Invasion Iowa – reality blurred

Spike’s Invasion Iowa debuts tonight. Tonight, Spike TV debuts what it’s calling “the greatest hoax in US History.” At 9 p.m. ET, Invasion Iowa kicks off its five-hour, four-night run–the network is airing it as a mini-series rather than spreading the episodes over several weeks. Produced by the people behind The Joe Schmo Show, this …

Invasion Iowa wrapped early because of suspicions; Shatner only knew fake names. How did producers of Spike TV’s upcoming Invasion Iowa manage to fool an entire town for 10 days, convincing them that William Shatner was filming a real movie there? Besides lying, they issued fake press releases and held a fake press conference once …

Joe Schmo producers fool entire town with fake Shatner film for new Spike series. There will not be another season of Joe Schmo, but the producers of the series are bringing a similar but much larger hoax show to Spike TV early next year. Last week, William Shatner went to Riverside, Iowa, to film Invasion …

about reality blurred

Welcome! 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 23 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!