15+ stories for you: : Survivor, Amazing Race, Candy Land, Bachelorette, Lego Masters...
Dear newsletter friends,
It’s been a rough couple weeks. Two weeks ago, just after writing to you, I learned our 7-year-old cat had a tumor, and we said goodbye to her on Monday. I am exhausted and sad, though also full of gratitude for the time we did have.
What I don’t quite understand, besides the fragility of life etc etc, is how, in these two weeks, I managed to write 15 stories. Avoidance, maybe?
Anyway, since there are so many, I will present those to you here as lists, for both ease of reading—and ease of writing.
(Also, I’d be curious to know if this is a format you prefer for this Friday dispatch, versus a more narrative style. You can reply to this message or comment below.)
Here we go!
Reviews
The Pack, Amazon’s Amazing Race with dogs (watch it, probably)
We Are the Champions: Netflix’s satisfying, quick tumble through different competitions (watch it)
Candy Land: Food Network’s incredible screw-up (skip it, alas)
News you may have missed
Lego Masters was renewed by Fox and is now casting for spring filming
Name that Tune is being revived and coming to Fox early next year, hosted by Jane Krakowski
Recaps and reactions
Amazing Race episode 6: The alliance is throwing the race off-balance
Amazing Race episode 5: teams self-drive themselves crazy—and closer together
The Bachelorette: Why Blake’s response to Clare’s Dale decision is so dangerous, an essay written for reality blurred by Married at First Sight seasons 1, 2 and 3 expert Dr. Logan Levkoff
Survivor and Big Brother
Survivor, Big Brother, and all CBS reality TV will have more diverse casts, which is great news except I think this needs to come first.
Survivor’s website glitched in a hilarious and surprising way (Alas, CBS seems to have fixed this, but I do have screenshots in the story.)
These didn’t fit anywhere else
Recommended reads and a watch:
What Elise Wortley is doing is amazing, and I’d love to see it as a reality show
Variety: Can These Execs Save ViacomCBS’ Storied Cable Brands?
60 Minutes: Ken Burns on America, selling his first film, PBS's long deadlines and more
Okay, that’s everything. Next Friday is Black Friday, but I’ll have a newsletter then because it’s Black Friday during an out-of-control pandemic (look at that graph!) and we should all be safely shopping from home or otherwise staying away from other people.
Please have a happy and safe weekend and Thanksgiving week. I’m so very grateful that you’ve invited me into your inbox and read my writing. Thank you!
best,
Andy
🌄 This is Reality in Focus issue 220, first sent 20 November 2020, and it recognizes how much it has to be grateful for, especially in a year that has seen such pain and loss for so many.
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📷 Photo of a pie and apples by Brooke Lark