My Top 10 Fears (Phobias)

This list is in no particular order and was NOT stolen from another individual. Copyright Infringement will not be tolerated and all property goes to Steven Chung....AH SCREW IT! I don't care...do what you want. :) 

- Blog #29: If anything out there that scares us most, it is the very fear of fear that impacts everyone. I don't think it's mentally possible for anyone in the world to not experience some sort of circumstance that makes the bones shudder. Fear is real. Fear exists. It's how we come to tolerate or be rid of the fear that makes us all the more powerful. To be honest, I never even thought of actually doing this blog. The idea seemed so simple, but I guess that's not a bad thing. So, here they are. Here are the things that are most frightening, by viewer choice and by my own personal choice. This might get confusing, so be ready. 

1. Speaking in Public - This is one of the biggest fears out there. This goes for any kind of public speaking. Political speeches, class oral reports, comedy routines, toasts, and even just literally talking around the outside world. What's worse than saying the wrong thing? Saying the wrong thing and then getting that feeling in your stomach where you know you just said something that either offended somebody or was just plain wrong. At one point or another, everyone has to face this fear eventually. Think about it. If you're afraid of public speaking, then how can you manage getting a job through a job interview? How can you possibly have the guts to speak to anyone? You can't simulate this feeling of stress. You can only experience it. That's something that frightens us. How will your body react to the pressure? The only way to heal this fear is with practice by actually attempting to speak in public. However, even if you good at speaking in front of a large crowd, the chance of you saying something wrong or getting nervous is still very likely. It's almost unavoidable.

2. Flying - Not driving, not sailing, not biking, not walking, not even riding a train. Flying. Sure, it's convenient to fly and without it we'd be at a loss for transportation. But just think about this one, carefully. Like public speaking, flying to another state, country, or continent is also nearly unavoidable. However, it is not as much so. There's just this fear and anxiety of being up so high in the sky that you receive this moment of paranoia. Who could blame you? Ever since 9/11 and various other aerial-involved incidents that happen every once in a while, the fear of flying can only go so far as to increase dramatically. Really, the fear of flying is a combination of many other fears. The fear of crashing (which is most likely the case), the fear of heights, fear of enclosed spaces, and the list goes on. Flying is the coup de grâce of it all, though. This is mainly due to the fact that, if anything dangerous were to happen on a plane, you're all sitting-ducks and there's nothing that can be done. I don't need statistics to show me that the chances of you dying in a plane crash are more inevitable than in any other vehicle. Plus, with all the psychos that exist in the world, there's no telling what could happen on a plane.

3. Failure - My nightmare. My one goal in life is be successful. It doesn't matter what I do or how I do it, but I want to die as a successful man. There are no real dreams in my mind. No thoughts of travel, no history making ordeal (although that would be nice), but just a simple, happy, and successful lifestyle. Even real successful people can have this fear everyday. Now, most of this fears on this list could be linked to other fears that exist. It's like the food pyramid. Hidden within each category is a large number of food choices that can be put together in combination with different food choices from another category, if that makes sense. For failure, you could also have a fear of change or a possible fear of rejection. That's life, though. You have to learn from failure and even the most perfect of people have to face failure head on. Taking action is the only way to be rid of this fear. Which brings me to...

 4. Commitment - The fear of just taking action, itself. There's not much to say here. Sometimes it's very hard to make the right choices and learn to take the proper approaches. This might be because taking the risk can just be too much to bear for some. If you're afraid of failure, then you are undoubtedly scared to make a commitment. I can attest the difficulty of it, but it's something that we have to do in order to topple even the toughest of decisions the universe has to throw at us. Fate has something in store for all of us and I do believe that some supernatural force exists and shows us the way to go. So, the best advice? Go with what your head and heart tells you. If you do that, then you'll at least FEEL like you're going on the right path.               

5. Triskaidekaphobia - Because everyone is afraid of the number 13, ......right? -_-

6. The Dark - It's understandably frightening to be afraid of something that you can't see. This is a fear that tops the chart of phobias, but for one surprisingly dumb reason. Imagination that gets the best of us. The minute we think of the dark, we don't become feared of it. We fear what lurks inside of it. There is barely any horror movie that exists without the usage of darkness. Using what you learned from your high school English class, darkness seems to represent some sort of symbolism for evil. A murky or eerie mood of a story often uses darkness as a reoccurring motif. Aside from the school-grounds, a dark area is considered to be a place where an individual is most vulnerable. Once again, I'm referring back to the crazed psychopaths that coexist with us. You're walking alone, in the nighttime, and you've gone no real line of defense with you. Say you come across a dark alleyway, by accident. You're trapped. You get that chill in your spine, thinking that somebody could be right behind you or suddenly appear right in front of you, and you have no real place to run. So, it's not just a fear of the dark. The fear is a combination of other fears, even the fear of other people.

7.  Those...animals...that may or may not exist... - You may not necessarily be afraid of these things, seeing how there are a large variety of them and one could be more terrifying than the other. They could be real or they could be fake. But they are just the type of animal that make you just...cringe. I had a hard time putting this picture up...ewwwww...but it perfectly depicts my point.

8. Clowns - I understand people try to be artsy and all that junk, but why ruin something that seemed so natural to others? Yeah...it's very understandable to be afraid of clowns, after looking at pictures like these.

 
 






 

9. Getting caught in a lie or a despicable act... - We all have to lie, eventually. But when the truth comes back to haunt us, the amount of fear, sadness, and guilt is just unquenchable. You know that saying, "Everyone makes mistakes", and how it applies to everyone. Well...some people make very bad mistakes. What's worse than having your reputation (if you even had one to begin with) ruined by beginning a personal crime record for yourself? Hmm...I can think of only one other thing...

 
10. Death - I have numerous fears on this list that are nearly, almost, very likely, 99.9% possible to occur in an average lifespan. However, one thing and one thing only can make a fear 100% inevitable. That one thing is death. It's truth. As very morbid and as very bluntly as one can say, the statement "everybody is going to die, eventually" is absolutely factual. It's an unstoppable fear. No one knows what happens to you when you die. Religion can give you the idea that there is an afterlife and you will be reunited with your loved ones that passed before you. Others say that when you die...you die in scientific terms. You just won't exist anymore. What scares us is the fact that we can't avoid fate. Death could be just around the corner. Somebody could kill you, some supernatural event can catch you at the wrong moment, or your time could just be plum up! Now, there's another fear that would have been on this list and came close to being so. And that would have been "The Fear of Losing Your Family", but the reason I didn't include that is simple. Some may not be that close to their family. Hatred is another thing that is very real and there is that likely scenario where family is possibly overlooked. At the same time, death is something that shouldn't be feared at all. If we know it's coming, then we shouldn't be scared of it, right? Or should we? Maybe it's the confusion of what happens after you die that fears us the most. Do you go to heaven or hell? Is there an afterlife? Do you just...die? I don't know...but just thinking about not being coexistent with the world is something that really turns a person off. It's sad. It can definitely be a tearjerker.

- Done.          

My Top 10 Best YouTube Videos Ever

This list is in no particular order and was NOT stolen from another individual. Copyright Infringement will not be tolerated and all property goes to Steven Chung....AH SCREW IT! I don't care...do what you want. :) 

- Blog #28: I love YouTube. Who wouldn't love YouTube? This list composites some of the best things I've ever seen on YouTube. Keep in mind, though. What's featured on here are videos that have not been copyrighted, stolen by somebody else, or anything pertaining to lawsuits. You're not going to be seeing music videos from pop artists, or footage from a popular movie, no trailers, nothing that could be seen on TV, and (since they exist on YouTube, as well...) no...pornography flicks. These videos had to be made from just your "Average Joe" and turned into something epic, funny, or just plain awesome. Since there's millions of videos out there, don't be a b!tch and complain that a certain video isn't on here. I reiterate often in my blogs that these are MY set-lists. Not yours. There won't be any explanations in the entries from me, this time. Let the videos do all the talking!

1. The "Ryan vs Dorkman" Lightsaber Fights 

 

2. The "Bowser's Kingdom" Series (The Life of a Goomba and a Koopa)

 

3. "CHARLIEEEEEEEEEEE!"

4. Smosh: Pokémon in Real Life!

5. Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN)

                           


6. "Rocky Road Ripple" (You have to watch 'til the end! His channel is great!)

                          

7. The ShamWOOHOO! 

                          

8. Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise

                          

9. "Ooooo...look! Something awesome! Ohhhhh wait..." (Gotta love these...)

                          

                          

10. C'mon...we all love puppies.

- Done.

My Top 10 Best and Worst Mario Games (Part 2)

This list is in no particular order and was NOT stolen from another individual. Copyright Infringement will not be tolerated and all property goes to Steven Chung....AH SCREW IT! I don't care...do what you want. :) 

- Blog #27: Alright. Here it is. Even the greatest of the great can produce the worst of the worst. Mario is perhaps the most well known video game character, with the exception of icons like Pac-Man who established video-gaming as we knew it. But, never mind that. Here's some of the Homer Simpson moments of Super Mario! "Wa-Hoo!"

Worst Mario Games


1. Wrecking Crew - Wrecking Crew is one of those games that's been long forgotten, and it's probably best that it forever remains that way. After playing this game once, one question was floating in my mind. "Isn't Mario supposed to be a plumber and not a demolition worker?" It was that question, and "Why is Luigi wearing purple?" It was like playing the weaker brother of Donkey Kong, minus the ability to jump. The main basis of Wrecking Crew was like a puzzle game, where you're put in a situation to figure out how to tear down walls and everything else apart in a certain order. Sure, you had the ability to design your own levels. What's the point? It's a very stale game and a very boring one. The only good thing to come out of this game? The music.

2. Hotel Mario - I never even played this one and it's on the list. Why? Check out anything on YouTube that relates to this horrific excuse of a Super Mario World sequel. Yeah. You heard me right. If you've seen what I'm talking about, then you'll know that SHUTTING DOORS...is NOT a Mario game. Bowser gets angry, he kidnaps the princess (surprise, surprise), builds castles in the form of hotels out of spite, and 30 coins now equal one...life. What!? THAT'S THE SEQUEL!? Plus, for some reason, the Fantasy Factory developers thought it would be a really good idea to add cheesy cut-scenes throughout the game. This wouldn't be a big deal, if the voice actors were done by Charles Martinet and the cast that exist in our generation. This is one game you don't want to "check out."

 

3. Super Mario Bros. 2 - You know what? Fan-boys can take a big one up the...coin box...for this one. There was no excuse for Nintendo to produce a game that was flawed before it was even made. Mario fans should know the story behind the creation of this game. If not, then let's recap. The game Super Mario Bros. 2? You know, the one that you call a classic NES game? Well, it's a lie. You're playing a lie. I played a lie. When I found out the truth behind this game, I was honestly shocked beyond belief. Nintendo "stole" the idea for Super Mario Bros. 2 from another game called Doki Doki Panic. They basically took every idea from the original game and changed very little. The only changes made include the title screen, the character replacements, and other pix-elated rift-raft that only a hardcore gamer would notice. Even with these changes, nothing else was re-vamped. The stages, the enemies, the bosses, and the game play were all the same! Now, stepping away from the trial casing for a moment, there are other issues with this game. WHERE'S WART NOW! Where's the final boss, or any of the bosses for that matter, now? The only boss that has made any impact in the Mario series, from Super Mario Bros. 2, is Birdo. And I'm still confused as to whether Birdo is male or female...eerie. At least Nintendo had the decency to RE-re-make this game into something even better than the original, and that would be Super Mario Advance. The controls and game play were improved, and things were made more enjoyable for the player. So, if you've never played this game, then you're not missing anything. Consider it a blessing.

4. Mario Teaches Typing - I'm sorry, but it's not possible to combine a legend like Super Mario with school education. It just doesn't fit, and it worked out miserably with Mario Teaches Typing. The fact that Mario speaks broken-English, and is even teaching English typing, is one thing. But, the music in this game made you literally want to kill a puppy. It was very repetitive and continuously looped to the point where your ears might have started to bleed. Plus, it's typing. There's not much fun in that. I get sore fingers from typing these blogs, but I actually find doing blogs more entertaining than playing this game. This game lacks any form of fun. Seriously. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing is more fun than this game! I guess the game can (maybe) improve your typing skills, but it's not at all an impressive victory for Nintendo.

         

5. Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix - There are more bad Mario games out there besides the ones that I have posted here, but I can only list games that I've either played or heard about with an extreme degree. Some of those games not included could have actually been worse than this one. Well, here's a game that I have played...and boy was I disappointed. DDR games are supposed to have a very wide selection of songs to chose from, but there are very few here. Plus, the storyline for this game got very boring, very fast. You can still play DDR here, as you normally would with the real thing, but you'll notice that this game is a little easier. I guess the upside here is that a young child could probably enjoy this game, without noticing the negative details that reveal the game for what it really is. Other pluses? Bowser can break-dance like mad! Crazy, dawg! But seriously, not a great game. Music can be pretty catchy! However, it just doesn't make up for how horrible the game play is or how much this game lacks. This game is like a (dare I say)..."Destruction Dance?"

- Done.

My Top 10 Best and Worst Mario Games (Part 1)

This list is in no particular order and was NOT stolen from another individual. Copyright Infringement will not be tolerated and all property goes to Steven Chung....AH SCREW IT! I don't care...do what you want. :) 

- Blog #26: It shouldn't come as a surprise that I would chose to do a list like this. This is not plagiarism. It's just a man's opinion over a franchise that remains lovable to this very day. Mario games have been a pleasure to many game-lovers and it's no wonder. Nintendo produced dozens of games that made them millions of dough. Super Mario is no doubt the leading mascot for Nintendo. Sadly, the Zelda series or the Metroid series don't come even close to the plump plumber. What makes Mario so great? That's obvious. The games! Almost every idea has its flaws, but most Mario games have hit it big. With that, I bring you the best and the worst of Mr. "M-for-a-cap" with another addition of my "Opposites Attract" lists. Let's start off with the boring stuff and get on with what I think are the best Mario games out there. In the words of Mario, "Here we go!"

Best Mario Games

1. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe - The NES's original Super Mario Bros. video game was the best-selling game for two decades, only to be ousted by the creation of the Wii and Wii Sports in 2009. Just for that, I'm not even including the original on this list. The original is too good for this list. So, why's this one on here? It not only had Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and all the levels you know and love. There were extras! And Yoshi (eggs)! It was like playing the classic Mario, with other cool stuff. You could race with Boos, hunt for red coins in each level of the original game, find Yoshi eggs, AND play Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels! There was also a feature in the game where you could print stuff through the "Game Boy Printer", which is something I've never purchased or done. The classic will never be beaten when it comes to the revolution of video-games. But if I had to say which one was more fun to play, it would be the deluxe version.

  

2. Super Mario Galaxy - Speaking of games that revolutionized a series, Super Mario Galaxy gave a whole new outlook from the precedence of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. This game went above and beyond infinity, as physics just don't seem to apply much here. This is one of Mario's greatest plat-formers to ever reach the 20th century. New power-ups were introduced, like the Boo Suit, Bee Suit, or the Spring Suit. Also making an appearance is the Ice-Flower, which is almost equivalent to the effects of the Fire-Flower. When I first saw footage of this game, I thought it would be incredibly challenging to maneuver with the Wii remote. This was not the case. It was very easy and very fun. Other cool characters were introduced to the Mario series as well, like Rosalina and those star-creatures called Lumas. I've never played the sequel to this game (Super Mario Galaxy 2). If the set-up is similar to this game and the use of Yoshi played a pivotal role, then I would've had no doubt that the 2nd galaxy would make a showing on this list. Besides, who doesn't love flying in space?

3. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - RPG games really know how to put strategy and role-playing together into an awesome game. This game may have exemplified the creations of both the Mario and Luigi series, and even the Paper Mario games (the first two games, anyway). I'm still in shock that a sequel has never been made for this game. I wouldn't be surprised if such a thing were to happen in a few years to come. Bring back Geno! Bring back Mallow! Bring back Smithy! Bring back all those weird and goofy-looking characters that probably nobody remembers! The best thing about this game, aside from the others, is that it was unique in game-play. It was the first time that Mario was put into a Final Fantasy-like  perspective, along with his old friends and new enemies. Super Mario RPG needs a comeback. The producers have to realize this by now. 

4. MarioKart DS - One of the most successful creations that Super Mario had to offer was the introduction to Mario combined with racing. Give Mario and his pals some go-karts and you've got yourself a terrific game. Super Mario Kart set the standard for the series, MarioKart 64 further attracted the paying customers with improved graphics, and MarioKart: Double-Dash improved game-play further with having the new-feature of racing with two players in one car. Now, it came down to a choice between MarioKart Wii and MarioKart DS. When you think about it, it actually wasn't as hard a choice to make as one would come to expect. That's because MarioKart DS has something that none of the other MarioKart games have. What is it? C'mon. Don't think too hard about the matter at hand. Literally, it's the ability to play MarioKart anywhere you go! Being that the DS is the only handheld system to have it's own MarioKart counterpart, it's clear that there is no other rightful game. Another great thing about MarioKart DS...you can play with people all over the world! On a handheld! And R.O.B. was a playable character, too! That's cool! 

          

5. Super Mario World - This one is the one that started the legacy of Yoshi. It's also the game that made Bowser's children more noticeable to the public (which led to an ongoing debate as to where the kids came from...hint-hint -_-). This game is fantastic. Dozens of fun levels that leave you with that warm feeling that you're playing a great game. While many argue that the Tanooki suit or the Super Leaf should return to the Mario games, I argue that the Cape Feather should return. With the Cape Feather, you can REALLY call Mario, "Super!" But what's the best part about this game? C'mon. Use your brain. YOSHI! Everyone loves this dinosaur! Not to beat a dead horse, but Yoshi is one of video game's most iconic, breakout superstars. This game is also one of the main reasons why so many Mario TV shows exist....ok, that's not really a prize winning benefactor. 

- So, you've seen and read what I think are the best of the best Mario games. But, what about the ones that...suck. Hard to believe, but there are some really bad Mario games out there. Which ones will I chose? Find out when Part 2 of this "Opposites Attract" list is published. Until then...   

- Done (for now).

My Top 10 Best Kinds of Anti-Jokes

This list is in no particular order and was NOT stolen from another individual. Copyright Infringement will not be tolerated and all property goes to Steven Chung....AH SCREW IT! I don't care...do what you want. :) 

- Blog #25: I was introduced to Anti-Jokes a few days ago and I couldn't help but laugh at the best that stupidity had to offer. Sometimes the best things in life come from the worst things. The question is how we make the best of it. These are examples of making the worst out of it, but making them seem more...tolerable. Anyway, philosophical stuff aside, some of these lines are damn funny. Not all of them are for the faint of heart. If you've never heard of Anti-Jokes, prepare to be amused. These are my favorites.

1. The Bar Jokes:

- A horse walked into a bar and orders a scotch on the rocks. Realizing how strange this occurrence was, the bartender immediately calls the local news station and tells them there is a talking horse in his place of business and it would be in their best interest to come do a story on it, because the likelihood of them finding another story of this magnitude is quite slim.    

- There's an Irishman, a homosexual, and a Jew standing at a bar. What a fine example example of an integrated community. 

- A man walks into a bar. Except it was a metal bar, like a pole. So, he got hurt.  

- A duck walks into a bar. The bartender says, "What'll it be?" The duck doesn't say anything because it's a duck.

- A priest, a minister, and a Rabbi all walk into a bar. Bars serve people of all religions. 


2. Racial...fun?:

- An Irishman walks out of a bar.   

- How many Jews does it take to change a light-bulb?: Two. One to change it, and the other to hold the ladder so the first man won't fall and hurt himself.

- So a Hispanic, African American, Jew, and Asian man were walking down the street. They were involved in a parade that celebrated racial equality.

- A black guy, a white guy, and a Mexican guy are stranded in the middle of the desert. After many days of not finding food, water, or shelter, they contemplate cannibalism to survive, but they can't decide who to eat. The Mexican dies first for an unrelated reason.   

- A Muslim walked into a bomb shop. Turns out he was in the wrong store. So, he left and went on with his day.


3. Celebrity Jokes:

- What did Batman say to Robin before they got in the car?: "Get in the car."

- Why can't Michael J. Fox draw a perfect circle?: Because drawing a perfect circle is impossible for any human being.

- If Chuck Norris has $5 and you have $5, you both have the same amount of money.

- "Is this the Krusty Krab?": No, this is Patrick.

- Mel Gibson is awoken by the ringing of his telephone. He proceeds to have a nice conversation with his wife.


4. Blondes...we love you. Now...please look away:

- How many blondes does it take to change a light bulb?: Generally one, but as the situation varies, so does the number. 

- How do you kill a blonde?: Well there are many ways, but all of which are wrong because murder is illegal.

- A blonde walks into a hairdresser's salon. She gets her hair cut.

- Why was the blonde staring at the juice carton?: She was trying to read the nutrition and had forgotten her reading glasses.

- A blonde, a brunette, and a redhead are driving in a car. They're on their way to the mall, or something.


5. Blacks...we love you. Now...please don't beat me up:

- What do you call a black guy driving a plane?: A pilot.

- Why doesn't the black man have a job?: He's working on his masters degree.

- What do you call a black man with no arms or legs sitting on a porch?: "Sir." His life is hard enough without being subject to social rudeness. 

- A black guy walked into a convenience store. He found what he wanted and paid with his credit card.

- How did the black man cross the Atlantic?: He did not. He drowned.


6. "Ooooohhhhhhhhhh...eeeehhhhhhhh":

- How do you fit an elephant inside your car?: Starve it to death, then chop it in pieces.

- Why did the boy drop his ice-cream?: Because he was hit by a bus.

- How do you make a plumber cry?: You kill his family. 

- How many dead babies can you fit in a bathtub?: 17.

- How did the fat guy survive the air-crash?: He didn't. He died like everyone else.


7. Literal-Mania:

- What did the farmer say when he lost his tractor?: "Where's my tractor?"

- What is red and smells like blue paint?: Red paint.

- Why was six afraid of seven?: It wasn't. Numbers are not sentiment and thus are incapable of feeling fear.

- What's brown and sticky?: A stick.

- What is a vampire's favorite dessert?: Vampires aren't real.


8. Knock-Knock...will you just open the damn door!:  

- "Knock Knock."
  "Who's there?"
  "Dave."  
  "Dave who?"
   Dave proceeds to break into tears as his grandmother's Alzheimers has progressed to the    point where she can no longer remember him. 

- "Knock Knock."
  "Who's there?"
  "The police. Your entire family died in a car accident."

- "Knock Knock."
  "Who's there?"
  "Boo."
  "I don't know anybody by that name. Go away."

- "Knock Knock."
  "Who's there?"
  "Steve Jensen."
  "Oh, hi Steve! Come on in!"

- "Knock Knock." 
  "There's a f*ckin' doorbell. Use it!"


9. Religion...I follow the ways of humor:

- What's worse than finding a worm in your apple?: The Holocaust. 

- Why do Christians believe in God?: Because believing in God is fundamental in their belief system; if they did not believe in God, they simply wouldn't be Christians. Muslims are in a similar predicament.

- Why did the Catholic priest get sent to jail?: Tax evasion.

- A Christian asks God why there is so much pain and suffering in the world. God does not answer.

- A Christian and an Atheist are in a bar, and the christian says "If you don't believe in God, you will go to hell." The atheist replies, "If there was a benevolent supreme being, logic dictates that there would be proof of his existence other than a 2,000 year old book." They agree to set aside their petty differences and get on with their lives.


10. Potpourri:

- What's green and has wheels?: Grass. I lied about the wheels.

- Haikus are easy,
  But sometimes they don't make sense
  Refrigerator.

- I have a friend who is blind. So, I don't think there's any point in writing a joke on here.

- Roses are red.
  Violets are blue.
  I have a gun.
  Get in the van.

- What's worse than finding a repeated joke on "Anti-Joke?": Finding a real joke on "Anti-Joke."


- Done.  

My Top 10 Worst Reality Shows

This list is in no particular order and was NOT stolen from another individual. Copyright Infringement will not be tolerated and all property goes to Steven Chung....AH SCREW IT! I don't care...do what you want. :) 

- Blog #24: One of the best sayings that come to mind when it comes to life is, "Life is a TV show." You don't hear it said all that much, but I still think that this is true to life. What's more real than life? Reality. Reality is more real than life. Why? It's because it's real! There's even the word "real" in the word "reality." Where does this all lead? It leads to the idea that reality can not and WILL not be duplicated. Now, we come to the idea of reality TV shows. Some are entertaining and meaningful (American Idol, Myth-Busters, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), but then there comes the really long list of really bad television-produced mayhem. I haven't done a "Top 10" list on bad things in a while. Bear with me if I sound too baby-faced or too excruciatingly biased. This "Top 10" was NOT filmed in front of a live studio audience, but a live front-and-center audience of WWW (world-wide-web) geekazoids!

1. Wife Swap - I don't see the entertainment in this. I'm sure, just like everything else, that people watch these kinds of shows just because they're funny. What is with everyone watching things and liking things just because they're funny? I understand that this is entertainment, but this is more sad than entertaining. I don't find anything funny about the idea of exchanging your wife (mother) for some twisted social experiment. It's a basic concept where two completely different families swap their wives. Each wife also switches roles with the other, as they are left with a list of tasks the other wife normally does. The second week, however, the "new" wife can make their own rules for the house. This is only a two-week deal, but I think that's too long as it is. The families offer to join this show but...really? Why do something like this to yourself and your kids? Imagine having an adorable 5-year kid. He/she is not going to have any real clue of what's going on here. I wouldn't want to be without my real mother for that long if I was that young. I know for a fact that my mother is way more sensible than to do something as stupid as this. Why cause public embarrassment to your own family, showing that you're either horrible parents or horrible spouses? Speaking of which, FOX made (*cough* stole *cough*) a show called Trading Spouses, which is similar to the ideas here.        

2. The Biggest Loser - This show can be seen from one of two perspectives. One way of looking at this show is by giving a sense of inspiration and hope. The winner of this show wins a cash prize for losing the most initial weight relative to their starting control. It's great that these people are so eagerly willing to lose weight and escape obesity. Unfortunately, if you're looking at the show from how I see it, you might be shaking your heads in distaste for this show. You begin to wonder how these people ended up fat and bloated to begin with. Obesity is one of America's biggest problems right now. Most people can avoid, while others can do not too much about it. Those who can't help being obese, I pity. I still respect them as real humans. Those who can control the situation by working out and eating healthier, I say "What are you doing?" and sigh with discontent. It's good that NBC makes the main focus of the problem obesity, but I don't think this is the best way to present something like this. We need money to motivate us to lose weight? Pfft...      
        

3. Jon and Kate Plus 8 (Kate Plus 8) - What a massive disappointment. I first heard of this show from watching a few episodes during a vacation trip I took with my family. Honestly, I thought this show was kind of interesting and would hit off big in the reality TV world. Little did we know how much drama this show was really going to become in a matter of time. It's a show about Jon Keith, Kate Gosselin, and their eight kids. That sums the show up for the most part. So, what's wrong here? Jon had an affair (typical crazed man) and was caught by his wife. Bad hit, right? Well, not quite yet. Shortly afterwards, Kate was found out to have had a possible affair with one of her bodyguards. Tragic. Ever since calls on separation began to unfold, the show went all downhill. The worst part about all of this is that the eight kids are going to live with all of this in their memories. The divorce, the flawed TV series, and the fact that their mother is still trying to keep this show running. On December 18, 2009, Jon and Kate divorced and ended a 10-year marriage. As a result for the station, Jon was secluded from the show and the new airing title was Kate Plus 8. Not really sure what this new rendition is like, since I've never even bothered to watch it.

4. The Hills - Where do I begin? How can one call this trash "reality" and enjoy it? It's like Sex and the City (I can't believe I'm comparing anything to that show), but worse. How is it worse? It's REALITY Sex and the City. I forced myself to watch a couple episodes just to see what it's like. I can honestly say it's one of the worst shows I've seen in my entire life. The show documents the lives of these idiots and all the drama-filled crap they live through. I can't even go on to talk about what the storyline of this whole show revolves around. I'm confused as all hell as to what goes on as the show progresses. One minute we're talking about job interviews, the next we're with guys, the next we're partying like it's the 60's, the next it's the over-exaggerated crying moments over the breakups over these dumb-ass guys...I have no f*cking idea. First off, all these girls are schmucks. Secondly, I think this "Spencer" guy is an absolute douche and I can't comprehend how anybody likes him. Third...don't watch this show. It's repetitive, it's repulsive, and it's NOT reality. It's a fantasy world involving one's idea of a reality. This show proves that being the rich person doesn't always make you the classier person. I can't believe this is labeled as reality TV. I just can't.

       
       
5. ElimiDATE - I thought reality game shows were supposed to be fun, entertaining, and purposeful. I can't emphasize the word "purposeful" enough here. One contestant chooses between four contestants of the opposite gender by eliminating them one-by-one in three rounds. Reality dating shows have no meaning, especially when you make a game out of it. There's no prize money, no thrilling challenges, and no guarantee that you leave the game show with everything you've desired. For all you know, you could get dumped by the same person who picked you one week later. Again, this is entertainment. Though I'm not certain myself, everything that this show had was all staged. Ratings for ElimiDATE were so low that the contractors of the show wouldn't re-air a new season. So, in 2006, the reality dating show was taken out of commission. Good riddance. It didn't even have a good theme song for the show. Horrible, horrible music.

6. Supernanny/Nanny 911/Whatever show there is involving a nanny - I don't have to much to say about these shows because I have the same problem here that I had with Wife Swap. Why go through the humility of expressing how bad a parent you are by joining shows like these? Another thing. Why does the nanny have to be British? I'm trying not to sound racist or anything, because nationality is the least of my concerns here, but why not have an Asian nanny or a Russian nanny (that would be freaking scary). These shows all document a nanny taking care of naughty children. Not at all like a Mary Poppins scenario.
           

7.  America's Next Top Model - This is not necessarily a bad show, but it's one that's suddenly becoming stale. However, this goes beyond stating the fact that I am a guy. From what I see, the girls don't seem to be unique at all. I guess being beautiful comes at a price. None of them stand out as anything significant. This show exemplifies drama and extends the meaning to the word "bitching." It's an educational show in a way. You're given an insider's look on how a model goes through life and it also shows that the fashion world is not all peaches and cream (again reiterating that I am a guy and I have no real interest in this whatsoever). A lot of the girls are also kind of whiny, a pain, and not even that pretty. I'm one of those people though who believe that inner-beauty is more important than outer-beauty. I guess that's just the main reason why I don't like this show (not that I watch/study it daily and again reiterating my manhood).

8. Survivor - I actually don't watch this show all that much and for good reason. In this show, it seems that there are a number of contestants who become stranded on an isolated area and are forced to live and compete in the wildness. The contestants are then eliminated by progressive challenge losses and the last person standing becomes the "Sole Survivor" of the season. The "Tribal Council" is when all the contestants get together to vote someone off the island. It's like the polar opposite of Lost. This show is just boring. Honestly. There's no interesting concept to Survivor as near as I can figure. There's too many weird rules and yet it's all too...simple at the same time. The only difference between each season seems to be that contestants are placed on a new island in a new country. Technically, they're not even stranded alone. The contestants must have some kind of protection, like the camera crew and such. It's all too inexplicable.

           

9. The Bachelor/Bachelorette - It's the same problems as ElimiDATE, except with more people and no challenges. Boring, stupid, and a waste of air-time. Enough said.

And now...the moment you've all been waiting for...


10. Jersey Shore - When I told people I was doing this list, the first show that came as a suggestion from the mouths of the viewers was the good ole' Laguna Beach! OH HELLLLLLL NO! My mistake. It was Jersey Shore. It's all about the lives of eight (I think) roommates who spend their summers and such on the shores of Jersey. "Dubbed a cultural phenomenon, the series has garnered record ratings for MTV, making it the network's most viewed series telecast ever." How is this possible? Oh, I know. It's this generation. We're all about partying, getting drunk, living La Vida Loca, and getting sh!tfaced. I HATE THAT! If any person had a sensible brain cell left in them, they would avoid this show at all cost. Why follow up on the individuals who are simply a cause to the demeaning image of what we now call "America?" It's a new age of American pop culture? My ass! Real cultural aspects like jazz and the introduction of the new Middle Eastern revolution are more interesting than this piece of dog-stew. I lied before when I said that The Hills was the worst show I've ever seen. After watching just a little bit of Jersey Shore, I can see clear as day that this is even more of a bad influence than The Hills. How? The girls in The Hills are actually doing something somewhat productive with their lives. With Shore, it's all about partying, getting drunk, living La Vida Loca. Have I said that already? Anyway, it's MTV. As long as that rat-hole of a station exists, and as long as adults allow kids to watch it, we're always going to be stuck with rebellious and uneducated fools. No good comes from MTV. You can't convince me otherwise. The day I'm convinced is the day I choose to end my confused life, as morbid as that sounds. SNOOKI!? SNOOKI WRITES BOOKS!? Some Oxford English professor better have proofread that book! There is no way that girl can write an intelligent story that can captivate people's lives. Not in the way that authors like J.D. Salinger (R.I.P.) or even Deval Patrick can. The videos on YouTube of the cast are stupid. "T-shirt time"? What the f*cking hell is this "T-SHIRT TIME" nonsense? I looked up the video and I don't even find it funny or interesting. Even if a show is funny, that doesn't make the show great. While I agree that stereotyping is a terrible thing, the image of people who only focus on partying and working out stays pretty relevant. What's so great about "The Situation?" His face is a situation to me. Pauly D is another Spencer from The Hills and I have no idea who everyone else is. This is all just too painful and I don't even know why I'm bothering to heckle this show any longer. I'm hoping that others will start to understand the insanity and learn to avoid it and appreciate life for what it gives you. Jersey f*cking Shore...what a disgrace.               

- Done.

My Top 10 Best Game Shows

This list is in no particular order and was NOT stolen from another individual. Copyright Infringement will not be tolerated and all property goes to Steven Chung....AH SCREW IT! I don't care...do what you want. :) 

- Blog #23: As some of my facebook friends may have noticed, I've had this urge to write a new blog about my favorite game shows. My life has been hectic as all fiery infernos and I've had less than no time on my Blogger site. If there are any loyal readers still left out there, please forgive my sudden "leave of absence." I welcome everyone back to Steven Chung's Top 10! COME ON DOWN!

1. WHEEL...OF...FORTUNE! - There's a big, giant wheel. There's loads and loads of money. Put it together and you get WHEEL...OF...FORTUNE! The game is pretty basic. It's a letter-guessing game where you must fill in the blanks to bring yourself one step closer to becoming a richer person. Now, the wheel is placed in front of the three contestants and each contestant takes a turn to spin the wheel. Most sections of the wheel have money values. If you land on a money value, you get to guess a letter. If the letter is on the board, you get the amount of money you landed on, times however many letters there are in the puzzle. If no letters are on the board, you get nothing. Some segments of the wheel have "Lose a Turn" on them. Self-explanatory. Other segments have various prizes (island trips, more money, etc.). Then, there are the dreaded "Bankrupt" pieces. You'll lose your turn and whatever money you've won thus far in the game. Whoever solves the puzzle first will win the money earned during the round. The reason why I like this game show is the fact that anyone could play this game. Even if you have no idea what the word could be, you can just keep guessing letters until you can spell out the word or phrase yourself. The question is, "Can you solve the puzzle before your other two opponents?"

2. (The) Hollywood Squares - This is another basic game, but one that can be an easy money gainer. We go from fill-in-the-blank to a game of tic-tac-toe! This is a very special version of tic-tac-toe where two contestants "square" off for a car or a large sum of cash. There's a large tic-tac-toe board, where each square is occupied by a celebrity guest star. The two contestants go through the game of tic-tac-toe as they normally would, one playing as "X" and the other as "O." However, for each square that's chosen, the celebrity that's inside must first answer the question that's given to them by the host. What was great about this was that most of the celebrities had some sort of funny joke answer to the question. Although most of these were provided, they still gave you a good laugh. In order to win the square, all the players had to do was either agree or disagree with whatever the celebrity's answer was. Even if you had no idea at all if the answer that was given was correct, it's a 50-50 guess. You have a good chance to win the square. You win the round by getting three spaces in a row or by a  5-square win. This show was excellent and, unfortunately, has not aired a new show since 2004. What was not to like about this show? It was fun, it was easy, and you had great celebrity guests come for every show! Whoopi Goldberg, Gilbert Gottfried, Martin Mull, Joan Rivers, Mario Lopez, Ellen DeGeneres, Big Bird, Alf, all those guys! This is a game show that needs to come back, someday!     
     

3. Deal or No Deal - Who doesn't love a game that can be comprehended by even the most simplest of people? You're alone and are presented with up to 26 cases. At the beginning of the game, you are inclined to chose one of these cases. One of these cases has $1 million in it. Your chance of picking that case is 1/26 (or about .04%). After you pick a case, you now are forced to go through and pick apart the other cases to ensure your chances that the case you have has that $1 million or an amount that's feasible to you. There's other sums of money in each of the cases. $1 to $750,000. Now, there's another factor in this game. The "banker" is an anonymous overseer who judges your performance in the game. After picking apart separate rounds of cases, the "banker" will give you an offer that may be better than the case you have picked. However, if your on a run of bad luck and you choose cases that have large digits in them, the "banker" will offer you a low price or lower a high estimate bargain that was previously given. It is your call to decide whether you take the "banker's" offer or go with your instincts and continue the game. This continues until the player decides to take the banker's offer or until you've realized that the case that you have has the $1 million in it (which is pretty slim, unless it's your damn lucky day). You'll go away with something, but how much?

4. Minute to Win It - A relatively new show that began to air in 2010. Minute to Win It revolves around playing a series of games inside a game. This is one of the few game shows that can give you the option of playing alone or playing with another person. There are 10 rounds in the game. Each round presents itself with a cash reward. Before a round begins, the contestant(s) is shown a cyber-blueprint of the game that's featured. As the levels increase, the games will become much more challenging. Somewhat like Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, there are certain spots in the game where you reach a "safe-haven" point. These points guarantee the player(s) the amount of money won so far, even if the contestant(s) loses the next challenge. If the contestant(s) does fail the round, there is still some hope. At the beginning of the game, the player(s) is provided with three lives. For each failed game, you will lose a life. Lose all of your lives and the game is over. If you've reached a "save-haven" point, you will leave the game with the amount of money won from that "save-haven" point. If the player(s) win all 10 rounds, the prize is $1 million! As of today, no one has won that cash prize.

           

5. Jeopardy! - There's a reason why I don't like this game show, but I included it in my list of "Best Game Shows" anyway. Having been one of the longest running game shows ever (around 47 years and 27 seasons), Jeopardy! shows no sign of slowing down. Due to this game show's success and popularity, Alex Trebek became one of the most well-known game show hosts ever. The success and the amount of time on the air are the only reasons why this game show deserved a spot on my list. The problems I have with this show are pretty simple and, yes, a little biased. This trivia game-show is fun to some, but absolutely excruciating to others. Why? It's because most of the questions are beyond the knowledge of most of Earth's population. Sure, it's fun to try and guess the answers, but really. How many can you get correct, honestly? Jeopardy! does make up for some of these problems by opening up the show to younger viewers. There are "Teen Weeks" (or whatever they're called) where a specific age group in the teens get to play the game with simpler questions, but even some of those questions are hard. You'd have to be a genius or an over-achieving study to win this game. What's so fun about watching people answer questions that not many people can understand? Maybe the success came from the idea that watching the show made you smarter. Another thing that bugs me. Why do some contestants on "Final Jeopardy" wager amounts like $1 or $399 or $1093? Is that really necessary!?  Oh well...the theme song and "Final Jeopardy" theme will always be an instant classic.

 

6. "Is that your...final answer?" - And here is Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and all its glory. Like Jeopardy!, the questions in this game are just as difficult. The difference is that, in this game show, you're given four choices instead of taking shots in the dark. The contestant is placed on the hot-seat and you are left to answer a series a questions leading to the $1 million mark. Here's a game show that was one of the main inspirations for "save-haven" checkpoints. Once you reach a checkpoint, you will safely keep the amount of money in that checkpoint even if you miss a question. If you're stuck on a question, you have the option of walking away from the game with the amount of money won thus far. Another option would be to use one of three (or more, as the seasons moved on) lifelines. There are three main lifelines. The "50-50" lifeline eliminates two answers, leaving you with one right answer and wrong answer. The "Phone-a-Friend" lifeline gives you the ability to call your friend or family member to see if they know the answer to the question. The "Ask the Audience" lifeline...well, what do you think it means? There used to be a "Fastest Finger" round at the beginning of a game, where the audience is asked a question and must put the four answers in order to what the question pertains. Whoever solved the question fastest would play Who Wants to be a Millionaire? next. The game is even more fun when Disney theme parks use the attraction!

    

7. Street Smarts - I miss this show. There wasn't much prize money when compared to games like Wheel of Fortune, but it was a fun game! There are two contestants that are poised to predict the outcome of interviews that were taken from three people on the streets. The question is given to the two contestants, but the contestants are not the one who answers the questions. There are rounds where the contestants guess who got the question right or who got the question wrong. This was a short-term program, but it's one that should be watched and looked up on YouTube.

8. Family Feud - There are two opposing families and there's a feud. Two teams consisting of five family members go head-to-head in a contest to name the most popular response from a survey question that was asked to 100 people before the show. At the beginning of the show, one member from each team face off to determine who will take control of the question. Whoever guesses the more popular answer will be given the choice to "Pass" or "Play" the game. Players who chose the #1 answer on the board will automatically go first in making their choice. "Pass" and the other team takes control of the question. "Play" and your team gets to play. The host will then go to selected team and go down the family line and ask them the same question. The family tries to get every single answer on the board to win the round. If the team gets three strikes from not having their answers on the board, the other team gets a shot at the prize. The other team only needs to get one answer on the board. If the other team misses just once, the opposing team wins. This continues for about four rounds (except for the tiebreaker round), with answers worth double or even triple the point value. Whichever team has more points at the end of the triple-point round will move on to the final round ("Fast Money"). One member of the winning team is sent to an isolation booth, while another member begins "Fast Money" and must answer five questions in 20 seconds. If he or she can't answer a question, he or she can pass. A contestant can return to a passed question, if time allows it. When revealing the number of people giving the same response, the phrase, "Survey said!" comes into action! After that, the second player comes out and does the same thing, except that player is not allowed to answer the same things as the first player. If both player's points add up to 200, the family wins $20,000.

9. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? - If you're not smarter than a 5th grader, you might be a redneck. Hosted by that All-American redneck, Jeff Foxworthy, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? took learning in the classroom to a new level of fun and interesting. This one basically consisted of asking grade-school level questions to adults. So, we're getting a kick out of this show just because some poor adult can't answer a simple school question? Yup. That's exactly what we're getting. The contestant is presented with a set of 10 subjects and grade level question topics. Questions can be given in the form of multiple choice, true or false, or some may require the contestant to answer the question with no available option at all. With each correct answer, the contestant moves one step closer to $1 million. 10 questions must be answered in order to win. Along with this, there are five other classmates playing who are about 5th grade age (they do not get the prize, but are only there to help the contestant). They also get to answer the question given. At the beginning of the game, the contestant chooses one of these students as their helper. The chosen one has the ability to give the contestant two "cheating" options, each being available only once. If the contestant is unable to answer the question ("FLUNK OUT") or the contestant leaves the game ("DROP OUT"), then the contestant must say to the camera: "I am NOT smarter than a 5th grader." It's only happened twice where the game was won and the contestant got to say: "I AM smarter than a 5th grader!"

 

10. "COME ON DOWN!" - Time to start watching more game shows. Just watch The Price is Right, if you've never seen it! It's one of the greatest games ever. There's not much need to explain this one. "Go help control your pet-population..."

- Done. "Thanks for watching! Tune in, next time!"