As a natural cynic, I tend to pooh-pooh... well, everything. And, I usually dislike blogs that sound like diaries. But I have to break the rules this once, and take a moment to say how much I like two shows currently on Spike TV. This admission is all the more distasteful for me, since Spike is called "The first station for men," which really makes me feel like it's Lifetime with testosterone. But I digress. The two Spike entries I quite enjoy are: 1) "The Joe Schmo Show," an elaborate reality show spoof. Only one of the "contestants" is an actual contestant; everyone else on the show is an actor. Despite the fact that this show was obviously dreamed up immediately after someone saw a rerun of "The Truman Show" on late night HBO, the setups are hilarious. And, the particular "Joe Schmo" who isn't in on the joke comes off as fairly likeable: I find myself rooting for him to rise above the tricks everyone is playing on him, and he usually does. 2) Truly one of the hands-down funniest things ever shown on television, "Most Extreme Challenge" is a japanese game show dubbed in English. But it's oh-so-much more than that; you simply have to experience it to understand.