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Recap: ‘Your OWN Show’ week 4, Jan. 28

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Dale Roe writes about television for the Austin American-Statesman.

He's worked at the American-Statesman for 10 years and has written family movie and video game reviews as well as watched lots of TV. Dale directs, writes and performs with Austin's Gag Reflex comedy ensemble, is a freelance illustrator and has contributed stories and reviews to Macworld magazine. He lives in Round Rock with his wife, two children and a dog named Apollo who barks whenever he hears another dog bark on television.

Dale Roe writes about television for the Austin American-Statesman.

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The entry titled "Recap: 'Your OWN Show' week 4, Jan. 28."

By Dale Roe | Monday, January 31, 2011, 08:46 AM

Zach Anner’s team went down in flames on “Your OWN Show” Friday, but the Austinite is safe. Sent packing following last week’s cooking segment competition was Dr. Tony Roach (pictured), who left of his own volition (and, he reminded us, with his dignity intact) when it became clear that he was going to fall in favor of the increasingly unlikeable Ryan.

Team Focus’ idea was to have Ryan host the segment along with Tony, who would admit his lack of culinary skills and ask for help preparing a romantic meal for his wife. But Tony — who had yet to appear on-camera in a challenge segment — was uncomfortable with the idea and kind of sabotaged it with his negativity. It didn’t help that Ryan, overcompensating for Tony’s reticence, would not shut up during the segment, frequently talking over and interrupting celebrity mentor Chef Curtis Stone.

The episode was rife with largely manufactured strife, but little humor. The only memorable line of the night cam courtesy of Zach when his team first met Stone, who asked them if any of them cooked. “I don’t cook,” Zach said. “I set things on fire.”

In retrospect, it was smart for Zach to volunteer to be his team’s executive producer this week. Unlike, say, “The Apprentice,” the team leader has yet to be held responsible for failure on this show. Hosts Nancy O’Dell, Carson Kressley and the week’s celebrity mentor always put the blame on the on-air talent.

And as the show goes on, it becomes more and more difficult to invest too much in the competitions themselves, since the whole structure is flawed: in the end, it comes down to who can conduct the best one-on-one interview with the celebrity guest. While a team win in the competition can (temporarily) protect a week contestant, this contestant is going to come down to who can conduct the best interview.

Next week the teams are tasked to create a commercial for sponsor Kohl’s with celebrity guest Daisy Fuentes. This is the lowest the show has gone in the corporate shilling. I can understand cooking, makeover and comedy segments, but when’s the last time Dr. Oz, David Letterman or Oprah had to create a commercial?

Do you think Tony was right to bail when he did? It doesn’t really seem as if creating a commercial would be in his wheelhouse. Sound off in the comments below.

“Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star”
Fridays, 8 p.m. CT, OWN

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