Written by: Dominick at 4:31 pm
Filed under: Reality,Television
TV Show Info:
Cast: Jeff Bozz, Nick D’Anna, Devin Haman, Holly Huddleston, Janelle Perry, Molly Shea, Erin Tietsort, Keely Williams, Roxanne
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Info:
Original Air Dates: May 28, 2007-September 30, 2007
DVD Box Set Release Date: August 5, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon, Wal-Mart
Episodes: All of the episodes from the first season of Sunset Tan
I hate reality television. We’ve seen physical competitions, endurance competitions, whiny celebrity mothers, whiny celebrities, drunken celebrities, celebrities who swear to be in love only to split up, celebrities that have daddy/mommy issues, celebrities in rehab, fat people trying to lose weight who may or may not be celebrities and just about anything else you can think of. Well, at least that’s what I thought. Then I found out that Sunset Tan was the *hot* new reality show on the E! Network. Seriously, have we hit a new low? We have seen celebrities do everything else, so why not see them go tanning?! That sounds about as exciting as watching paint thin, but trust me, somebody likes this show, since it just started its second season. I am not one of those people!
Have we become so obsessed with celebrities that we’ve had to find every possible situation and location where we can be voyeurs? Reality television has allowed this nation (no, world!) to hit a new low. Sure, not all of the people that come into ‘Sunset Tan’ are celebrities, but who really wants to watch anyone getting a tan? I don’t tan, personally. I find fake tan to look disgusting and think the whole process of baking yourself is moronic in and of itself. If I wanted to be exposed to excessive amounts of UV rays, I’d strip naked and run around without sunscreen on, in my backyard. Even then, I wouldn’t be nearly as exposed as I would be to these harmful rays, in a tanning bed.
So, when I received the box set to review Sunset Tan – Season One, I dragged my feet a bit. Why would I want to watch this? I don’t even like some of the more *possibly entertaining reality shows. Needless to say, I had no choice, but to sit down, pop these DVDs into my player (Sunset Tan – Season One comes in a two-disc set), and begrudgingly watch one of the stupidest shows on the planet. Seriously, this is nearly as bad as the Nick and Jessica reality show, only there is no mention of Chicken of the Sea and *most* of the workers at Sunset Tan are slightly smarter than Jessica, though not by much! The jury is still out on the Olly girls and Jeff and Devin for hiring them in the first place.
The Sunset Tan – Season One Plot
Like any good reality show, Sunset Tan relies on its controversy and possibly its drama in an attempt to be entertaining. The show premise is fairly simple. The Los Angeles area has a few different locations for the Sunset Tan tanning salon. This is a place that celebrities, the rich, and the wannabes visit in an attempt to get that “faked-baked yet trying to be realistic” look. Every employee problem, dramatic moment, mishap and boring, mundane daily experience is documented in Sunset Tan – Season One.
There are 12 episodes contained in the Sunset Tan – Season One Two-Disc box set. Here is a list of episodes with a brief synopsis of each:
DISC ONE:
“Welcome to Sunset Tan” – Guest starring Britney Spears, this introduces viewers to Sunset Tan and its employees. A new employee, Erin, has just moved to California from Oklahoma. The episode details her transition in a new place. In this episode, she has to spray tan someone and freaks out since that person just happens to be a celebrity. She ends up making herself look dumb in the process. The region manager, Lisa, quits and Roxanne becomes the new region manager (which appeases Nick who is sick of Lisa’s bullcrap)! Jeff, one of the co-owners and founders of Sunset Tan, throws a party at his pad.
“Vegas, Baby” – Guest starring Chris Kattan, a new Sunset Tan store will be opening in Las Vegas. The managers of the various L.A. based Sunset Tan stores want to run this store. While Nick has the most sales, owners/founders Devin and Jeff take him to Vegas to test things out. Of course, Nick’s girlfriend, Ania, isn’t exactly thrilled with the situation. In the meantime, with the bosses away, Janelle heads to Miami and poor Erin is left with all of Janelle’s work on top of her own.
“Oklahoma!” – Erin heads home to Oklahoma for a visit. There she sees her Dad and finds out her ex-boyfriend is already engaged to someone else. When she returns to L.A. she does what every girl does to get rid of man troubles. She shops. When a tanning bed breaks and Jeff and Devin are out of town, Nick must fix it, on his own.
“Miss Sunset Tan” – Guest starring Chelsea Handler, this is a fight filled episode. In ring one, there is Nick and Janelle. Nick is peeved because Janelle takes more vacations than Nick can count. Keely is peeved at Roxanne because nobody can ever get in touch with her, especially when they need her. When Erin makes more sales than Janelle, another fight is about to break out when Erin says she might just join the competition for running the Vegas Sunset Tan store.
“Olly’s Follies” – All the potential contenders for the Las Vegas manager position head with Jeff and Devin to Vegas. The competition is hot. Meanwhile, back in L.A., the Olly Girls, Molly and Holly, are not happy they weren’t invited. They decide to shut the store down early (we’re talking eight hours early) and head to Vegas to join everyone else. As you can imagine, this goes over REAL well with Jeff and Devin.
“The Reveal” – It’s time for the Miss Sunset Tan pageant. The Olly girls get in trouble with Jeff and Devin for their bad behavior and the new manager of the Sunset Tan Las Vegas store is crowned with the chosen one a surprise pick to not only the managers, but also the audience.
DISC TWO
“New Kid on the Block” – Ania (Nick’s girlfriend) joins the Sunset Tan team. Janelle tries to walk all over her, like she did when Erin first joined the staff, but Nick puts his foot down. With Janelle trying to get Ania to do her job, you have to wonder if Jeff and Devin made the right choice. Seriously. Erin gets a Hollywood makeover.
“All Work, No Play” – Nick and Ania have their first day of work together and Ania takes it as an opportunity to spend time together. Nick’s not impressed, and when Jeff gives him a job he can’t seem to do, he’s more than pissed. Erin and Janelle keep the tension rolling as Erin gets a sale and she finally stands up to her superior.
“Guess Who’s Coming to Sunset Tan? ” – A new girl named Heidi is being trained by Jeff and Devin to replace Erin. Erin isn’t amused. The Olly Girls are up to no good when they act dumb during training, which pisses Ania off. They all exchange jabs at each other on Myspace. Erin’s family visits her in Hollywood.
“Relationship Woes” – The Olly Girls stay at Jeff’s place after they forget to pay their bills and lose their apartment. Ania and Nick try to repair their broken relationship. Erin tries to make nice with Janelle, who plans for a “Hot Girls of Sunset Tan” calendar.
“While the Cat’s Away… ” – Guest starring Jenna Jameson and Pauly Shore, this episode shows Janelle heading with Jeff and Devin to Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Sunset Tan is about to open. Heidi works as Nick’s assistant manager. She makes mistakes that piss Nick off. The Olly Girls throw a party at Jeff’s house without his permission and the house gets trashed.
“Employees Gone Wild!” – Jeff comes home to find his house in shambles. After kicking the Olly Girls out, he also fires them from Sunset Tan. Erin starts to train as an assistant manager.
Honestly, I don’t think I’d even enjoy this show if I was drunk. That’s truly how bad this is!
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Audio/Visual:
Presented in standard, 1.33:1 full frames (typical for any television show) the Sunset Tan – Season One video quality is fair. It’s not anything special, but it does look as decent as if you were watching it on television. It doesn’t really look like any changes were made in the transfer between television and DVD. There are minor instances of compression and very few visual flaws otherwise. None of the flaws will affect viewing and what is here, while watchable, just isn’t special, at all.
The audio quality for the episodes included in the Sunset Tan – Season One Box Set is just as decent as the video quality. The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track is standard though not quite dynamic enough to get points. This is your typical television sound. While it’s nothing special, there is no need to play with the volume and you should be able to hear the dialogue clearly.
Visual: 
Audio:
Bonus Features:
Not only do you have to be subjected to this show, Lionsgate has been polite enough to include multiple bonuses. Yay! I hope you caught the sarcasm there, because I was tired enough of watching this show. I wasn’t looking forward to spending more time with it then I already had. The bonuses start things off with the featurette, “Olly Girls’ Guide: Learn how to do stuff the Olly Girls’ way!” As you might have already guessed, this featurette follows the crazy, dumb and extremely annoying Olly Girls. I don’t know why anyone would want to do anything the way these airheads do things, but hey, to each their own!
Continuing to round out the bonus section, there are some deleted scenes. I didn’t even want to watch the non-deleted scenes, so why would I want to watch these? Call me a cynic, but this show sucks, plain and simple. Finally, the bonuses are completed with some red carpet interviews. That’s about it for the bonuses and as it is there are way too many to begin with.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
One of the dumbest shows I have ever seen, I personally believe that Sunset Tan – Season One isn’t worth your time. If you’re a crazy person who happens to highly enjoy crappy reality shows, you might want to check this out on the E! Network. Who knows?! You might just like this drivel! Otherwise, I recommend you run far and fast, because Sunset Tan – Season One isn’t worth a penny let alone the amount you’ll pay for this box set! Be afraid! Be VERY afraid!
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Sunset Tan – Season One, TV Show, Lionsgate, Box Set, DVD Review
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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
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Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.
