Celebrity David Hasselhoff, right, trades places with David Hasselhoff Jr. of Lake Jackson, Texas, on the season premiere of "Same Name."
It should come as no surprise that CBS has put "Same Name" (9 p.m. Sunday, KDKA-TV) in the "Undercover Boss" time slot. They're pretty similar shows.
Instead of a boss posing as an employee, a celebrity trades places with one of us regular people who happen to share the same name as the celebrity. In the premiere, "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff met David Hasselhoff Jr., a power technician from Lake Jackson, Texas.
What followed was pretty much what you would have expected. "Baywatch" Hasselhoff eats hamburger (ha-ha) with the Texas family while Texas Hasselhoff flies off in a private jet to live in the star's mansion for four days.
Hollywood Hoff is exhausted by regular Hasselhoff's chores and job. Texas Hasselhoff is stunned by taking the dog for a massage, getting yelled at by a personal trainer and meeting Hoff's agent.
The show hits on all the expected tropes, most notably the life of the wealthy vs. the life of a regular person. The regular folks are down to earth like the rest of us viewers; the wealthy people live a completely different life, but Hick Hoff learns that Hoff's life is complicated and busy even though he's got a ton of money. Hollywood Hoff is shocked by how neighborly folks are in Texas; he doesn't even know his Los Angeles neighbors.
"I realize I need family to keep me grounded," Hollywood Hoff confesses.
Hick Hoff learns celebrities face pressure, too. Mawkish, constructed life lessons all around!
The show is overly produced as too many shows of this type are, like the scene when Hollywood Hoff is awoken in the middle of the night to give a bottle to Texas Hoff's baby. And in the end, there's a gift given to the Texas family after Hollywood Hoff marvels, "They are working hard for a living just to make ends meet!"
"Same Name" is a show made for people who live and breathe E! and TMZ.com. Cynics need not tune in.
Future celebrities featured will include Mike Tyson, Kathy Griffin and Reggie Bush.
First published on July 25, 2011 at 12:00 am
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