interviews – Page 2 – reality blurred

Top Chef Portland's judges walking through a park in episode 1. From left to right: Dale Talde, Melissa King, Gregory Gourdet, Padma Lakshmi, Kwame Onwuachi, Tom Colicchio, Richard Blais, Gail Simmons, and Amar Santana

Top Chef Portland behind-the-scenes: how season 18 was produced

An interview with Magical Elves executives about Top Chef season 18, which filmed in Portland last fall.

Name That Tune band leader Randy Jackson and host Jane Krakowski in the premiere episode

How Name That Tune was produced and filmed (in Australia!)

Fox’s Name That Tune returned earlier this year, with a full, real studio audience! I talked to its executive producer about everything from filming in Australia to casting Jane Krakowski and Randy Jackson to updating a classic game show and its rules.

Magical Elves CEOs Casey Kriley and Jo Sharon

Magical Elves reveal what TV networks want from reality TV today

In my interview with new-ish Magical Elves CEOs Jo Sharon and Casey Kriley, they talked about their vision for the company, developing shows like Netflix’s Nailed It and Best Leftovers Ever, and what TV networks want production companies to pitch to them.

Gordon Ramsay samples contestant Brittani Ratcliff and Marc Quinones' food in the first challenge of Hell's Kitchen season 19

Hell’s Kitchen’s producer on what Gordon Ramsay does off-camera, casting, editing, and more

“This is honestly my favorite season since season five,” Hell’s Kitchen showrunner Kenny Rosen told me. In this interview, read his answers to my questions about everything from casting the show to editing, and also about the show’s move to Las Vegas for season 19.

Amazing Race 32's final three teams, minus one of the beards, talk to Phil Keoghan. From left to right: Riley McKibbin, Will Jardell, James Wallington, Hung Nguyen, and Chee Lee

Amazing Race producers on alliances, future rules, TAR 33’s status, and much more

I interviewed The Amazing Race executive producer and creator Elise Doganieri, and director and executive producer Bertram Van Munster, and we talked everything from season 32’s alliance and future rule changes to the status of The Amazing Race 33.

Hayden Moss was originally recruited for Survivor before being moved to Big Brother, which he won. He did eventually compete on Survivor, during Survivor Blood vs. Water, and is pictured here during episode 2.

Why Survivor stopped recruiting players, and how casting has changed recently

An interview with former Survivor casting director—and Amazing Race contestant—Jodi Wincheski, who explained how Survivor casting has changed in the past few years, and why.

Team Onyx captain Cliff Lyles on Eco-Challenge, food, and the connection between the two

Clifton Lyles, the captain of the first all-Black team on Eco-Challenge, shares behind-the-scenes details about World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji, and also talks about how his adventure racing and his career as a chef are connected.

about reality blurred

I’m Andy Dehnart, a writer who obsessively and critically covers reality TV, focusing on how it’s made and what it means.

I created reality blurred 20 years ago as a place to collect interesting links I found. Today, I review and recommend reality shows, documentaries, and nonfiction entertainment; analyze news and report from behind the scenes; and interview people who create and star in reality TV shows. You'll also find other people's insightful takes on reality TV in these pages, too.

I believe pop culture can both entertain and affect us, and so reality blurred's goal is to amplify the best and hold the worst accountable. In other words, I’m here to call it out when it sucks and celebrate it when it’s amazing. Let’s talk about it together!