“XXX Olympic Games”
All week, NBC and its affiliate networks
It’s the first full week of the Olympics, which basically means most of the other networks are raising their hands and slowly creeping backwards toward the nearest exit. Thankfully there’s plenty of excitement coming out of London. This week you can take in a heap of swimming events (including the much-trumpeted face-offs between Americans Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps), women’s gymnastics, diving, beach volleyball, and come the weekend, the start of an overwhelming number of track-and-field events. And that’s just NBC’s primetime coverage (make sure to tune in Friday night for the men’s trampoline finals—trampoline, you guys). You can catch all manner of other events on NBC’s sister networks throughout the week. Check nbc olympics.com for a full schedule.
“All the Right Moves”
Tuesday 9pm, Oxygen
Fans of “So You Think You Can Dance” probably recognize the names Travis Wall and Nick Lazzarini. Lazzarini won the first season of Fox’s dance competition, while Wall came in second place in season 2, but has since gone on to become one of the show’s most successful choreographers, scoring an Emmy nomination for his truly breathtaking work on the series. This new reality series documents the friends’ attempt to start their own contemporary-dance company, also featuring dancers Teddy Forance and Kyle Robinson. Expect some fantastic dancing, plenty of drama, and lots of hot guys dancing shirtless. Sold!
“Rat B*stards”
Tuesday 10:30pm, Spike
Are you aware that giant rat-like creatures from South America—alternately called nutrias or coypus—are currently wreaking havoc on the wetlands of the southern coast of our country? I was not. Apparently it is a huge problem, as this invasive species is extremely destructive. They burrow and can chew through everything from tires to house paneling, and more importantly, have been found responsible for the destruction of thousands of acres of marshlands. In response, the government has enacted several programs to incentivize the “harvesting” of nutria (read: people get paid to kill them), and given the success of shows like “Swamp People,” reality TV has taken an interest. This show documents the exploits of giant river-rat hunters in Mississippi who are trying to protect the wetlands, make a buck, and some are even trying to introduce nutria meat as a legitimate food source to Americans. Hey, it’s low in cholesterol.