets the "leg chair". One wonders how they decided which girl has better legs lol. Actually Beckel's legs aren't so bad lol. I saw that Fourth of July special.

ETA: To remove the two words "my girl" in reference to Dana since she finds that kind of language offensive. Even though Dana probably has better things to do with her time than read forum posts, I just wanted to edit that out of my respect for her as a panelist and I didn't know that kind of talk was something that bothered certain people. Guess I need to catch up on my netiquette. lol

Edited by Hamid, Aug 25, 2012 @ 2:52 PM.

[bojanglesthe4th]

This show has become my guilty pleasure. I'm liberal and find most of the things the panelists say absolutely absurd, but I have to admit the group dynamic is addicting. I don't watch any other Fox News junk but this show is plain fun. My favorite is seeing Bob mostly just sit there shaking his head in disbelief, like a parent with 4 unruly kids.

Perino and Kimberly are mostly just there for eye candy and to hurl mud at Obama EVERY. CHANCE. THEY. GET.

And Bollings a dumbass and needs to lay off the tanning bed.

[canaanite2]

Is Greg out of the closet?

[ohclaire]

So I'm home from work, sick, watching news -- I'm a Democrat. But just for fun, I switched to Fox so I could see their heads melting over Obama's competence while he handles the Hurricane Sandy aftermath. As expected, they're stretching to find something to complain about (you can only complain and point fingers about Libya so much).
This obviously closeted gay guy was whining about "Liberals" being prejudice against conservatives. The funny thing is, the whole table started in on what those nasty Liberals say about them (when they say 'Liberal," they say it like it's a dirty word). So ... WHO is prejudice?
Anyway, I digress ... Closet Case specifically targeted San Francisco Libs. Why San Francisco? I mean, it doesn't matter where a Liberal lives. They're still Liberal. But it's clear WHY he was picking on San Francisco. It's because he wants to live there. He wants to find the best YMCA construction worker outfit, surround himself with young, fit, single, OUT, half-naked men and dance, dance, dance.
You're not fooling anybody, pal.

[ByaNose]

I thought Greg was gay and didn't even know he was married. I like Dina because she is pretty. Kimberly is put on the end of the table to show her legs (which look great) and, her expensive shoes which always have a red bottom (is that famous name brand or something?) and, often seems angry at what Bob Beckel says & does. Bolling must have gotten a memo or was getting teased too much because he doesn't look as tan lately. I like Beckel in the curmudgeon sort of way. I do wish it was a 3 Republican/2 Democrat so it doesn't look so obvious that Beckel gets ganged up on. Juan is useless and Andrea seems to like Grg the most and doesn't look too happy having to sit next to Bob. I dvr it everyday. It's a hoot!

Edited by ByaNose, Nov 2, 2012 @ 10:10 PM.

[Hamid]

Actually when you think about it, part of the reason why the Five is so successful is because it's basically Saved by the Bell on a cable news channel. Think about it:

Dana - Smart girl ala Jesse Spano

Greg - Class clown ala Zack Morris

Kimberly/Andrea - Popular hot girls ala Kelly Kapowski and Lisa Turtle

Eric - Jock ala A. C. Slater

Bob - Cranky principal with a heart of gold ala Mr. Belding


It's not a precise comparison because we have no Screech, which given Dustin Diamond's track record is probably a good thing. Am I lame because I thought of a Saved by the Bell comparison? Probably. But I did grow up in the 90s, so it's kinda understandable.

On a more serious note: is it me or is Eric starting to get more and more unhinged? I'm conservative and even I groan at some of the dreck that comes out of his mouth. Say what you will of the others, but Eric seems the chief offender at assigning any blame to Obama for everything. Like I said, I'm not the biggest fan of the president, but
for crying out loud! I think he even was blaming certain school district decisions on the man!

Even though Dana's my favourite I do like Kimberly because even if you disagree with her, she's passionate about what she believes in and has a good sense of fun. Like I said in the first post, I love her mom-dancing and whenever she talks about her kid, it's really sincere and yes I find her very attractive.

Edited by Hamid, Nov 4, 2012 @ 12:59 PM.

[canaanite2]

I can only assume it was an attempt to be funny. Greg tries so very, very hard to be funny that it's painful to watch.

Say what you will of the others, but Eric seems the chief offender at assigning any blame to Obama for everything.

That might be because he's a birther, i.e., racist.

[Angora Deb]

dark haired nazi loving Republican asshole dudes

Whether they are assholes or not is debatable, but I'm fairly certain they are not Nazi-philes.

Greg's OK, but I prefer him on Red Eye: it's younger, more irreverent, less overtly political.

Edited by Angora Deb, Nov 17, 2012 @ 5:30 PM.

[bojanglesthe4th]

Ughh can't stand the Five's stance (minus Beckel) on Bob Costas' anti-gun statement. How 4 out 5 of them are so strongly pro-gun after Aurora, Tucson, etc etc and don't even consider the merit of de-arming Amercia (at the very least hand guns and assault rifles- keep your hunting rifles for all I care...you're not going to take out a movie theater with that) is beyond me. Bob has been awesome as usual on this topic.

Not a fan of the new set- and have they even mentioned it?? I thought I watched all the eps this week and I don't remember even a passing comment about the new tiny table. Weird.

[ByaNose]

The set is temporary and they have mentioned several times. It's either because its being redone or it's being decorated for the holidays. They'll be back to the normal set next week.

[bojanglesthe4th]

Couple things I've noticed the last two weeks. For one, IMO the shows are markedly better when its Kimberly and not Angela in the 5-spot. Kimberly has better chemistry (and better legs...) with the other 4 and the whole set seems to be more fun when she's there. It's especially noticeable in the interactions between Bob and either Kim/Angela- Bob and Kim are cute/flirty even when they snipe each other (and Bob's "ONE more thing is next" gets a chuckle out of me every time), while Angela and Bob are just kinda awkward and icey. Anyone know why the two girls switch off in the first place?

Also I've only been watching The Five for maybe a month now, but I'm completely over Greg's shtick at this point. He's so obviously playing a character/amping up his opinions that half the time he says something he chuckles cheekily afterwards. I actually preferred the shows where Kilmeade was subbing in for him. I mean Greg's clearly a smart guy to some extent, so he can't POSSIBLY believe the crazy shit that he rants about...right?

PS. Line of the week for me was Bob's "Bolling you are more delusional than ever" and goes on to refute Eric's every point. Sometimes Bob loses his track but when he's on he's ON and I love watching the rest of the crew squirm.

[Happyshooter]

So you are saying the Five is bad because you disagree with their policy positions. That is a poor reason to dislike the show. I disagree with 75% of Morning Joe, but with the exception of Joe loving himself too much once per week, and Mika doing the same half of every show, it is entertaining.

Edited by TWoP Pembleton, Dec 19, 2012 @ 10:05 PM.

[junemeatcleaver]

So you are saying the Five is bad because you disagree with their policy positions.

I don't find a right-wing entertainment all that fun and engaging, sorry. Four assholes saying purposely provocative and over-the-top bullshit and one "liberal" yelling at each other is not great tv to me. Fox News has been using the same multiple right wingers, one Dem or Lib approach for years, it's just old and boring at this point.

[Happyshooter]

All cable panel discussion shows are structured that way. You need someone to discuss against, or it is boring. Did you not wonder why Pat B is on Morning Joe? Same reason Bob B is on the Five. That is the formula.

I think the Five does it better because Dana is a better version of Joe, and both Kimberly and Andrea are more likeable versions of Mika.

By better I mean I think Dana speaks with more authority and experience in the way she discusses things and her tone, what they used to call gravitas until that got run into the ground.


The other version of cable shows, which I do not like, is the host with control of the mike versus the victim guest, interspaced with the boot licker guest. Bill O'Rielly is smug, Al Sharpton is mean, and Nancy Grace is vile.

[shabbieshok]

Al Sharpton is mean???? I've heard the Rev called many things but mean is not usually one of the adjectives associated with him.

[maggie010]

I've never seem Sharpton mean either.

[bojanglesthe4th]

Eric Bolling again showed what a coward he is today- of course it's STILL not the right time to talk about gun control. We're still burying people! Just like we will every single day from gun crime in the US- so let's just never talk about it, cool?

Even Perino evaded answering Bob's very simple question: Why would a private citizen EVER need an assault rifle? Keep fighting the good fight Bob.

[maggie010]

Evidently Murdock has a "lockdown" on Fox panelists talking for/againt gun control. Murdock has decided he is for it.

[canaanite2]

I'm sure it's not a coincidence that the NRA has remained silent as well. Murdoch won't let his talking heads speak until they have the NRA talking points in order to avoid any contradictions and confusion among the followers.

Edited by canaanite2, Dec 18, 2012 @ 3:49 PM.

[Happyshooter]

Sharpton is mean because he picks someone at the third tier or below, and goes after them, instead of picking on the big shooters who have the juice to fight back. Everyone else uses surrogates just to go after their patron.

Edited by TWoP Pembleton, Dec 19, 2012 @ 10:06 PM.

[TWoP Pembleton]

Lots of off-topic posts in here, and I've just done a bunch of editing and deleting. If your post (or part of your post) was about liberals, conservatives, your opinions on gun control, etc. it's off topic.

Analysis of the show The Five is on topic. This isn't a politics forum. It's a television forum. If you have questions about that, send me a PM.