Advertisement

arts entertainmentTV

Reality-TV convention set for Fort Worth is postponed to 2016

Update, May 12:

The first RealtopiaTV Fest, which was scheduled for the end of this month, has been pushed back to 2016. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, organizers sent out a short statement saying there were talent-scheduling conflicts that prevented the inaugural fest from happening this year.

Original post, March 25:

Advertisement

There are all kinds of pop-culture conventions out there, devoted to all kinds of cool things like superheroes, sci-fi and zombies. Less cool is a convention that was just announced this week: The RealtopiaTV Festival, celebrating reality stars "doing good," is coming to Fort Worth in late May.

News Roundups

Catch up on the day's news you need to know.

Or with:

Stars who'll appear at the festival include Dallas' own Bachelor star Sean Lowe, Sadie Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame and Ethan Zohn of Survivor and The Amazing Race. Another local star who'll be there is Hayley Orrantia, who competed on The X Factor but is better known these days as Erica on The Goldbergs. Orrantia grew up in Grand Prairie and Highland Village.

The purpose of the fest, according to a press release, "is to celebrate people and their stories that are positive, uplifting, and encouraging." The festival "will feature celebrities whose stories, journeys on their show, authenticity and/or the use of their celebrity after their time on their show is inspiring to their fans."

Advertisement

The sentiment is admirable, but ... it's just not that exciting. I enjoy a triumphant Biggest Loser transformation as much as anyone, but if I'm honest, I prefer my reality TV stars served with a healthy dose of salt. I know this doesn't speak well of me, but ... there you go. But I would be far more excited if this convention involved Nene Leakes and Juan Pablo Galavis. 

If you are a better person than I am (highly likely), then here's what's available to you at the festival:

Advertisement
  • A Night of the Stars concert featuring Hayley Orrantia, Mark Ballas (DWTS) and John Lindahl (The X Factor)
  • A party at the Shack at Panther Island Pavilion with performances from Lone Star Attitude (Troubadour TX), Reagan James (The Voice) and The Brewer Boys (The X Factor USA)
  • Dance classes taught by Lindsay Arnold of Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance
  • Meet-and-greets with the celebrity guests
  • Panel discussions

The festival is May 29-31 at the Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth. Tickets for the festival range from $75-$350 are available at realtopiatv.com. Tickets are also available for the Night of the Stars concert at Will Rogers Auditorium ($40-$60) and and the Party at the Shack at Panther Island Pavilion ($35 to $75).