A solid series of episodes in Macau ended an enjoyable season with a deserving winner, but there was a pointless final elimination before the finale.
recaps
Recaps and analysis of reality TV show episodes, including nearly every episode of CBS' Survivor.
Survivor switches tribes, and the ‘voluntary torture’ continues
The tribe swap was an excellent metaphor for this season: nothing happened.
The Bachelor lost something far more interesting than Colton’s virginity
Imagine if ABC marketed this season around Colton’s compassion, honesty, and vulnerability instead of his virginity?
Survivor threatens betrayals and chicken beheadings, but delivers neither
Jeff Probst said that this “a very complex, layered game only eight days in,” but saying a thing does not make it true.
A&E called Hoarders our ‘original declutter obsession.’ That misrepresents its real value.
Hoarders returned with a two-hour episode after being off the air for two years. It started off feeling unnecessary, but proved its worth by the end.
Cassie’s confession, Colton’s climb were entirely reasonable responses to The Bachelor’s format
Colton’s fence-jump finally aired, and it was a logical response to a crazy show—and may just pop The Bachelor’s fantasy bubble.
‘Kumbaya Survivor’ delays major decisions and moves
On the second episode of season 38, someone found an idol, a tribe considered a real blindside but took the easy way out instead, and Jeff Probst had fun with snakes.
Masked Singer ended without surprises as Bee, Monster, and Peacock were unmasked
The finale of The Masked Singer—or the second hour of it—was an efficient and fun conclusion to this wacky but watchable hit reality show.
The Challenge gets personal, resolving two conflicts in its first three episodes
A recap of The Challenge: War of the Worlds episodes two and three, which involved conflicts between Ashley and Hunter, and Bananas and Wes.
An ugly first vote on Survivor: Edge of Extinction’s premiere
The person who was thrown overboard first on Survivor Edge of Extinction was neither the weakest nor the most annoying, so why did they get those labels?
Drag Race’s queens deserve better than these inept twists
“Lord, please let there not be another twist. I can’t. I can’t. I’m broken,” said Monet X Change, perhaps speaking for many RuPaul’s Drag Race fans.
Slut-shaming cost a reality show contestant $500,000
The Challenge: Final Reckoning’s finale saw Ashley hold Hunter accountable for his awful language and behavior by deciding to keep $1 million for herself.
On The Challenge: War of the Worlds premiere, reality stars invade other reality stars’ show
I haven’t watched The Challenge in years, but War of the Worlds brought in a new group of reality stars to compete, so I thought I’d check in.
Masked Singer gets a second season, but Fox offers no clues about it
Fox has renewed its singing competition, which has been a rare hit for a new broadcast network reality show.
Fox should renew The Masked Singer, but make it more like South Korean version, King of Mask Singer
Fox’s Masked Singer could be so much better, if only it’d use more of the original format.