A new competition has people facing off against bears in five challenges. I talked to producers about how exactly it came together.
reality TV show reviews
All reality show and documentary TV reviews on reality blurred by TV critic Andy Dehnart. (Learn more about Andy.)
Why Drag Race UK proved to be a ‘much betta’ version
The first season of BBC Three’s Drag Race UK, which aired on Logo, was a brilliant season and a bloody good time.
Three wonderful podcasts: Awesome Etiquette, Every Little Thing, and Office Ladies
Three recommendations for wonderful podcasts to listen to—perhaps this Thanksgiving weekend, while you travel or when you need to listen to something other than your family and friends.
Wrap Battle is an imperfect but welcome Christmas gift
The gift wrapping competition Wrap Battle is a lot of holiday fun despite some baffling judging and discordant choices.
College Behind Bars: a ‘more realistic’ look at prison life, and actual rehabilitation
An interview with College Behind Bars director Lynn Novick and producer Sarah Botstein about their four-part series, which goes into prisons to follow students in the Bard Prison Initiative.
Marvel’s Hero Project is Disney+’s celebration of amazing kids. And Marvel.
The Disney Plus reality series profiles truly incredible kids who are doing awesome work, and also does a lot of advertising for Marvel.
Back in the Game: fallen celebs get Alex Rodriguez as an accountability partner
On his new CNBC show, Alex Rodriguez isn’t as invested Marcus Lemonis is on The Profit, though it turns out Alex and Marcus were friends in high school (!).
A review of Encore!, the Disney+ high school musical reunion reality series
Kristen Bell’s show, which reunites the casts of high school plays, is a smoky fireplace of a reality show, radiating warmth and consistently causing my eyes to water.
Chef’s Line and Interior Design Masters: reviews of two competitions on Netflix
Australia’s cooking competition The Chef’s Line is the best cooking competition on Netflix now, while Interior Design Masters didn’t live up to its potential.
Netflix’s Prank Encounters is neither scary nor funny, just embarrassing and boring
The Gaten Matarazzo-hosted prank show is scary for all the wrong reasons, and far more tedious than terrifying.
The Great British Baking Show is still a delight, but has it run out of baking challenges?
Watching The Great British Baking Show season 10 weekly has been a delight, and so have the contestants. But the challenges are a little suspicious.
Rhythm + Flow, Netflix’s hip-hop competition, which ends today, sure ‘ain’t The Voice’
“This ain’t The Voice, motherfuckers,” Snoop Dogg said on the premiere of Netflix’s Rhythm and Flow, which released its final three episodes today.
A Very Brady Renovation became HGTV’s most-popular show ever by making the impossible plausible
A review of A Very Brady Renovation, and what made it work where other nostalgic efforts fail. Also: What’s next? The Golden Girls house?
Review: In a Man’s World, Bravo’s gender bias social experiment
In each episode, a woman goes undercover, looking to see if she’ll be treated differently by the same people now that she’s presenting as male.
Are You the One and Bachelor in Paradise: Which way will queer representation go?
MTV’s groundbreaking and joyously queer season of AYTO has been low-rated. Will that lead MTV to follow in the fearful footsteps of The Bachelor franchise?