I went behind the scenes with new Mythbusters Jon Lung and Brian Louden during filming of part of their “Rock ‘n’ Roll Road Rage” episode.
behind-the-scenes
Exclusive reports, interviews, details, and observations from behind the scenes of reality TV productions, from soundstages to islands, Trading Spaces to Survivor.
Behind the Scenes of American Ninja Warrior
Behind-the-scenes details about American Ninja Warrior’s city qualifiers and city finals production: How it’s filmed, how locations are chosen, and more.
Behind the scenes of American Grit season two
I stood on a bridge, swatting mosquitos so frequently my hands were just a blur, and shook American Grit executive producer Jon Kroll’s hand. “Let’s try right here until we start getting devoured,” he said. We were above a lake, water that was now swarming with bugs, bugs indifferent to insect repellant, natural or chemical, and… continue reading
Interview: John Cena on American Grit season two’s major changes
Last November, in a rural Georgia park, I interviewed several contestants for American Grit season two. It was the first thing a tiny contingent of press—two Fox TV station crew, and another print reporter and I—did before traveling to the actual set, where the contestants would be mentored by military elites and test their own endurance in the John… continue reading
Behind the scenes of The Runner’s real-time production
A behind-the-scenes report from day 29’s episode two of The Runner, go90’s cross-country chase reality competition produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Behind the scenes of Trading Spaces
Why Project Runway is no longer filmed at Parsons, and where it is now
Since 2004, Project Runway‘s home and filming location has been the Parsons School of Design in New York City. It’s where the workroom and the runway were located, and it was a five-minutes, 0.2 mile walk from Mood. Parsons also gave us Tim Gunn, who taught there and was supposed to just be an off-camera… continue reading
Sharknado 3’s surprises, on screen and behind the scenes
Oh hell yes: Sharknado is back on Syfy tonight, and the third installment brings with it more ridiculous mayhem and another slew of reality TV cameos. Shark Tank‘s Mark Cuban as the actual president, and, of course, the ever-serious Ian “EYE-an” Ziering from Celebrity Apprentice is the franchise’s star, Fin Shepard. The third installment brings… continue reading
How The Last Alaskans stayed real
“It was a big risk for us. We just had to hope, but we really wanted to try to tell authentic stories.” That’s Animal Planet Media executive Keith Hoffman, talking about the network’s series The Last Alaskans, which is the most surprising and most spectacular reality television show I’ve seen in quite some time. It’s… continue reading
Ultimate Survival Alaska fake? “No” “Everything … is real”
Ultimate Survival Alaska, which is now in its third season, sends four teams of three on a 13-leg race through Alaskan wilderness. It is dramatic and thrilling, and features moments of great danger. It has also been accused of staging moments and not authentic. Is Ultimate Survival Alaska fake? “Nothing is staged. Everything you see those people do… continue reading