The Assistant — Season 1, Episode 1: Welcome to The Assistant, Now Go Home
Reality, Comedy • 25 min • 1 season, 8 episodes • ★ 9.0/10
Episode synopsis
The show opens up with a corny introduction about the show with Andy looking somewhat impressive atop a hill. All of the potential assistants are introduced one by one. When all the introductions are finished, to everyone's surprise Andy announces he's already going to eliminate someone. After the first elimination ceremony where Andrew is the unfortunate victim (with Mark barely scraping past), Andy shows the assistants where they are to sleep -- cots located in the garage. Andy also gives them a book about himself filled with all sorts of information. His turnons, when he lost his virginity, etc. Later on, he makes an offhand comment about the grass being too long and Tanika, one of the assistants, grabs some scissors and cuts the grass. Suddenly, Andy announces there will be yet another elimination. But not before Andy invites the assistants to play a game in his living room: Who wants to be Andy's Assistant? After the rounds are over, there are three assistants who received the lowest scores. Colin, Nikeda, and Sarah. Unfortunately for Nikeda, she only got 1 of her 5 questions correct and she is the second assistant to become eliminated.
About The Assistant
The Assistant is a reality television show that parodied other reality shows such as The Apprentice, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Survivor, American Idol, and Fear Factor. Its eight episodes originally aired on MTV. It featured comedian Andy Dick's search for a new personal assistant. The beginning of the first episode parodied The Bachelor, with the twelve contestants arriving in limousines, and Dick waiting outside to greet them with his maid and butler. A "rose ceremony" immediately followed, and one contestant was eliminated. Dick assigned the Hollywood hopefuls to some absurd tasks such as pretending to be him in an interview with a Japanese television station, bringing him coffee by traversing on a beam over a swimming pool, breaking up with his girlfriend, and attempting to get him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Contestants were usually "snipped" in elimination ceremonies parodying those on other reality series. Like some other programs, The Assistant also included double elimination episodes and brought back fired candidates. Driving home Dick's message that they were starting from the bottom, candidates slept in Dick's garage. He also woke them with a flashing, siren-generating alarm, was prone to tantrums, and griped that, "This reality show is ruining my life!"