I was left with many questions after Survivor San Juan Del Sur‘s second consecutive insane Tribal Council, about exactly what transpired that led to Jon and Keith playing their idols and Wes being voted out with just two votes. I watched the episode twice to try… continue reading
Archives for November 2014
Real World cast member Ryan Knight died
The Real World New Orleans 2010 cast member Ryan Knight was found dead Thanksgiving morning. He was 29. In a statement, the Kenosha Police Department said “there were no obvious signs of injuries.” He was at a friend’s house where someone saw him sleeping… continue reading
New Idol mentor? Plus: Cheryl Burke leaving DWTS; Duggar petition; Shark Tank first
It’s time for our semi-regular round up of reality TV news and links. I hope everyone has an awesome Thanksgiving; safe travels and happy days of relaxation, work, and/or mad consumerism. I’m very grateful for you, supporting reality blurred by reading, sharing… continue reading
Marcus Lemonis says tonight’s The Profit is “near and dear” to him
Marcus Lemonis, star of The Profit, has asked his social media followers to “share in” tonight’s episode of his CNBC show, calling it a “holiday gift” that’s “very near and dear to me.” He also says that it is a… continue reading
Two days after filming ends, Bachelor spoiled
Two days after filming on The Bachelor‘s 19th season concluded, perennial spoiler and dogged researcher Steve Carbone has again published what he says is the outcome of the season–a season that won’t even debut until Jan. 5. Chris Soules’ season ended Saturday in Iowa,… continue reading
Sharknado, America’s Got Talent may become theme park attractions
Universal Orlando is considering adapting at least two of its networks’ properties–America’s Got Talent and Sharknado–into live theme park stage shows, according to surveys sent to some people as part of its “feedback initiative.” Screenshots posted to Orlando United and posted by Behind the… continue reading
How Zane Lamprey kept his televised global drinking quest alive
Spending your life as a global pub-crawler and star of your own drinking reality shows is not as easy as it looks. Just ask Zane Lamprey; he’s been at it for almost a decade. Like a phoenix of alcohol, Zane keeps… continue reading
Eric Greenspan tries to break down stereotypes with meat
Eric Greenspan is Hungry offers a quintessentially American story: two super-successful, Jewish, Berkeley-educated, city boys traipse around the backwoods of the Bible Belt, learning from the locals how to shoot, fish, and sometimes shoot fish, all in a quest for… continue reading
Ugly Christmas sweaters will make $8 million because of Shark Tank
Shark Tank introduced a new shark last night, GoPro founder and billionaire Nick Woodman, the best new addition since Mark Cuban, and also featured a contentious, emotional pitch over a product called Kitchen Safe. But it was an update in the middle… continue reading
Something different for food reality TV: a focus on food
Nancy Barber is a friend and writer who knows food better than I do, having written about local Florida restaurants, among other topics. So, when National Geographic invited reporters on a sponsored trip to New Orleans to learn about its three food-focused reality series,… continue reading
A Survivor surprise in the form of a baffling vote
Even 29 seasons in, Survivor continues to offer surprises. This time, they came in the form of baffling behavior: reward challenge trades, pointless lies, and a true blindside. It was also a throwback to earlier seasons when the vote came as a surprise… continue reading
Janice Dickinson says Bill Cosby raped her
Joining the list of women who say Bill Cosby sexually assaulted them is former America’s Next Top Model judge and long-time reality TV star Janice Dickinson. Janice told Entertainment Tonight that Cosby raped her in 1982, and that “drove me to a life of trying… continue reading
Yes, MasterChef Junior is even more awesome this season
Only two episodes of MasterChef Junior have aired so far, but it’s safe to say the show has retained–and even improved on–everything that made it such a great series last fall. For HitFix, I look at six major reasons why… continue reading
A trivial format change for SYTYCD
So You Think You Can Dance has once again escaped cancellation, but when it returns next summer, it will have a slightly different twist, with two teams of dancers led by mentors during the auditions. Last summer, it also had a… continue reading
The reality TV series that inspired Serial
After eight episodes, the podcast Serial has become a phenomenon. The podcast and its latest episode are both at the top of the iTunes podcast charts, and it has inspired everything from a podcast that discusses the podcast to some inevitable backlash. Produced by This… continue reading