“What exactly is American food? And what makes us American?” Padma asks at the start of every episode of her Hulu series Taste the Nation, which highlights American foods and the people who make these quintessential dishes.
reality TV show reviews
All reality show and documentary TV reviews on reality blurred by TV critic Andy Dehnart. (Learn more about Andy.)
Great British Baking Show is no longer perfect, but I never want this season to end
A review of The Great British Baking Show season 11, which is Netflix’s collection 8, and wrapped up Thanksgiving week.
The Pack: Amazon’s race with dogs is only sometimes amazing
Lindsey Vonn hosts Amazon’s reality competition The Pack, which sends dogs and their humans around the world, competing in challenges and ultimately for $750,000.
We Are the Champions: Netflix’s satisfying, quick tumble through different competitions
Rainn Wilson narrates six quick trips into small competitions that take place around the world, profiling passionate and skilled people competing to be champions.
Candy Land: How did Food Network screw this up so badly?
Food Network’s Candy Land, hosted by Kristin Chenoweth, is only interested in borrowing the board game as a support, over which its producers have thrown the tasteless and overused piece of fondant that is the Food Network “Wars” franchise.
Seduced is not the better NXIVM series, but it does have more information
The two NXIVM documentary reality series—HBO’s The Vow and Starz’s Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult—are being pitted against each other, but they offer completely different kinds of insight.
Supermarket Sweep review: Leslie Jones hosting as a fan is its best part
Leslie Jones is great as a fan hosting her favorite game show, Supermarket Sweep, but it’s not hitting the nostalgia button in quite the same way as other ABC game shows.
Deaf U review: Netflix’s Gallaudet U. reality show is immediately, instantly charming
Netflix’s new reality show Deaf U follows students at Gallaudet University is immediately and instantly charming.
Emergency Call: ABC’s awkward attempt at spotlighting 911 operators
Luke Wilson acts as hard as he can while hosting ABC’s Emergency Call from what appears to be an escape room. The show also uses actors to portray people calling 911, and misses an opportunity to really focus on dispatchers.
Weakest Link is definitely the weakest network game show, despite Jane Lynch’s hosting
Jane Lynch is the host of a reboot of the 2001 game show where contestants vote each other off between each round.
The Vow and Love Fraud: real-time, real-life horror
Both HBO’s The Vow and Showtime’s Love Fraud take us along in real time, and we meet people who talk about how they were defrauded and/or dehumanized—by NXIVM and Richard Scott Smith, respectively.
American Barbecue Showdown: a great cast fires up Netflix’s new BBQ competition
Netflix’s new barbecue cooking competition The American Barbecue Showdown covers well-worn territory, but it does so well—especially with its terrific cast, including judge Melissa Cookston.
Great Pottery Throw Down is a perfect show of creativity and craft
All three seasons of The Great Pottery Throw Down are now on HBO Max, and it’s just as charming and wonderful—and perhaps even better than—The Great British Baking Show.
Dancing with the Stars lied: nothing changed except its host, a judge, and a fake audience
ABC promised that Dancing with the Stars 29 would get a “creative refresh” and “fresh take.” But it’s the same show as it always has been—just now with Tyra Banks and terrible fake audience noises.
Get Organized with The Home Edit: an Instagram photo turned into a Netflix reality show
Netflix’s Get Organized with The Home Edit is the spiritual opposite of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, which was all about paring things down. The Home Edit is about buying more, and then arranging it to look Instagram perfect.