You can sneer all you want at reality television, but some of the biggest entertainment headlines in 2011 came from shows like American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, Real Housewives and Battle of the Blades. Here’s my list of 10 notable events from the year in reality TV, listed in chronological order.

Everything is Beautiful:
All eyes were on American Idol as its 10th season debuted on Jan. 19. Simon Cowell was long gone and it was up to two music stars, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, to save the franchise. They turned out to be lightweights as judges (Tyler used the word “beautiful” so many times to describe performances he should have had it tattooed on his forehead), but the fans didn’t care. The season’s ratings were up about 5 per cent and viewers chose a winner, country singer Scotty McCreery, who actually sold records.

Musical Chairs:
Everybody thought Cowell’s new U.S. version of The X Factor would be Idol’s main competition, but The Voice stole X Factor’s thunder when it debuted on April 26. The series fended off talent show ennui with the novel conceit (to us anyway, the format was already a hit internationally) of blind auditions, with the judges spinning their huge red chairs around to face only contestants they liked. Most importantly for fans, the contestants could really sing — not a William Hung in the bunch.

The Dark Side of Reality:
When Russell Armstrong hanged himself on Aug. 15, there were claims that his portrayal on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was one of the pressures that drove him to suicide. His widow, Taylor Armstrong, later went public with allegations of spousal abuse, which have figured in this season’s plot. The show, of course, went on and the controversy continues.

The Homophobic Shuffle:
The howls of outrage from some quarters were predictable when ABC announced on Aug. 29 that Chaz Bono, the transgendered son of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, was joining the cast of Dancing With the Stars. Hatred from the blogosphere didn’t spill into the broadcasts, however, where Bono was a fan favourite and outlasted a couple of the better dancers, finishing in seventh place.

Body Blow:
Another suicide by a reality show cast member hit much closer to home when former NHL enforcer Wade Belak hanged himself in a Toronto hotel room on Aug. 31. Among the mourners were devastated cast and crew from the CBC skating competition Battle of the Blades. Former competitor Russ Courtnall stepped in on short notice to take Belak’s place; tribute was paid in the Sept. 18 season premiere and the series got on with the business of entertaining viewers.

Your Turn, Canada:
Auditions began Sept. 9 for Canada’s Got Talent, a spinoff of the British franchise. With CTV killing both Canadian Idol and So You Think You Can Dance Canada (see next item), there’s an opening for a homegrown talent show that the country can get behind. We’ll find out in the spring on Citytv whether this is it.

No, Actually, You Can’t:
The confetti from the Season 4 finale had barely been swept up when the news broke Sept. 13 that So You Think You Can Dance Canada had been cancelled. Bellmedia cited lower ratings, but with the series scheduled to run at the same time as the American version and the finale airing on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, it seemed like the writing was on the wall long before the first contestant busted a chassé.

Bold leadin:
Simon Cowell said he’d be disappointed if The X Factor didn’t pull Idol-like ratings of 20 million when it debuted Sept. 21. It averaged 12.3 million in the U.S., which isn’t peanuts, but it’s not an unqualified success. Bombastic production, petty squabbling between the judges and results shows that left young girls sobbing onstage have turned off some viewers. Speculation is that awkward host Steve Jones and inept judge Nicole Scherzinger could be missing in Season 2.

Falling Ratings Phobia:
NBC decided that more bugs needed to be eaten on TV when it revived Fear Factor. About 8.5 million viewers tuned in the Dec. 12 premiere to watch contestants slosh around in cow’s blood, but the ratings fell to 6.3 million for the second show. Still, that’s a good Monday night for NBC.

America’s Got Talent:
Howard Stern may no longer be the self-proclaimed “King of All Media,” but joining America’s Got Talent as a judge won’t do him or the show any harm. He’ll have to censor his usual sexual and scatological humour, but series creator Simon Cowell expects the shock jock to shake things up. Given Stern’s ego and penchant for confrontation, it’s hard to doubt that.