Editor's Note: We've asked writer Linda Holmes to focus on one weekly highlight — or, more likely, lowlight — from the world of summer reality TV. Here's her first take.
Plastic shampoo bottles are a delicate matter.
If you’re following the saga of self-obsessed hairstylist Jonathan Antin and his merry band of whiny sycophants on Bravo’s divine “Blow Out” (Tuesdays, 9 p.m. ET), you know that this season focuses on Jonathan’s efforts to launch his line of hair-care products, chosen by destiny to be the greatest hair-care products of all time.
The process has featured extravagantly disastrous meetings with Scott, Jonathan’s Botox-esque packaging nemesis. Scott’s late arrival at their first meeting touched off a passive-aggressive war of logistics in which Jonathan will now meet only at the salon, where he makes Scott wait as long as possible.
Scott discovered a new rule of salon etiquette last week when he brought over a few sample bottles and inadvertently touched Jonathan’s shoulder with one. As it turns out, you don’t touch Jonathan with things. Relations strained further over the fact that Jonathan liked the sample bottles and found the throwing of hissy-fits more challenging as a result.
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The argument escalated and moved outside, like a bar fight with more extra-hold mousse. Jonathan first insisted that Scott stop moving his hands, interpreting all movement as an unmistakable sign of disrespect.
An obediently immobile and heavily bleeped Scott complained unconvincingly about Jonathan’s “cussing,” a puffed-up Jonathan threatened to take over the bottle design himself, and Scott spat back that Jonathan should consider whether his “beauty-school education” qualifies him to do graphic design. Jonathan closed with a little more “cussing” and ordered the sales and marketing VPs to throw Scott out, making his the first hair salon equipped with delicate, female, business-suited bouncers. Jonathan, as his reputation demands, then punched the door. POW!
So, to review: Pounding, swearing, unwelcome touching, and a guy ejected from the premises. Over plastic bottles. And relatively speaking, this meeting went well.
Linda Holmes is a writer in Bloomington, Minn.