Food Network brought together its own Duff Goldman and TLC’s Buddy Valastro for a competition that isn’t doing either of them any favors.
reality TV show reviews
All reality show and documentary TV reviews on reality blurred by TV critic Andy Dehnart. (Learn more about Andy.)
On The Profit: My Roots, Marcus Lemonis learns more than his birth name in Lebanon
This is the best Profit documentary CNBC has produced so far, and not just because of the emotional discoveries at the orphanage where Marcus was adopted.
Million Dollar Mile: thoughts and questions after its quick flame-out
CBS pulled Million Dollar Mile off its schedule before I was able to watch an episode. Here’s a belated review plus many questions that I still have.
Hoarders had its best season ever, thanks to episodes that were four times longer
A&E, renew this show, which became an even better, more informative, more emotionally affecting show as a result of its longer episodes.
Hostile Planet is an intentionally brutal natural history series
National Geographic’s new natural history series is tough to watch. You probably don’t want to watch the clips in this story. I warned you.
Temptation Island ends its surprising, successful new season
USA Network’s reboot of Temptation Island ends tonight, as the couples decide if they’ll stay together, split up, or leave each other for someone they met on Maui.
How While You Were Out differs on TLC and HGTV, and improves on Trading Spaces
A review of While You Were Out, which is back after 16 years, with pairs of designers from Trading Spaces and HGTV surprising someone with a redesigned space.
Netflix’s Dating Around has romance, clever editing, and more than just straight white guys
One person has five first dates on Dating Around, which gives us multiple episodes with queer people of color dating other queer people of color. That shouldn’t be remarkable, but it is.
World’s Best wasn’t an America’s Got Talent knock-off. It was much worse.
The World’s Best was not the best reality TV CBS could have offered to the world after the Super Bowl.
Dynasties is slower, but it’s far more moving than previous Planet Earths
BBC America’s latest Planet Earth series takes a different approach, and one that’s quite effective.
The Masked Singer is a guessing game wrapped in a horrifying costume
Despite ludicrous judging and terrible singing, there’s a compelling mystery at the center of the new Fox show: Who are the people behind the masks?
Review: Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, a clutter-free Netflix reality show
Marie Kondo brings her organizational strategies to people’s homes, and to reality TV.
A belated review of America to Me, a vital look at high school, race, and us
“Go to your neighborhoods, go help somebody that look like me, go help somebody that look like you, but take away from this that this doesn’t need to happen anymore.”
Reviews of Netflix’s Westside and Amazon’s Inside Jokes, in which talent meets reality
Two groups of talented artists, two showcases for their talent, two very different reality shows.
A review of The Final Table, Netflix’s attempt at MasterChef
Netflix’s new culinary competition is MasterChef on a spaceship without the charm.