Original ‘Extreme Makeover’ returning

Wondering about how a certain reality show pulled something off? Have a question about a certain contestant?

Whether it's "Survivor," "American Idol," "The Apprentice," "Real World" or another show, send in your questions. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, MSNBC.com's Television Editor, and Andy Dehnart, creator of the Reality Blurred Weblog,will try to answer them.

Before you send in your question, check our archives — you may be able to get your answer right away.

Q: What ever happened to the first version of “Extreme Makeover” when that is all they did...makeovers for people...plastic surgery, breast augmentation , zoom whitening?    —Anonymous

A: Earlier this year, we thought that "Extreme Makeover," the original plastic surgery version, didn't seem like a likely candidate to return to the air any time soon. In August, however, ABC announced it was bringing the show back for a fourth season, although it wasn't clear how many episodes it would air.

But then, with its summer reality series (such as "The One") tanking, ABC decided not to air "Extreme Makeover," and pulled the (presumably already shot and edited) episodes from its schedule, blanketing its schedule with repeats of "Grey's Anatomy."

That wasn't the end, however; Variety reports that ABC has again scheduled the fourth season, which will return on Friday, Oct. 20. The show will air at 8 p.m. ET, and Variety says it "is likely to air throughout the November sweeps." Whether or not viewers still have an appetite for surgery-related reality TV makeovers, not "Biggest Loser"-style transformations, is another question altogether.    —A.D.

Q: I was wondering when the next season of "Hell’s Kitchen" is due to start? I am a huge fan of the show!    —Meghan, Newfoundland, Canada

A: “Hell’s Kitchen” has been a summer reality hit for FOX for two summers now, and they’re smartly bringing it back for a third season. Considering that the second season changed basically nothing from the first season, it’s a safe assumption that the third season will follow the same format.

However, the show is still casting, and thus FOX has announced no official debut date. Both of the past two seasons debuted in June, however, so it’s not unreasonable to expect that “Hell’s Kitchen 3” will air next June.

If you think you have what it takes to do verbal battle with Gordon Ramsay, and not sweat into the food like contestant Tom did last season, FOX is now casting for the series.  Applications are due Nov. 10, and anyone can apply via mail, or via open casting calls. That is, if you can survive the 10-page application.    —A.D.

“The Swan” coming to DVD: We get a lot of questions about when certain reality shows will be coming out on DVD. We try and answer them when we can, and almost always point out that TVShowsOnDVD.com is a great reference for such information.

A show we're often asked about is plastic-surgery show "The Swan." We've noted that the FOX show is unlikely to ever return to TV , but if it was a favorite of yours, you should know that the entire series is coming out on DVD Oct. 24.    —G.F.C.

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is MSNBC.com's Television Editor. Andy Dehnart is a writer and teacher who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.