So, since when do reality show dropouts mimic celebrity deaths and come in threes?
First, there was Verna on The Apprentice, the hot show on NBC, who cracked under the pressure of The Donald. On her personal website she states, "Whether you agree with me or not, there comes a time in life when you come to a crossroads. You are faced to make a decision as to which direction to go. ... In reality, everything is not necessarily as it seems. If you think you can do a better job, and you beat out the million or so other people to make it on, I wish you much luck and much success."
Pressure indeed. Had she never SEEN "The Apprentice"?
Next, Marlea Stroman shocked us all by becoming the first contestant to drop out of Fox's American Idol. In a recent radio interview, she said "... this is no joke and there is a lot of pressure, and there are cut throat people, and it's really not a welcoming environment..."
We're seeing a common thread here. You knew what you were getting into, didn't you?
So, it shouldn't come as any surprise when the announcement was made yesterday that U.S. Senator Mark Dayton would not be seeking re-election to that other struggling reality show over on C-SPAN, Senate Democrats. During the Rice Confirmation episode, he stated "...I really don't like being lied to.... Repeatedly, flagrantly, intentionally."
C'mon Senator... you knew what you were signing up for.
I guess we should have seen this coming when the October Surprise episode aired last fall, showing the zany senator fleeing Washington, D.C. and closing his offices under the Threat of a Terrorist Attack Challenge.
Of course, there are plenty of contestants lined up to take the place of Sen. Dayton, with the smart money betting on a match-up between former senator Rod Grams, who lost to Dayton in 2000, and U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum tagging in for the Dems.
