Official Synopsis:
Living in a beachfront apartment complex sounds like paradise, but when you're a working model at one of the top South Beach modeling agencies, living with the competition can get tense. Meet 10 drop-dread gorgeous models, all at a turning point in their lives and careers. Britt, Kelly, Sabrina, Tracie, Briana and Talesha all share one model apartment while down the hall Adrian, Sean, Vinci and Teddy share another. Beauty isn't only skin deep and they have to prove it every day... from instant recognition to crushing rejection. Balancing the sun-drenched seduction of South Beach with the pressure to perform, 8th & Ocean exposes the hard work and human drama behind the profession of modeling. Heat, Glamour, Drama, Just another day at 8th & Ocean.
Our Take:
I didn't expect much from MTV's 8th and Ocean. The last time they debuted a "reality show," the result was Laguna Beach, of which I am distinctly NOT a fan. But unlike Laguna Beach, 8th and Ocean is an actual reality show, this time about the world of models. So, like that other show, it too is filled with pretty young people and lots of drama, but it's actually surprisingly good.
The show breaks its models down into some pretty typical character archetypes: the innocent, pretty model; the vain, egotistical male model; the twins who act as different as they look alike; and so on and so on. So while the tension is high and the drama is heavy, it never veers into the soap opera territory that Laguna Beach lives in. These are real people who aren’t (all) rich spoiled brats, and the differing personalities all living in the same building and apartments make for good TV.
As with most MTV/Paramount television offerings, this three-disc set is loaded with extra features. Seeing as how there's only 10 episodes in the first season, the extras really add a lot of bang your for buck.
* MTV Overdrive Segments (95 minutes) - Ten lengthy follow-up segments that originally appeared online only. This is a nice feature that effectively adds four episodes to the mix.
* Talesha & Adrian's Miami Hot Spots (6 minutes) - Two of the models take a fashion tour of downtown Miami.
* Advice From The Experts (22 minutes) - Wanna be a model? Watch this featurette.
* Casting Tapes (18 minutes) - Original auditions for 10 of the main models.
* Deleted Scenes (11 minutes) - Seven scenes cut from various episodes.
* TRL Segment (7 minutes) - Featuring the Twins, Britt, and Vinci.
* Cast Bios - Text bios of the cast.
8th and Ocean isn't a particularly deep show, but that's okay. Sometimes you need a break from the heavy stuff like 24 or Lost. For a nice serving of popcorn television, if you love shows like The Real World, then 8th and Ocean is the perfect fit.
Overall Picture:
Show: B+
DVD: A
- Mike Spring
Editor
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