"The Amazing Race"

Credit: CBS

Welcome to Reality TV Roundup -- a quick look at some of the reality TV-centric stories that have recently popped up across the fine, old Interwebs. Click away, my couch potato friends. But before you do...

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! One more time: SPOILER ALERT. If you watch any competition shows, the latest elimination for each show is probably revealed in the text below. The hope is that, if you missed this week's program and would rather clear out your DVR than watch the episode, you can get a quick hit here. But don't come crying to me if you find out something you didn't want to know. You've been warned. Also note: lots of non-competition reality info lurks below, too. 

 "Orphan Black"

Credit: BBC America

Okay, this one minor detail from tonight's episode of "Orphan Black" is going to bother me for a while. Given all the amazing improvements Dr. Leekie promised his neolutionist followers, why would Olivier pick a tail? I mean, sure, it's a conversation piece. It's good for  delivering some of the episode's truly funny moments (and later, one horrifying one), but really, a tail? Why not just pick horns or a high-tech eyeball or at least a so-called "improvement" that won't get stuck under the waistband of your pants?

 "Felt"

Credit: Logo

We're back for another installment of CulturePop, and Melinda and I had plenty to discuss. C'mon and listen. And I swear I cut out the part where I give away the ending of "The Great Gatsby," even though I think everyone probably knows what happens. 

 "Scandal"

Credit: ABC

I don't know about you, but I'm kicking myself a bit after last night's episode of "Scandal." If you haven't watched it, I'll say it here. Spoilers. Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers. I can't address the most important part of the show without spoilers. And what a doozy of a spoiler there was.

 "The Vampire Diaries"

Credit: The CW

This was starting to feel like one of those episodes where everyone runs around in search of someone else, then stops to spit out exposition, the runs around some more. Really, that would have been preferable, just because no one tends to DIE in those episodes (if you haven't seen the episode, for God sakes don't keep reading, seriously. Spoiler, spoiler, SPOILER alert!). No, Bonnie brings down the veil and all hell breaks loose, but not the hell we were expecting, and I think I may need to go lie down. This was just a lot to absorb, people.

 Cat Deeley of "So You Think You Can Dance"

Credit: Fox

As the hostess of "So You Think You Can Dance," Cat Deeley never expected the show (which she joined in season two) to last a whopping ten seasons. But now it's back, returning with a two-night premiere on Tues. May 14 (8:00 - 9:00 p.m.) and Wed. May 15 (9:00 - 10:00 p.m.). Deeley spoke to reporters about what's ahead in a conference call. Here's what she had to say about the show's previously "laborious" format, why she's not looking for the next Kathryn or tWitch, and why she might be experimenting with a punk rock look next time we see her. 

 "Mythbusters"

Credit: Discovery

This should be a fun mash-up! Tonight at 9:00 p.m. "Mythbusters" invites "Deadliest Catch" captains Johnathan and Junior to the show to put their long-held beliefs about their jobs to the test. Are crab pots truly indestructible? Is it better to do a 30-hour grind with no sleep or short naps? And can you really be dragged to the bottom of the sea if your foot gets caught in a coil?

 "My Crazy Obsession"

Credit: TLC

It seems that there are people in the world with more storage space and more free time than the rest of us, and these are the people of "My Crazy Obsession" (season finale airs tonight on TLC at 10:00 p.m.). In this episode, we meet Michelle, who loves troll dolls and spends up to three hours a day hunting for them online, playing with them, and sticking them in odd parts of her house. No, I'm not making that up. 

 Kal Penn

Credit: Discovery

I had a chance to talk to Kal Penn at the premiere of his new show, "Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius," and found that the "Harold & Kumar" franchise and "House" star as well as former Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement (say that ten times fast) has some, as you might expect, big ideas. The show (which airs Wed. at 10:00 p.m.) challenges 10 real-life rocket scientists, engineers and brainiacs to solve tricky problems and, on occasion, blow up stuff, all while living together. Here's what Penn had to say about doing battle with stupidity, why girls are underrepresented on the show, and why STEM classes count.  

 "RuPaul's Drag Race"

Credit: Logo

Last night I was watching the season finale of "RuPaul's Drag Race" and marveling at how much better at being Tyra Banks RuPaul is than, well, Tyra Banks. Over the years, "America's Next Top Model" has become a campy parody of itself, which isn't such a bad thing. Banks clearly understands where fashion and performance intersect, and she's not above some knowing self-parody.