NASCAR Wives “Docusoap”
The cable network TLC has ordered a docusoap series titled “NASCAR Wives,” starring women related to some of NASCAR’s biggest stars.
The new “reality show” mixes racing with the “wives genre” peppering cable primetime, from Lifetime’s drama “Army Wives” to Bravo’s reality show “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”
TLC will air an hour of the series as a stand-alone special January 24 with a lead-in from the network’s most-watched annual event, the Miss America pageant. A full season, including an undisclosed number of episodes, will follow in the spring.
The short list of relatives featured include Delana Harvick, Shana Mayfield (wife of Jeremy), Kelley Earnhardt and Angie Skinner (wife of Mike).
MY TWO BITS: My first question is, what the hell is a “docusoap?” What marketing genius thought that one up?
Additionally, I’m guessing the brain trust behind this have it ass-backwards. Given NASCAR’s popularity this new show should be the lead-in to the Miss America broadcast not the reverse.
Claiming the pageant is the “most-watched annual event” on TLC is a bit misleading (not that I dispute the fact) when balanced against the reality. A recent as March 2007 the pageant was dropped from the Country Music Television line-up, leaving the then 86-year-old competition without a TV outlet for the second time in three years.
“Most-watched annual event” sounds like PR spin to me, not to mention what one could easily call faint praise.
But hey, as long as Delana Harvick is already scheduled to be part of the show I have a suggestion that might spice things up as bit.
Schedule a cage match between Delana and Mike Bliss crew member Craig Curione.
The referee could be NASCAR official John Sacco who wouldn’t exactly be impartial given the “first round” match between the three at TMS in 2006.
No one ever said cage matches had to be fair, or real.
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Hey, TLC has plenty of room for NASCAR DocuSoap between home improvement competitions, life in the tattoo artist fast lane, growing up with midgets and marrying off the world’s heaviest man. I look forward to seeing the full soak of “NASCAR Wives,” and whether it satisfies the secret sacred longings of 40 percent of the NASCAR fan base. Something of the romancing-a-millionaire-race-car-driver fantasy reminds me of when I was playing in bands and the girlfriends started insinuating themselves, romancing us away from the shriek of warehouse practices and the bare-flesh mosh pits of topless clubs. Maybe it’s just appropriation of one fantasy for another, but one can always hope for catfights.
“OS,” they may have a butt load of room on their schedule, but I could care less.
You can keep all the Rachel Ray/“I was a teenaged load of fat sweat, now I’m a super model” crap to themselves.