Food Network has long prided itself on showcasing some of the world’s greatest chefs, and that doesn’t really change with its newest series, Worst Cooks in America, however the great chefs showcased have to deal with some of the country’s worst. In the pilot episode, lovingly titled “Into the Fire” the chefs bring in 24 of the worst of the worst and have them prepare a signature dish, and you get what you would expect.

Several of the contestants can’t even cook, throwing together several cans of soup, warmed over the stove top and presenting it as something edible. From there Chef’s Anne Burrell and Beau MacMillan throw in a twist, they’re picking the six finalists for each other, and they’re picking the very worst in an attempt to sabotage the other. The “winner”, besides being able to actually create food not considered toxic waste in 27 states, will attempt to fool a panel of food critics into believing Anne and Beau cooked a meal for them.

The series hook is that these cooks know they are pathetic and each are looking to better themselves by participating in the contest, a big difference from series like Hell’s Kitchen where the Chef’s are usually filled with illusions of grandeur and listening to them is like reading a textbook out loud describing how to be a complete failure on reality TV.

Most importantly though, the show is fun to watch because they have about as much skill as the rest of the general population, who will cut asparagus wrong, garnish the hell out of a dish, and take two hours to make a 30 minute meal. Worst Cooks in America‘s six episode run should give hope for mankind that even if you screw up mac & cheese now, it may not always be that way.

There’s always something alluring about the fish-out-of-water turmoil that can result from plopping people into an alien land with different customs and a different culture. Such is the Mark Burnett-produced Expedition Africa on HISTORY, a Survivor-lite of sorts using the reality angle of the Emmy winning CBS show, but also throwing in a certain Man vs. Wild element to the whole thing with four adventurers attempting to recreate the journey of Dr. David Livingston and the journalist, Henry Morton Stanley, who sought him out.

War Journalist Kevin Sites, navigator Pasquale Scatturo, survivalist Benedict Allen, and wildlife expert Mireya Mayor are the brave ones to take on this reenactment of man vs. nature in the African bush. Well also throw in a film crew, dozens of native porters, and two Maasai warriors hired to protect the expedition as it traverses the planned 970 plus miles. While trying to recreate the journey taken by Stanley the show manages to represent this well, however facts like funding and compensation, and the existence of a film crew kind of mar the authenticity of the whole thing. Funds seem to be unlimited, and while the crew is never seen, are we to believe that if someone was seriously injured that the production crew wouldn’t have a satellite phone ready to go? It’s a fun trip, but the perceived threat of danger seems to be mainly manufactured by clever editing than anything really dangerous.

It would only be fair that the collection of characters would be ripped straight from every reality show known to man. There’s the crazy, all-knowing, old man who could go from sweet to cut-throat in a matter of seconds, the “true” leader of the group who uses public opinion to get what he wants, the collected handsome guy who’s going to last until the end, and the generic girl character, with tank tops and the ability to identify snakes and not run the other way.

Each act break presents another artificial cliffhanger for you to ponder for a few minutes. In the pilot Sites becomes separate from the rest of the group, however he has a trained warrior and a porter with him, as well as a loud whistle and is found within minutes of being lost. Akin to most reality shows, a confessional cam is used to get the four main adventurers reactions to events, such as the group leaving camp without water, deciding where to make camp, and a general disregard for basic logic.

Taking Expedition Africa at face value, its four trained explorers making a nearly 1000 mile journey through some of the most treacherous terrain on earth in some of the most inhospitable conditions imaginable, but it feels manufactured in ways to create an entertaining experience. For people who are almost in a life or death struggle with the elements, should there really be so much bickering and in-fighting, that doesn’t seem to let up throughout the eight-part series?

It seems Martin Lawrence has finally realized where the money is in Hollywood: producing. Anytime are Lawrence is involved in a project, it’s hit or miss as to whether or not it’ll be a winner. In this case, Martin Lawrence’s First Amendment Stand Up has a lot of the same qualities as a Premium Blend, or Friday Night Standup, but it’s refreshing to see him take such risks on putting so many relatively green comics on such a show.

In the premiere episode of the show’s second season, Doug Williams, host of the show, has the obligatory job of warming the crowd up with a short bit, and unlike the usually underwhelming dusted off material of once greats like Tommy Davidson or Damon Wayans when they have MC duties, Doug hits some great notes with a bit about how relationships are like a football game, with you as starting QB, your girl as head coach, and a guy sittin’ on the bench ready to get into the game. Funny stuff, and he seems to get the ball rolling.

The first comic up is Don “D.C.” Curry; an older comic who’s been a staple in black comedy circles and mainstream clubs for decades. He shows a real understanding of the crowd he’s playing to (which in this case is a 98% black Washington D.C. audience, fitting with his D.C. nickname). He’s able to get some weird mix of topical humor, including pop culture references like when Alec Baldwin cussed out his kid a year or so ago, and put it in the normal “here’s how white people act, and here’s how black folk would handle it” motif.

The second of the two comics showcased for this episode is Rickey Smiley, someone who seems like a relative newcomer, but doesn’t cater to the lowest common denominator that a lot of the younger generation of black comics seem to. His delivery is stories, but interesting in that they are tragedy laden and he delivers them with a relatively serious delivery, admonishing the crowd jokingly for some of their reactions to stories that shouldn’t be funny, but are. It’s an interesting, unique and fresh twist on story telling comedy, and works pretty successfully.

The show itself isn’t going to be groundbreaking. As an outlet for black comics, it’s good that Martin Lawrence is taking risks with putting some relatively unseen talent outside of the black community on a big stage, and he has made some pretty intelligent choices for the show. For one, he’s at each of these episodes in the balcony, so he’s able to really show support for what this program is about. He also only has a few comics in each episode, so unlike other mainstream comedy “specials” on Comedy Central and the like, these comics are able to actually show you more than a two minute snippet of their material.

As a white guy who has watched standup my whole life, I’m able to watch niche comics like black or Hispanic comics, older, younger, etc., and be able to appreciate the whole spectrum of material. If they want a largely black audience, I think that’s what they’re going to get and they should be happy that they’ve nailed the demo. However, if they’re wanting to encourage a large demographic for the show, they have to either have some more diverse comics on the program, or at least encourage material that’s going to translate to wide audiences.

The History Channel has sure branched out in the last couple of years making a name for itself in original programming series apart from the usual specials. After the success of last year’s real life series, Ice Road Truckers, the channel now offers up another treacherous location and job occupation, the job of an Ax Man, or as they hate to be called, lumberjacks.

The series, Ax Men, a playful title on the Marvel mutant series, focuses, at least initially, on four separate crews in the Pacific Northwest each aiming to meet quotas and stay in business for another year. The premise is eerily similar to the aforementioned Truckers in which it’s a race against time and weather to make money and survive in a harsh climate. It’s not to say the series isn’t original, but it fits in nearly the exact same mold, only with trees replacing trucks.

The life on an ax man isn’t a pleasant one as they constantly fight with the elements, and the fear that today could be their last. As one of the crew relays, a normal person would think this was the stupidest job in the world, and after watching the pilot, you almost have to agree with them. In the course of 42 minutes a helicopter carrying a cable gets stuck to a tree, a modified tank, now a logging instrument, gets stuck in a ditch, trees go tumbling down a mountain, cables break, and lots of surly old men call each other unpleasant names.

The program is an interesting experience, the focusing on four different crews in different locations; each with a unique way of approaching the job broadens the program and helps it from becoming a one trick pony about guys chopping down trees day after day.

The editing of the program leaves a little to be desired as “drama” on the teams is highlighted in a bit of an over the top fashion, including minor injuries and a tank getting stuck in a ditch, but this is an entertainment program, after all, and there has to be something to offer conflict when the namesake element of your series is a Douglass Fur. A rather annoying bit is when the program switches between crews it makes it a point to always say how many miles away from the last crew, and does an overblown, and overly dramatic zoom in of the crew with its name splashed on the bottom of the screen rather than just a standard scene transition and a line of narration that simply states what we are looking at. Hopefully the producers of the series realize this and cut back the technique in future episodes.

Ice Road Truckers was a huge success and there’s nothing to say that Ax Men, premiering March 9 at 10/9C, isn’t destined to follow in the footsteps. There’s a larger amount of “characters” to follow here so the more intimate time with the truckers may be lost on the loggers, but it isn’t a huge loss considering the centerpiece of the show is the life and limb danger and rugged manliness of the great outdoors (even the press kit was pine scented). Ax Men isn’t a huge leap forward, but it once again focuses in an untold industry that has been largely unaffected by huge technological leaps in recent years and still does business the old-fashioned hard way, which does make for some interesting TV viewing.

CMT’s newest reality series, Gone Country, has an interesting premise: take a group of singers and performers who wouldn’t otherwise be considered a country artist, throw them in a house together, and have them compete for a nearly guaranteed country-radio hit. To spice things up, these hapless humans will learn what it is to be country; from shoveling manure to riding ATVs, the unlikely hodge-podge of 80’s burnouts and D-list reality staples certainly tries its best to entertain.

The problem is, as with most reality shows, the manufactured situations and conflicts seem so transparent now after a show like this has been done so many times. With successful shows like Big Brother and The Surreal Life, both on corporate cousins of MTV Networks-owned CMT, it just becomes harder and harder to look at shows like this without wondering if it really is reality.

The show is hosted by John Rich, from the group Big & Rich, who tries to keep this motley crew focused on the contest at hand, the prize being the chance to be the next country superstar. As the pilot episode opens, a tour bus gathers up the contestants in different parts of Nashville and we’re treated to the reactions of each as new members are gobbled up. Contestants include Julio Iglesias Jr., Carnie Wilson (the big girl from Wilson Phillips), Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider (who seems to be in every reality show on TV now), American Idol runner-up Diana DeGarmo, Marcia Brady herself Maureen McCormick (who appears to be on her last bit of sanity), “Thong Song” writer/performer Sisqo, and the original bad boy himself, Bobby Brown.

It’s definitely a different, and eclectic, mix of characters who seems to meld well together, even when the producers attempt to show that there’s some conflict between them. Watching the train wreck of emotions that is McCormick is nearly unbearable at times as she begins to cry and whine about nearly everything (she acts more like Jan than Marcia, Marcia, Marcia). Snider comes off as his usual hard-assed self, but after seeing this character on everything from I Love the 80’s and beyond, I think the world is over its fascination with the cross-dressing front man. Brown, who you would think would come out swinging knowing his past, plays it relatively cool, almost to the point of disappointment. You’re just hoping Whitney pops up so he has someone to go to town on and liven things up a little bit.

The pilot episode does a good job of setting up how the contest will work and introducing us to the players. I just wish producers wouldn’t try so hard, even during the “Coming Up” commercial bumpers, to force conflict in the off chance you might turn away to another channel for a few minutes. A competition like this doesn’t need the added emotional baggage some of the characters seem poised to bring to the small screen, and after nearly two decades of Real World, it’s really time for us to give up our voyeuristic tendencies and focus on what really is at stake, winning the contest.

The Two Coreys on A&E is a hodge-podge of similar reality shows that aims to break the mold by starring two of the 1980’s heartthrobs who, about twenty years ago, would have been plastered all over young girls rooms in poster form. Now Corey Feldman and Corey Haim are back with Haim living with Feldman and his Stuff-featured wife, Susie.

The episode made available for review focuses on the landmark vampire flick The Lost Boys with Feldman and Haim promoting a special 20^th anniversary screening and Q&A session, something Haim takes with the utmost importance because of his desire to write and star in the sequel to the film. Throughout the episode all the promotion comes a head with Feldman telling Haim that Warner Bros. is producing a direct-to-DVD sequel, without them. Haim, devastated, leaves for what appears to be a 12 hour walk only to return with a four-year-late wedding gift for the Feldmans. If you’re wondering, “What the hell?”, join the club.

The Two Coreys is a miss matching of sitcoms like The Odd Couple (Feldman is married, and a neat freak; Haim is single and a slob), The Real World, I Love the 80’s, and theatrical You, Me, and Dupree with Feldman’s wife thrown into the mix. In the end, each part is insignificant to the whole and the show just feels forced, mainly focusing on the antics of Haim and Feldman’s reactions to them.

Even the interstitial interviews only seem to feature Haim, who seemingly worked out some sort of deal to get his face out there after years of drug trouble and virtually disappearing from Hollywood.

The only highlight of the episode is the third act featuring the staff from Stuff magazine shooting Feldman’s wife, Susie, which should get you by until the issue hits newsstands in August.

The Two Coreys isn’t necessarily a bad program, but it’s a tired idea that’s been done to death from every network from ABC to TLC to G4, its just so unoriginal its almost a crime that shows like this can suck viewers away from much worthier scripted programming. Fans of the Coreys may watch for the nostalgia value, but casual fans will likely steer clear.

Occupational reality series appear to be a dime a dozen these days, with the recently launched Ice Road Truckers, veteran Deadliest Catch, and now newcomers like Confessions of a Matchmaker, A&E’s new series which follows the workings of “America’s Toughest Matchmaker,” Patti Novak, as she turns the city of lonely hearts aka Buffalo, NY around.

The episodes provided for review featured a 50-year-old bar-hoping party mom, a thirty-something poet (and not a very good one) and a middle aged woman with a full page list of criteria any guy must meet. The latter produces some of worst cringe moments in recent TV history as her 1981 hairstyle and sexual jokes make you sick to your stomach.

Still, this is good entertainment in the reality field as the normal are predictably boring and the more outlandish the client is and the worse they act with the cameras rolling the better your ratings.

Novak is described as the Simon Cowell of the dating world, and that can be seen in most episodes of the show. She tells it like it is, instructing customers how to act, and what to say on their dates to mixed results.

The series plays out like a non-syndicated version of Blind Date with a judging panel rating how well you did on your date, all that was missing was sly little graphics and pop up tips to complete the emulation package. Its an entertaining show, just not a completely original premise, and it remains to be seen how many people will jump in to something that will most likely be less risqué than its syndicated cousin.

American society has been fascinated with martial arts for as long as there has been an influence in our culture of the predominantly Asian fighting style, maybe it’s the ability to kill or severely injure another man with just your bare hands and feet, or the fact that the human body’s ability to move so fast and anticipate so much intrigues the imagination. Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Jason Statham all resonate with moviegoers because of the explosive moves and training.

The History Channel delves deep into this with Human Weapon, a new series focusing on the many different schools and techniques of martial arts and the ability to turn a man into a human weapon, with the ability to inflict serious damage and even death on your opponents.

The show’s structure takes its two hosts, Jason Chambers, and accomplished Total Fighting Challenge fighter and Bill Duff, former football player and accomplished martial artist, to the major locals of each of the traditional fighting styles and pairs them up with masters of each craft, teaching them the basics and pitting them against the trainers champion in an end battle. It plays out similarly to several other reality/edu-tainment series, only the first two acts of the episode are focused on training and history of the style rather than personal lives or how much the host’s girlfriends are complicating their lives.

The use of the traditional interstitial graphics and maps brings another dimension to the series allowing the audience to see a 3D representation of the fighters hammering it out, and providing explanations on why certain techniques work so well based on physics.

The premiere episode travels to Bangkok and teaches the “science of eight limbs” Muay Thai with future episodes focusing on Eskrima, Judo, Karate, Savate, Pankration, and Krav Maga.

For any student or fan of the martial arts, Human Weapon is a great look into the aforementioned disciplines, albeit brief, there’s a lot to be learned about the development and evolution of hand to hand combat through the ages.