And the Winner Is!
Here we are … our three finalists
We know we are going to have the final showdowns, plus the classic reality show tactic of the cast reunion!
Oh Yeah . by the way I don’t think i’ve ever mentioned that the prize is $250,000.
In a finals format, there will be two best in show challenges with the judges doing an interview and requesting some impromptu tasks.
At this point before I’ve watched the episode, I am going to put my guess that Laurie and Andrew
are going to win this competition. I think that Travis & Presley
are just too inexperienced to demonstrate the abilities that the other two dogs can, and we’ve seen all along that JD and Galaxy
are awesome, but the judges aren’t too thrilled with JD’s style.
So, here we go!
After the interview with Laurie, the judges request that she leave so that they can see how Andrew would interact with other dogs since that would be a duty of The Greatest American Dog. Oh Oh .. we’ve seen this problem before. Andrew at first takes off behind the curtain looking for Laurie, but then actually starts to get some fun playing in with Wendy Diamond’s Lucky to the judges delight.
The demeanor of the judges changes with JD comes out with Galaxy. They ask questions like “what did Galaxy learn?” and “What did you learn from the other owners” .. JD has very condescending answers stating that he just observed and didn’t interfere with anyone else.
The up close and personal segment, Judge Wendy discusses grooming and asks how often Galaxy is given a bath. And an embarrased JD admits to only a couple of times a year.
Travis has good politically correct answers about how much he has learned, and that this competition has been only the begining for him.
We are treated to the judge Victoria Stillwell up close and personal with Presley who tests him with “leave it” commands. She uses an interesting “uh oh” voice when he does not follow the command, but she very softly leads him through the stages to the point where Presley will leave the treat on his paw without eating it!
The first round elimination is JD & Galaxy to the amazement of the other competitors.
LOL!! .. JD as a last show of disrespect as the judges are clapping for the effort they put in .. JD raises Galaxies hind legs and claps them in the air essentially displaying her privates to the judges in their face!! He walks out the door saying that “I definitely wouldn’t call it dominance training”.
After a final challenge of an obstacle course and a revisit from the Suzy the Elephant in which both dogs performed admirably and really weren’t pushed beyond anything they had already done. The final decision in front of the other contestants is announced.
HOLY SMOKES … The Greatest American Dog is PRESLEY!
It’s a surprise if you consider the measure of the Greatest American Dog as the best trained, having the most tricks, and simply an obedient pet.
But, if you consider the Greatest American Dog as the most “common” dog & owner relationship that most people can relate to, then I think we are in a better position to understand the judges decision. Cynically, the marketing brain in me wonders if there was some persuasion based upon the future public relations appearances! Is it better to send out a young, well spoken single guy with a dog just past puppyhood or a rougher edged father with an attitude?
You be the judge. Let me know what you thought about the show, the coverage here and the potential of seeing a Season Two of The Greatest American Dog.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.