Rebel Wilson gets ‘Pooch Perfect’ on ABC
A dog-day after-groom: ABC is launching a new unscripted series this spring and it’s a real dog-and-Rebel show! Australia’s Seven Network series “Pooch Perfect” is coming to ABC on Tuesday, March 30, and it’s been getting some barking good reception along the way.
Hosted by Australian actor and comedian Rebel Wilson (and perhaps offering a titular nod to her 2012 film “Pitch Perfect”), “Pooch Perfect” offers fans of dogs, fashion and reality TV the chance to live out all of their dreams at once. The original version having first aired in Australia last year, BBC adapted the grooming competition for British audiences (and brought on “Gavin & Stacey’s” Sheridan Smith to host) in January of this year. Now, with eight episodes in its first season, the pooches are making their way to North America for a whole new installment of tail-wagging fun.
Joined by a judges panel comprised of celebrity dog groomer Jorge Bendersky, veterinarian and Purina spokeswoman Dr. Callie Harris and first lady of luxury reality TV Lisa Vanderpump (“The Vanderpump Rules”), Wilson offers contestants the chance to show off their grooming skills as they compete in a series of challenges for the coveted trophy and a cash prize. Split into teams, each episode will pit groups against each other in two challenges (called “Immunity Puppertunity” and the “Ultimutt Challenge”) followed by an elimination round. In traditional competition show fashion, the last team standing is the winner.
Hardly able to contain her excitement for the show, Wilson took to Instagram to announce her involvement mid-January, saying, “This is a competitive dog-grooming reality show like nothing else. … It’s gonna be paw-some. I can’t wait to get on set and film, and I can’t wait for you guys to see this amazing and super cute show.”
Wiping out the competition: Get ready, get set, WIPEOUT! The “world’s biggest obstacle course” is back and better than ever when new episodes of the popular series “Wipeout” premiere Thursday, April 1, on TBS.
First launched and made popular by ABC in 2008, the unscripted obstacle course competition show that lasted seven seasons on the alphabet network is getting the TBS treatment this year. With superstar hosts John Cena (“Daddy’s Home,” 2015), Nicole Byer (“Nailed It!”) and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Camille Kostek at the helm, this TBS reimagining of the new classic “takes viewers on a whiteknuckle ride, featuring new course elements that will push contestants’ athleticism, endurance and determination to even greater extremes as they fight to win the grand cash prize” (per the network). And, of course, we can’t forget to mention “the iconic staple of the show — the big balls!”
Watch as Cena and Byer react to the hilarious hits, bounces, crashes and fails from inside the studio while field reporter Kostek gets up close and personal to the contestants and the action. In a statement to the media, TBS’s executive vice president of unscripted fare, Corie Henson, commented, “John and Nicole are the best pairing of 2021, and together with Camille, they bring the perfect balance of wit and cheerleading.” She continued, “We’ve created an edgier version of the original that fuses extreme athleticism with laugh-out-loud moments that fans of the show will be talking about long after the episode airs.”
Keith Geller and Matt Kunitz, the creators of the original ABC series, serve as executive producers this time around, so fans of the original can rest easy knowing that the revival will hold true to the fun and adventure of the first iteration.
Read the signs: Human psychology is often a very mysterious thing. From the decisions we make to the traits we exhibit at birth and those we develop through our experience and interactions with others, we all have overarching similarities and differences as human beings. One of the most concerning human conditions ever sought to be understood is psychopathy. Luckily, discovery+ is set to give some answers in this area when “Signs of a Psychopath” returns for Season 2 on the streamer Sunday, March 28.
After its eight-episode first season aired last year, following the personality traits of eight different psychopaths across their various horrific crimes, Discovery Inc. renewed the series for a second season. Back to pull more stories from the true crime archives, “Signs of a Psychopath” explores the traits held by each criminal discussed and assesses their crimes based on their levels of narcissism, charm, lack of empathy, impulsiveness, manipulation and deception. By dissecting these cases and drawing out the signs that flew unnoticed until the crime was committed, this docuseries begs the question: Would you recognize the signs of a psychopath before it was too late?
Produced by Red Marble Media and distributed worldwide by Investigation Discovery, the unspecified number of upcoming half-hour episodes will focus their psychological attention on brand new cases from modern history.