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 to make sense of what happened at Tribal Council, and I still have no idea…. 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 before 8 a.m., but just after 10 a.m., someone “discovered that Ryan was unconscious and not… 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 stories with friends and colleagues, responding to the damn surveys, and sending me tips, links, and other… 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 highlight of his three seasons investing in businesses and making the series. Marcus wrote on… 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, at a barn owned by his parents. Skip to the next paragraph if you don’t… 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 Thrills say Universal is “thinking about adding a new live show attraction to its theme park line… 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 rising from the ashes again and again. His shows have worked, even if the networks… 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 great meat. In the process, we all learn a lot about how exotic protein—hog, wild… 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 of the show that was the most surprising. The founders of Tipsy Elves, a company… 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, I asked her to cover them for reality blurred. In the first of several pieces, she reports… 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 to viewers because very little and/or misleading strategizing was shown. When Natalie turned to Missy… 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 to hurt myself.” She said she did not report it because “I was embarrassed and… 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 the show is so terrific, from the talented kids to the way the judges treat… 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 slightly different twist that didn’t change much. For season 12, dancers will be separated based on their… 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 American Life, it is absolutely absorbing and addictive (and, yes, problematic in different ways), and not… continue reading
MTV’s Diem Brown has died
Diem Brown, the two-time cancer survivor who who appeared on MTV’s Challenges, died this morning after her most recent battle with cancer. She was 32. People has a detailed obituary and timeline of her recent illness. The magazine reports that “Friends and family had been gathering at her bedside at a New York City hospital… continue reading
Ryan Anderson tells the story of Gia Allemand’s suicide
Bachelor and Bachelor Pad cast member Gia Allmend was remembered briefly on the ABC show’s season premiere last January, following her death last August. Now, her boyfriend, NBA player Ryan Anderson, and family members have told the story of her death and its aftermath. Chris Ballard’s Sports Illustrated story is devastating, recounting and recreating the events before she hung herself, what happened… continue reading
Todd Herzog on Dr. Phil: “I know that I need help”
Todd Herzog was on Dr. Phil for the third time today, an episode filmed one year to the day from his first, horrifying appearance. Because this is Dr. Phil and Todd’s horrifying alcoholism and popularity can be dragged out for two episodes, the actual result of the intervention is being saved for tomorrow’s episode. Dr. Phil opened the… continue reading
Gross, piggish sexism on Survivor, this time with consequences
Survivor is no stranger to sexism from its host or players, but rarely has it been so blatant or gross as it was last night, and rarely does it result in such clear consequences–though, sadly, it was not for one of the people behaving badly, but the most threatening member of their alliance. The result was… continue reading
Top Chef’s Aaron arrested; Randy Jackson quits Idol again; Kim Kardashian’s butt
Recent news about reality TV show cast members American Idol judge turned mentor Randy Jackson is finally leaving the series, apparently for real this time. In 2013, he quit the show, and then was added back as a mentor. In a statement, Fox, FremantleMedia, and 19 Entertainment said he “has been such an integral part… continue reading