Dawson's Ink

So many reality shows, so little interest. Seriously, with the amount of supposedly unscripted shows careening into our television screens like NASCAR wrecks, just as if the wrecks actually happened every week, over time you couldn’t help but become numb to it all. That’s how it is with these shows.

Think about it: we’re already loaded with fare from singers like Fantasia, actors like Terry Crews, and “socialites” like the Kardashians, with more on the way from the likes of Brandy and Ray-J, Faith Evans and Martin Luther King III. OK, I made that last one up, but really, would anyone be surprised if that happened? Not me.

Out of all the shows on the air right now, one of the worst, in my opinion, is VH1’s Let’s Talk About Pep. The premise of this “reality” show seems simple: Sandra “Pepa” Denton is looking for love. Surrounded by her “girlfriends,” each week is a rundown of the past week of activity, where cameras followed the foursome on their various dates. Seems OK, right?

Wrong. It’s like a conceivable concept gone wrong, and it rubs me the wrong way like a Johnny Gill remix. Actually, there’s more than one thing, so let’s discuss the FIVE REASONS WHY WE SHOULD NEVER TALK ABOUT PEP AGAIN.

Let’s go…

Not so much the concept, which, as I said before, isn’t bad. Four friends sipping wine over random eats while dishing on each others’ love lives has been done before. To perfection. It was called “Sex and the City.” Even though they were actresses, you got the feeling that they were friends. That they cared about one another. Not with Pep’s crew. It’s like the producers just randomly chose three warm bodies stereotypes to place around Pep for dramatic effect. The Prude (Jacque Reid), The Divorcee (Joumana Kidd) and The Wild Child (Kali “Kittie” Troy). Even that would be good if it seemed like they had any type of chemistry. Or liked one another. I don’t see it. So I don’t buy it. Fail.

You know something’s wrong with a show when even the parts that should be funny… aren’t. The show wanted to get off on the good foot (Kitty’s date with the toe-licking fetish) and with a sizzle (Pep’s date’s curl was ignited by a misplaced candle), but in um, reality, it was just creepy. And got creepier with each week. Like Kittie’s pen pal who wasn’t interested in being intimate with her, or Pep’s foray into meeting guys at bars, to Jomauna’s date who taunted police. Even with Kittie went out with an actual comedian, it was the most unfunny thing ever on television. Miss me with that, please.

There are 8 million places to visit in New York City. And these women have cornered the market on finding the places that are the most boring ever. Maybe it’s not NYC’s fault, though. Maybe the women are just that unappealing. Clearly, their men are. I promise, if it wasn’t for the dude who took on the cops, I wouldn’t really remember one situation that took place over the course of the season that made me look twice. Insane.

So, you’re a reality show shooting in New York, and you know you have a marginal product. What should you do? Television 101 demands that you showcase what could be your best character: THE CITY! Seeing the ladies packed around a table in a nice restaurant is fine, but since we all know the show sucks, why not have them all get out and about? Or at least sit them near a huge window so we can at least be distracted by the taxis whizzing by, or the homeless guy whizzing on the street? Can this happen? Please?!

You also know a show is bad when you ask yourself week after week, “Why do I continue to watch this?” Clearly, I watch just so I can gather enough artillery to shoot it down, but really, why would people be enticed to watch this show? What is it bringing to the table?

Do we care about Pep’s dating life? Are the guys even interesting enough so that, if she does get with him, we’ll continue to care? Is the fact that she may have found love with an Asian man supposed to bring in a new demographic, or does it seem like such a mismatch that it will turn people off? Do we notice that even her date’s name is boring–Tom–really?!?! Does anyone else care that Pep’s lacefront slips down her forehead every week to the point that some would think she’s rocking a Yankee cap sideways?

Is Jacque really that clueless that she thinks it’s OK to grill a guy on his Facebook and Twitter feeds? Is Kittie for real, and do the producers think we’re dumb enough not to notice that they’re really grooming her for her own talk show in 2011? Is the fact that “Salt” is one of the executive producers have anything to do with why the show is boring, with her dialing down the potential madness so it won’t go against her religious/parental nature? And um, does Jamouna have a pulse?
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If I can come up with these questions during the course of a 22-minute episode, clearly there’s nothing capturing my attention on-screen. I think it all comes down to this: some people just weren’t made to anchor a show. Clearly, Pep is one of those people. Unless, of course, this is all a conspiracy by co-executive producer Cheryl “Salt” James to mess with Pep and force her to understand that her time in the spotlight is done. If that’s the case, Salt must be stopped. Or applauded for grounding sabotage. lol

With hopefully only a few episodes left, here’s hoping Pep either gets with Tom or gets into a fight with Kittie so we can at least be interested when her show starts next year. Either way, I hope something goes down so that we never have to ‘talk about Pep’ again.

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