Skip to Content
reality TV reviews, news, and analysis since 2000

How do I get Tournament of Champions tickets? Can a Survivor play two shots in the dark?

How do I get Tournament of Champions tickets? Can a Survivor play two shots in the dark?
The studio audience during Tournament of Champions IV's premiere. How did they get tickets for the Food Network competition?

In this edition of Ask Andy, where I answer your questions about reality TV, we have questions about free streaming of The Great British Baking Show’s early seasons, audience tickets for Food Networks’ Tournament of Champions, and Survivor’s Shot in the Dark.

If you have a question, send it to me and I’ll do my best to answer.

Did Bake-Off leave the Roku Channel?

Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Elie Kemper, and Zach Cherry stand in front of a Christmas Tree in the Great American Baking Show tent
Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Elie Kemper, and Zach Cherry on Roku Channel’s The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Holiday special

This breaks my heart!!! I got my hopes up so high, but it’s not on The Roku Channel anymore. Unless I did something wrong. Does anyone else see it? —Relle

Never fear, Relle! The Roku Channel—a free streaming service that does not actually require you to have one of these things—is still streaming The Great British Bake-Off.

In Sept. 2022, The Roku Channel announced that it was reviving The Great American Baking Show, and as part of that, had licensed seasons of the original to stream.

Here’s what’s there now, with links to stream on the web:

How can I get Tournament of Champions tickets?

Tournament of Champions host Guy Fieri in front of the show's bracket
Tournament of Champions host Guy Fieri in front of the show’s bracket. (Photo by Anders Krusberg/Food Network)

First, what a wonderful behind the scenes interview with Lando. One question for you: Is it possible to buy tickets to watch TOC V in person? I am unable to find legitimate information in regard to this question. Thank you so much for your time. —Donna

Thanks, Donna, and you’re so welcome. It is not possible to buy tickets—because they are free!

Yes, you can see the Randomizer spin in person and not pay a cent, though you do have to get yourself to the studio.

This year, the audience even got to participate, other than clapping and cheering, as one of the Wild Card options on the Randomizer allowed the audience to choose which wheel to re-spin.

Tournament of Champions films in Santa Rosa, Calif., about 90 minutes north of San Francisco.

Season 4 filmed over two weeks in late November 2022, and while nothing is confirmed yet, I’d guess Tournament of Champions season 5 will film around that same time this year.

TOC casts its audience through a company called On Camera Audiences, which also handles a lot of other shows, from Jeopardy! to Big Brother.

The most-recent information shows that audience members had to be 18 or older, and vaccinated for COVID-19. They were also tested for COVID, in addition to wearing masks when instructed.

While we’re between seasons, you can’t yet get tickets, but On Camera Audiences does offer a helpful “Submit Info” link so you can “be notified when more dates are added for this show,” it says.

Good luck, and wave hi to us from the audience! Or wear a reality blurred t-shirt so we can recognize you!

Can a Survivor play two shots in the dark?

A hand placing a die on top of a small pyramid
Survivor’s shot in the dark: a die that, when played, takes away the player’s vote but gives them a shot at immunity (Image by CBS)

Question that I’ve always wondered…If someone plays their shot in the dark, can they play one again in the season or is it a one off? Does Jaime get to use one again [because her’s] was successful? Thanks! —Michael

I had the same question back when the Shot in the Dark was introduced in Survivor 41.

Until Survivor 44, it’s basically been a bust: everyone who played it went home. However, when both Matthew and Jaime played it at the first Tribal Council this season, neither went home, breaking that streak—and Jaime was the first to actually find a “safe” scroll.

By the way, the odds were the same for both Matthew and Jaime. That’s because players always have one in six shot. Chrissy Hofbeck asked executive producer Matt Van Wagenen, and got confirmation that the odds are 1 in 6, even if two people choose to play it.

And once the merge arrives, the odds stay the same; if there are 12 players in the game, there will be two “safe” scrolls, and 10 “not safe” scrolls.

But to your question: No, they cannot play again. It’s a once-a-season option for each player. That’s why they’re given the six-sided die; once they play it, it’s gone.

I still don’t understand why those who play their Shot in the Dark don’t actually roll the dice; instead, they basically exchange it for a chance to select from six scrolls. That’s a mystery for another day!

All reality blurred content is independently selected, including links to products or services. However, if you buy something after clicking an affiliate link, I may earn a commission, which helps support reality blurred. Learn more.

More from reality blurred

About the author

  • Andy Dehnart

    Andy Dehnart is the creator of reality blurred and a writer and teacher who obsessively and critically covers reality TV and unscripted entertainment, focusing on how it’s made and what it means.

Discussion: your turn

I think of writing about television as the start of a conversation, and I value your contributions to that conversation. We’ve created a community that connects people through open and thoughtful conversations about the TV we’re watching and the stories about it.

To share our perspectives and exchange ideas in a welcoming, supportive space, I’ve created these rules for commenting here. By commenting below, you confirm that you’ve read and agree to those rules.

Happy discussing!

Beverly P Cuervo

Friday 12th of May 2023

Will they have a tournament of champions for bakers?

Ben

Sunday 19th of March 2023

I can see where having the Shot in the Dark being a die could (however improbably) result in everybody being immune. At least the scroll method kind of prevents that from happening.

Andy Dehnart

Sunday 19th of March 2023

Excellent point! I guess it just seemed ridiculous to me to have this prop, and then use it as a token instead of its functional purpose.

Patrick

Saturday 18th of March 2023

Agreed, why are they not rolling it? It would make much more logical sense, and honestly would be more dramatic too. Remember the coin flip from a few seasons back? (Or was that on Australian Survivor...)

Melissa

Thursday 16th of March 2023

Ooh!! I assumed ToC was filmed in southern California. But I could do Santa Rosa. Thanks Donna for the question, and Andy for the answer! If I get tickets, I'll totally wear a reality blurred t-shirt.

Bad Mitten

Thursday 16th of March 2023

"Can a Survivor play two shots in the dark?"

- This could have been answered quite succinctly The twist is called shot in the dark not shots in the dark lol