Dice: Undisputed…the first reality show that I will watch from start to finish. The White Rapper Show looked good on paper, right up my alley (cat), but interest sank. MC Serch was an insufferable moron (1), Prince Paul (2) was confusing and boring as a co-host, and the truly bizarre rappers were clipped early on. Also promising was Shooting Sizemore, yet clarification is needed as to why. I do not advocate or enjoy this style of reality show. The suffocating negativity peddled by addict/derelict/downfall reality series is uncalled for (in my life, at least), but I enjoy Tom Sizemore as a character actor, and his particular spiral appeared (in the previews) to reach insane depths (like homelessness). So, to approach personal hypocrisy, I just wanted to see how things would turn out. Otherwise, as a half-observed rule, exploitation of demolished lives is something that I find unsavory. Regardless, I’ve yet to see an episode.
Dice was never a drug addict. This was a career ruined by various forms of stupidity (3), lack of diversity and progress, the PC movement, and a bulldozing cruelty on the part of the entertainment business. Because of these things, hopefully, the Dice: Undisputed formula is different. I don’t pretend to know how rigged/scripted these shows are. Naturally, we start off with a broken man. Rather, the career is broken. Home life is comfortable, suburban, and primarily friendly. There’s a focus on how much he loves his kids. None of this should come as shocking if you’ve ever watched a reality TV show. Be it fake or genuine, the show has heart. The parade of disappointments, the Ford Taurus rental, the unfashionable dining choices, and especially his dad’s support….I am, so far, hooked like an idiot.
1. And deeply unlikeable as a host.
2. The purpose being what? That 7/8 of his audience is white anyway?
3. In my previous post re: this subject, a Bill Hicks reference was made. Let me clarify. Hicks’ material was, at the time, unquestionably cerebral compared to Dice Clay’s rube-ish, dumbshit posturing. Hicks’ material is also sorely overrated, and has aged like Candlebox. His post-mortem glorification is vexing…I just so very rarely find his bits laugh-out-loud funny. You may not like where Dice Clay took things, but that place, in a pure sense, was previously unconquered. Writer Mark Prindle has a better grasp of what makes the Dice Clay career fascinating/entertaining. Read that.