Michael and Ezzie expelled from the Greatest American Dog
This show caught my eye a couple of weeks ago when I saw the first promo for it on CBS and I had to make it a point to check it out and I can tell you that I really enjoyed the show. My family is full of animal lovers including myself and it just amazes me to watch the interaction between owners and in this case their dogs.
Tonight was the premier of the Greatest American Dog hosted by Zoologist Jarod Miller where the owner of the winning dog will receive a quarter of a million dollars and their dog receives the title of “Greatest American Dog”. The twelve competing contestants and their dogs all get to sleep together at the K9 Academy. This place looked like a dog’s paradise. Lot’s of fire hydrants, dog food, and even nice beds for the dogs. The twelve contestants and their dog included (Owner / Dog): Ron and Tillman, Teresa and Leroy, Travis and Presley, Brandy and Beacon, Elan and Kenji, Bill and Star, Michael and Ezzie, JD and Galaxy, Beth Joy and Bella Starlet, David and Elvis, Laurie and Andrew.
The first competition called “Dog Bone Challenges” was themed “Doggie Musical Chairs”. Owners must guide their dogs around chairs while music is played. When it stops the dog must sit on the chair. Of course there are not enough chairs for each round so that means during each round some dogs will be eliminated. The winner of the competition gets to stay in the “Doggie Suite” of the K9 Academy and this winner chooses one owner and dog to stay outside in the dog house (just big enough for the owner and dog to sleep in). After eight rounds of this competition, JD and Galaxy were declared the winners and they chose David and Elvis to stay in the dog house. It was awesome that the other dog owners brought out a bed and some bedding to David and Elvis. It showed the goodness of most pet owners.
The next day’s challenge was the “Best in Show” (Elimination Round) where owners and their dogs split up into teams that put on a performance based on a theme to showcase their individual dog skills and how well the owners interact with their dogs. The competition is judged by a panel of experts that included:
- Victoria Stilwell – celebrity dog trainer and author.
- Allan Resnick – editor at large for “Dog World” and “Dog Fancy” magazines.
- Wendy Diamond – Author and animal rescue advocate. She was accompanied by her dog “Lucky” who was rescued from a New York City shelter in 1999.
The teams and their theme for this competition were:
- Team Aloha – JD and Galaxy, Teresa and Leroy, Laura and Preston, Bill and Star.
- Disco Dogs – Michael and Ezzie, Laurie and Andrew, Elan and Kenji, Ron and Tillman.
- Home Coming at Bark and Wag High – Travis and Presley, Brandy and Beacon, Beth Joy and Bella Starlet, David and Elvis.
I thought the coolest theme was the “Home coming at Bark and Wag High”. All of the owners and pets were dressed up in a high school theme and included a cheer where the dogs had to bark and wag their tails.
The bottom three owners/dogs based on the judge’s scores were:
- Brandy and Beacon
- Beth Joy and Bella Starlet
- Michael and Ezzie
Based on the judge’s decision, Michael and Ezzie were the first to be eliminated from “America’s Greatest Dog” or as our host Jarod Miller said “Expelled from the K9 Academy). We are very curious to hear what your opinions were about this show so don’t be afraid to drop us an email or comment on this recap.
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July 11th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
The elimination of Michael and Ezzie was a case of pure homophobia! Despite one contestant physically pushing her dog into performing, it was obviously decided that Michael was “too gay” and had to go. There were at least 4 other animals that didn’t do as well as they did, but were allowed to continue. I’ll never watch another episode and plan to boycott all sponsors, and notify them why. And I’ll never watch that English bitch Victoria again – she was cruel and obviously punishing the dog for the man. Fifty million gay people should be outraged and protest this injustice, too.
July 11th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
I agree that there were several animal-owner pairs that deserved to go but I’m not sure Michael and Essie were the worst. I’m surprised that the judges didn’t name a winner of the challenge as well as the person being eliminated - it would have been interesting to know who they thought had the best performance.
July 12th, 2008 at 8:50 am
I have a Boston Terrier and I understand the breed - they are hightly intelligent, high spirited and high energy dogs. I told my husband I would bet the Boston would be the first to go because of their personality. I absolutely love the breed and would have no other dog. Mine is not friendly though like many Bostons - she is very protective of me and would hurt someone if they came after me. In this day and age that isn’t necessarily bad with all of the crazies out there. I love her even more for that and would not give her up for a million dollars.