With the recession in full swing everyone is finding themselves with their thinking caps on and scrounging for ways to make a few extra bucks. Contrary to what most would think, NFL athletes are not immune to this and are leading the way towards multi-tasking careers as they take on a multitude of side projects. The other night I witnessed NFL baller Keyshawn Johnson's new show "Keyshawn Johnson: Tackling Design" on the A&E network. My jaw dropped and I was in a permanent state of shock as I watched Keyshawn try his hand at redecorating the bedroom of an autistic youth. HGTV is one of my favorite networks (blame my mother's niche for real estate, interior decorating, etc...) so I take my design shows very seriously. Though Keyshawn's show is featured on A&E, I still watched the first episode with the bar set high. After sitting thru 30 treacherous minutes I came to the conclusion that he should stick with football and leave interior design to the professionals. I respect him wanting to branch out but getting a tv show? I'll have to pass. Not only does Keyshawn's design sense scream amateur, but the team he assembled seems to be full of HGTV castoffs. Verdict: Keyshawn will NOT be tackling any design for me.
Terrell Owens has gotten a bad wrap for his attitude on the field, but in his new VH1 reality show, The T.O. Show, he hopes to reveal to fans a different side - - Terrell the person, not T.O. the athlete. In the first episode we watched as Terrell found himself fired from the Cowboys and without a job. His PR team, friends Kita Williams (the hater) and Monique Jackson, quickly came to the rescue and convinced Terrell to temporarily relocate to Los Angeles and work on himself as a person. When Terrell wasn't using his swag to flirt with the real estate agent that rented him his LA home (she later ended up in his hot tub) he was attempting to reconnect with his ex-fiancee. The 2nd episode airs on VH1 tonight and will show Terrell making his way to Buffalo to meet his new employers. The show is off to a good start and I'm not ready to write it off just yet. VH1 seems to be handing out reality shows as of late but this is a step up from the typical "I love" dating shows flooding their network.
On a sidenote, I still insist that the best NFL/Reality Show crossover star has been Dhani Jones (Dhani Tackles The Globe). Besides being the epitome of "thick neck perfection", he has the broad appeal to pull in female and male viewers alike. I know many of my male friends loved watching his travel show and felt like he was able to speak to the "regular guy" (as opposed to travel shows with flamboyant hosts, usually chefs, like Extreme Foods with Andrew Zimmer or Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations)