NOTE: Not sure why this didn’t post yesterday when it was supposed to, but it didn’t.

I’m not a Glee fan. If you were to do a search on this blog for the word, you’d come up with several different posts about the first season followed by random ones here and there. Essentially, I think the show uses its characters like I used to use my action figures as a kid, to fit whatever role I needed them to at that moment. Consistency’s not the name of the game and it’s the kind of thing I can’t stand. So, when my wife, who is a fan, watches, I usually head to the bedroom and do a little reading. It works out well for everyone.

So, what am I doing watching The Glee Project? Well, my wife was interested, I’m a sucker for a good competition show and there wasn’t anything else on in a particular Sunday time slot, so there you have it. We’d seen a few episodes here and there and wound up watching the missing episodes today thanks to a marathon. If you’re unfamiliar, a dozen kids (well adults really, ranging from 18-22, I believe) were chosen to compete in a series of challenges intended to test their acting, dancing and singing abilities, the prize being a seven episode guest spot on the next season of Glee. In theory, I liked the straightforward nature of the contest. There’s a clear thing you’re competing for as well as somewhat clear parameters the judges were using (the person has to fit on the show, not be redundant and of, course, be able to perform). It’s a lot like Next Foodnetwork Star in that respect.

It wound up being something a little weirder though. I’m no Hollywood expert, but it seemed to me like show co-creator Ryan Murphy (who’s resemblance to John Malkovich is scary) was judging the finalists on their personalities and how those could be turned into characters on the show. I guess I get that, but aren’t they supposed to be actors who, you know, act? I mean, I hope that Lea Michele isn’t the awful annoyance she portrays on TV. My point is that the kids probably should have been judged more on a pure talent base than whether the writers could write for the actual person and not the character. Maybe I’m wrong on this, but it seemed a bit strange.

If you haven’t seen the finale or don’t want the winners spoiled, stop here. A few episodes before the finale there was a moment where Ryan Murphy or one of the other guys mentions that they’ve been kicking around the idea of doing a “different kind of Christian” and that Samuel has Jesus tattoos, so that made sense. I knew right there that he was going to win because he easily fit in with what they had planned for the show. That makes sense to me. However, it’s not like you need to get a Christian actor to fill it. Actors act. Of course, that wasn’t the end of the episode though and I actually liked what Murphy did after that by also offering Damian his own seven episode arc as well as two episodes to Alex (the kid whose idea of drag comes from the Big Mommas House collection) and Lindsay (the girl with the crazy eyes that no one likes).

I don’t keep up on everything Glee, but I’ve heard rumblings here and there. First there was talk that some of the leads were leaving the show, then it was mentioned that they were going to have their own spin-off, then that got scrapped and the characters were going to be leaving high school but staying on the show. There’s nothing worse than a 28 year old high school student, so I think moving them through is a great idea and so is having this reality show around as a way to really test talent. I’d imagine that after being with a group of performers for 12 weeks, you get a really solid idea of what they can do and how well resulting in the kind if finale they had this year with four of the finalists getting spots on the series. Why not? It might not make for the most riveting reality competition programming, but after spending time with the potentials we as viewers start to like them and that gets Glee viewers excited to see how, when and why these folks will pop up on the show. Who woulda thought that I’d dig a show based on a show that I do not like?