Top Chef Junior – reality blurred

It’s the return of Ask Andy, in which I answer your questions. In this edition: Those questions, plus what shows I dread covering.

When Top Chef Junior was announced, its youngest contestant was about two years old. He is now 11, because nine years have passed since Bravo said, in 2008, that it would spin off a teen version of its culinary competition. The show finally but quietly debuted last Friday, but not on Bravo. Instead, it’s on …

The continued success of Top Chef has led Bravo to order two new cooking-themed shows, including a spin-off of Top Chef called Top Chef Junior. That show–shouldn’t it be Junior Top Chef or Top Junior Chef?–will be “an eight episode series where teens (likely ages 13 to 16) will compete to see if they have …

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!