8th & Ocean - The Complete First Season
Take equal partsLaguna Beach,The Real World, andMelrose Placeand you get MTV's reality series8th & Ocean. Set in the oh-so-glamorous world of modeling (Miami style), the show focuses on the lives (and loves) of 10 hotties trying to become the next Gisele Bundchen and Jason Lewis (Sex and the City). The cast is young, brash, and entertaining, although at times not very realistic about their chosen careers. One of the girls is averse to modeling risqué clothes for photo shoots. She seems to forget that she's a model. In Miami. And that most of the civilians walking around on the beach are flaunting less clothing than she is. As for Vinci, the resident heartthrob, he seems intent on sabotaging his own burgeoning career by being forever late (if he shows up at all).8th & Oceanhas plenty of eye candy to offer in the 10 episodes here. Between the fast editing, hormonally charged vignettes, and emo background music meant to make viewers pine along with the cast, it's easy to get carried away with the kids' dramas. Which two will sleep together? Will Sabrina's skin problem ever clear up? Will any of them become household names? No, they're not life or death dilemmas. But for the majority of folks who will never be mistaken for a model, it's nice to see that even the beautiful people are plagued by insecurities. And zits.--Jae-Ha Kim