Thursday, March 18, 2010

Jessica Simpson Show Bombs - VH-1 "Nervous"


I spoke to someone over at MTV/VH-1 yesterday and they said the executives are really, really nervous and anxious about Jessica Simpson's new show. The problem is they have a lot of money invested in it, especially for a first season reality show. The reason they are so nervous is that no one watched the show at all. Barely 1M tuned in for the premiere and the show got beat by cable programming on networks that aren't even available in every home like VH-1 is.

The word is they are going to give it one more week and then are going to start editing shows differently to try and make it better. If that doesn't work then they have no idea, but they will have been out a lot of money. To give you an idea how bad the show fared, when Fantasia had her reality show debut it got almost 3 times the viewers. Do you remember the Fantasia show? How long did it last and it got 3 times the viewers.

29 comments:

timebob said...

Good for Jessica for duping VH1 into shilling out loads of money for her and her two best freinds to go on a whirl wind vacation around the world. Cuase that all it is. US watching HER on vacation.

It isn't funny or well done. Thank God it is only a 1/2 hour show. Whatever was interesting about her in 2002 is long gone.

tallulah b said...

The problem with this concept is that we've seen this on Oprah a hundred times before. People would have to tune in wanting to see Jessica, but no one cares. She's not super ditzy anymore, and not sexy enough, so there's no appeal.

jax said...

i think it will do really well in other markets like Canada and the UK.
there is such a hater mentality when it comes to reality shows these days and what people like to watch.

Sue Ellen Mishkey said...

I wish Bret Michaels would do Rock of Love 4. That would boost VH1's ratings.

Also, who hasn't seen what she's showing 100 times before, and better, on National Geographic and Discovery?
I remember seeing those two cultures(neck/lip ring) when I was 10. =/

Carrie L. said...

It just seemed like a bad idea from the beginning. It's not educational because Jessica Simpson is in it. It's really just her and her two best friends traveling around the world and trying to pretend they are learning about other cultures & "beauty" in the process. Whatever. VH1 should just cut their losses now and move on to the next thing.

jess said...

I think she already gave away everything in her previous reality and I guess people are tired of seeing her acting dumb AGAIN -(I don't think she's really dumb)

jess said...

@SueEllenMishkey I had a lot of fun watching Rock of love those skanky slutty b*tches were amazing, trashy tv in all of it's glory.

chopchop said...

VH1 needs to bring back Flavor Flav. Or videos. One of the two.

canadachick said...

the only way i'd watch this show is if Jessica tried that lip ring thing....now that would be some quality tv right there.

Sue Ellen Mishkey said...

@Jess

Ha! I know. Rock of Love, Flavor of Love, I love New York, they all require you eat a big bag of penecillin before you watch, but they are glorious. I hate that "diabeties" Michaels said he's not doing anymore. :( Surely, there's another aging rocker looking for a gutter skank they could use.

RocketQueen said...

I think part of the problem is that the public doesn't really want to see someone this...for lack of a better word, "dumb", travel the world to observe and comment on other cultures. If I'm going to watch something like this (I love this stuff on NGEOG and Discovery and even Food Network), I want it to be done by someone knowledgeable, who's not going to let themselves have a giggle fit in a Buddhist Monastery. Feel me?

Patty said...

I'm going to take a line from Lainey (sorry, I know she doesn't have many fans here), but...

Why is Jessica Simpson?

Linnea said...

ooooh videos! i miss those

Shelly said...

I tried to watch this but could only make it through about 15 minutes. They showed her gagging and throwing up in the street because she was trying to eat some kind of bug. The next segment was her giggling in the presence of a praying monk. I thought that ( and the whole show) was extremely disrespectful and they really didn't show anything worth watching. This show could have been so much more than her gagging and giggling. There is too much disrespect on TV as it is, I wanted this show to be more like a documentary. She should have kept her mouth shut and listened for a change.

Dianne P said...

I just don't think there's that much interest in a reality show like hers. I'm not an expert but it seems like the day of the reality show where you just follow someone around is mostly over. The most successful ones are competitions and the sleazier and cheesier, the better.

I used to turn my nose up at all reality shows, but I can tell you that I want either a high-brow documentary or something really awful, not something in between.

Also, feeling sorry for someone is not enough to make me want to watch that person on TV.

Selock said...

I'm not sure how a re-edit is going to fix this show unless they randomly edit in pictures of someone people are interested in. I dunno. Justin Bieber or something?

That said, the problem is bigger than Jessica's lack of a fanbase. I mean, I really don't even turn on the TV for anything anymore unless I need to catch someone or something I am devoted to supporting.

My kid has even got out of the habit. Why turn on Nickelodeon - and be subjected to commercials for all sorts of garbage - to see the same episodes of Spongebob over and over when she can stream all of them on Netflix whenever she feels like it, and pick her exact favorites?

Sorry, television execs.

Patty said...

If they are worried about their ratings, they should try playing videos again and watch the magic.

Sonia in MO said...

I'm too poor to have cable, so I never see these kinds of shows anyway. (Don't think I'm missing much, though!) But even if it were on free network TV, I would not watch it. I can't see that she has any authority on the subject and what would I learn that I wouldn't learn from National Geographic? The whole show doesn't make sense.

That said, she seems to be a pretty nice person, from what I've seen... I hope she finds something eventually that "fits" her personality if she wants an entertainment career. I'd lose the hairdresser/stylist guy, though. He doesn't seem to do her any favors.

Anonymous said...

I said it once I will say it again. Anything with The Simpson sisters will not make it at all.

Lisa (not original) said...

Edit out all the insulting, juvenile bullshit, and they may not have enough to fill the time slot. They could always show scenery.

Pookie said...

i like jessica...but am unsure exactly who her demographic is these days. i guess vh1's wondering that too.

lutefisk said...

Reminds me of when Pepsi gave Madonna millions for the "Like a Prayer" commercial, & then it was banned everywhere.
You would think VH1 would do focus groups to see if anyone had an interest in watching this junk.

MISCH said...

WHO EVER GAVE THE GREEN LIGHT SHOULD WORRY...

kathrynnova said...

bye bye jessica. go back to employing people in china to make your shitty "fashion" lines.

and she is sooooooo ugly.

sorry, i'm really catty today

Unknown said...

I watched the show and it's as good as any other programming on that channel and it's stories like this that can turn potential viewers away, which since you didn't bother to watch the show why do you feel the need to give it a negative review?

Any executive over there who gave you information to give a bad review of a show you didn't watch should be terminated. Most American's no longer travel, the concept is a good one and Jessica is quite charming. It gives you an idea of what beauty is all over the world. Most men are not going to watch this show, and many women are not interested in beauty products won't watch it either, so the channel can't be surprised by these numbers - Your pal really did a disservice to his own company, the one that cuts his paycheck.

chestnut-red said...

I think the subject matter is interesting, but I don't think the VH1 staff picked the right person to do it. I agree with those who said, to present the series right, you really need someone with credentials to host.

If the show was about how beauty is perceived around the world, then it shouldn't really be a reality show. If it was intended as a reality show that followed immature young women around as they travel, then this was the show to watch.

Maybe TV execs will learn that you either do a show about a serious subject with a knowledgeable host, or you do a reality show with people who act out. Both in one show just doesn't cut it.

Virtual Boricua said...

I no longer feel sorry for this insufferable idiot. To giggle at monks and snicker at Asian and black women with different standards of beauty is actually worse than the n*gger comment referenced today. While I also don't appreciate mutilation in any form (INCLUDING the plastic surgeries that starlets like Ms. Simpson undergo as the "price" of fame) I would never think of traveling around the world and broadcasting my ignorant racism and sexism for the sake of ratings and a few bucks. Shameless, no-talent w*ore.

Katja said...

I actually see this as proof that these two 'friends' of hers are not friends at all. From what I heard this is a parting from Papa Joe and the "best friends" are now using her for their own golden tickets. Today I saw an amazing photo of her in this Delta Airlines magazine. I'm iffy at best on her at best (eh) and she looked fing amazing.

who cares about her really anyway?

Meg said...

I just watched the show....I didn't think it was bad at all. Guess I have a higher tolerance for this type of show than you guys. haha

I didn't find it offensive at all (??)

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