Also on reality TV
• Cactus, anyone? Peters Township grad Caitlin Jones fretted a bit that growing up in Pittsburgh meant cactus wasn’t ever on the menu, but she made a passable accompaniment for a pork chop, securing her place on the “MasterChef” balcony (Fox, Tuesdays).
• The pressure was enough to make anyone break out in hives.
“Face Off” (Syfy, Tuesdays) challenged each design shop with creating three aliens based on hive insects.
It wasn’t a great week for the locals: Phil Harrah, a grad of Tom Savini’s Special Makeup Effects Program in Monessen, wound up on the bottom three. “We think you’re a talented guy, but this one got away from you this week,” said judge Glenn Hetrick. Still, Mr. Harrah advanced.
Also chewed out was Savini alumna Suzanne Bostwick. First, her shopmates questioned her technique (“This is my process,” she said, determined not to be rushed), and then she had to defend an insect hatchling she’d designed. Like Mr. Harrah, she survived to sculpt another week.
• Nineteen seasons into CBS’s “Big Brother,” the show is going biblical.
“Summer of Temptation” is this year’s theme, and whoever designs that BB House really ran with it. LED-lit apples on a sculpture of Adam and Eve’s tree. A head of household bedroom suite that mimics a certain politician/businessman’s palatial residence in New York City.
There is even a “Den of Temptation,” where houseguests can send one of their own, where he or she will have the chance to bargain for money, safety, comfort, etc. Yet these choices come with a price. The “Den” features begin July 2.
A two-hour “Big Brother” premieres at 8 p.m. Wednesday with another episode the following night. Eventually, it settles into a Sunday/Wednesday/Thursday schedule to follow that chase for $500,000.
Among the contestants is Christmas Abbott, 35, who is described as a “fitness superstar” and has written a number of books about exercise; Jason Dent, 37, a rodeo clown; andCameron Heard, 24, a microbiologist.
In addition to the broadcast episodes, the CBS All Access subscription promises 24/7 footage from the Big Brother house.
• Ballet superstar Misty Copeland will be a guest judge July 18 and 25 on NBC’s “World of Dance” (Tuesdays). Ms. Copeland will be on hand for round three of the dance competition, where the winner gets $1 million.
The regular panel includes Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough and NE-YO, with Jenna Dewan Tatum serving as mentor and host. “World of Dance” is averaging 8.7 million viewers and is most watched among the 18-49 demo behind only “America’s Got Talent.”