Rank: 3/5
“Kocktails with Khloe,” while rather unorthodox, brings something new and refreshing to the late night talk show circuit.
The show, featuring Khloe Kardashian, premiered on FYI on Jan. 20. Kardashian, TV personality and socialite, serves as both the host and executive producer. The premiere had relatively low viewership, with only 347,000 U.S. viewers. But to those who skipped missed out, the show does not disappoint.
Kardashian brings celebrity guests onto the show and into her kitchen for conversation, games, cooking and “kocktails.” The premiere episode’s guests included her sister, Kendall Jenner, Snoop Dogg, Aisha Tyler,Brandi Glanville of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and Kym Whitley of “Young & Hungry.”
While somewhat crass and inappropriate, Kardashian is remembered for her quirkiness and is often called the most down-to-earth Kardashian sister.
Unlike most talk shows, the tv personality didn’t stay in a chair or behind a desk all night. She walked around, changed rooms and had a wide variety of activities in which to participate. The set is a full functioning house instead of a stuffy stage.
Rather than spacing her interviews out, Kardashian interviewed the guests in a group setting. Khloe, and her show, are so casual that guest Kym Whitley even felt comfortable enough to take a bathroom break while on air. While the conversation was mostly jovial, they also discussed hot topics like abortion, racism, marijuana and single parenthood.
Jenner, urged by the other guests, prank-called Kim Kardashian West and bemoaned a fake pregnancy scare. West, unbeknownst of the joke, offered genuine advice and care for Jenner’s situation. It was very heartfelt until the prank was revealed, ending the call.
Kardashian, aiming to get to know her guests, also revealed personal information about herself. She admitted that if it weren’t for the limelight, she would be a pre-school teacher or social worker. Divulging into her relationship with estranged husband Lamar Odom, she mentioned that they had looked into both fostering and adopting children.
Khloe entertained her guests with a Tinder-like game in which the ladies judged celebrity men based on their appearance. She also introduced a game which was a combination of charades and “never have I ever,” with the guests doing things like stomping around the room if they preferred certain qualities in men.
Snoop Dogg revealed his smoking habits and his latest pet project titled- Merry Jane, an encyclopedia of marijuana. The ladies of the show revealed the double standard present in today’s society and how they are perceived by men and the media.
Discussing the lack of diversity in the Oscars, the group honed in on the absence of a younger demographic, people of color and women in the Academy. But Kardashian shut this conversation down after it reached its peak so another game could be played instead.
Whitley and Snoop Dogg donned wigs and accents as they acted out the Twitter feud between Nicki Minaj and “Teen Mom” star Farrah Abraham. The host strangely wrapped up the show by shouting out Michael B. Jordan and the cast of “Straight Outta Compton.”
While highly anticipated, “Kocktails with Khloe” was awkward at best. Not unlike “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” it’s another stereotypical trashy reality TV show. No promises on a second season, but trashy or not, it was attention grabbing and captivating for the entire hour.