Claim to Fame's changes • Below Deck fights back • West Memphis Three • SYTTD
Dear newsletter friends,
It’s back-to-school time, end-of-summer vacation time, and, well, just too hot and humid here in Florida to even type! 😅
For those reasons—and because a break helps reset my brain—this newsletter will take the next two Fridays off, returning in early September, after Labor Day.
I feel guilty about taking breaks, in part because I sometimes miss things I genuinely want to cover (heck, I miss things I want to cover when I write every day!) and in part because I feel like I should deliver fresh content to you every day. 🥺 So, may apologies.
Still, I do know that’s unsustainable for one person! So a bit of a break that is.
reality blurred won’t be going dark; check the home page for new stories, including:
the final two Claim to Fame episodes
two incredible behind-the-scenes stories about two classic reality TV shows
behind-the-scenes info about Below Deck
Sarah and Eve’s ongoing true-crime coverage, of course
and more!
Speaking of slacking, I answered two questions this week, including: Why aren’t you covering BB26? (There is some B26 coverage coming next week, courtesy of Hamsterwatch!)
In the same Q&A, I got a tiny bit of information to answer this question: What happened to Say Yes to the Dress?
🔔 Recaps and reviews
Below Deck Med:
Episode 11: Sandy and Aesha school—and warn—their guests
Claim to Fame:
Episode 6: Did a murder board give players a clue?
My interview with Claim to Fame’s EP:
How Claim to Fame was created and evolved—and its major challenge change
ICYMI, here’s part one: Claim to Fame questions, answered
🔪 True crime
🎧 Listen to The Docket:
True-crime news from Sarah D. Bunting:
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Tom Hollander says he didn't know how famous Truman Capote was when he signed on to play the author in Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. "If I’d known quite how much [he’s known], I would have been more nervous," Hollander told THR, going on to discuss his preparation process and the big shoes of previous portrayals.
🗓️ Reality TV premieres
Reality TV shows and seasons premiering include The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras and RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars; Houses of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life, which is self-explanatory, and Gangland Chronicles, which is about “notorious criminal organizations”; and new seasons of Good Bones, César Millán: Better Human Better Dog, Expedition X, Bering Sea Gold, Gold Rush: Mine Rescue with Freddy & Juan, and The Real Murders of Atlanta
Documentaries airing this week include Daughters, in which four girls go to a dance with their fathers, who are incarcerated; Rhythm Masters, in which Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart “creates an original score inspired by conversations with legendary and iconic voices from the world of sports”; and A Boston (R)Evolution, which looks at the city’s past and present
💬 Comments of the week
On this recap, Adam P. wrote:
While I do think the producers and editors are doing a good job of keeping this season entertaining, I can’t help but find this season disappointing compared to the previous two. I want to see the players be successful!! Instead, this season seems to be driven more by error.
On this news story, Anonymous wrote:
I hate this. I hate this a lot. ANW has officially jumped the shark.
🗞️ Reality TV news
From The Digest, reality blurred’s front page mini-blog:
We're five months away from the premiere of The Traitors season three, and Peacock has just renewed The Traitors for seasons four and five.
With the dual announcement, I wonder if these seasons will be filmed back-to-back, or if that means we'll get more than one season in 2025.
Peacock didn't say; the press release just mentioned its recent accolades, such as four Emmy nominations and a TCA Award for outstanding achievement in reality.
ABC has announced The Bachelor season 29's star: Grant Ellis, who Jenn just kicked off The Bachelorette.
Grant will be the franchise's second Black star in, well, 29 seasons and 20 years, following Matt James four years ago.
As Greg Braxton wrote in the LA Times, Matt James' season was "a defining chapter in the franchise’s decades-long history of racism and cultural insensitivity."
He noted that executive producer Bennett "Graebner said production resources are now in place that were not present during James’ season."
In that previous interview, Graebner said, "we let Matt down. That season went wrong on so many levels. We did not protect him as we should have. The finale of that season was the darkest day I’ve had on this franchise. Here was this great Black man, and we should have been celebrating his love story. Instead, what we saw was a man burdened and overwhelmed by issues of racism."
Graebner was one of three Bachelor producers who sat in silence when asked about the franchise's problems with race, so let's hope—for Grant's sake—that they've figured out how to not just talk, but act.
Oleksandr ‘Teren’ Budko, a Ukranian man who lost both his legs in Russia's attack on Ukraine, is now starring in Ukraine's version of The Bachelor, in the first season after the war began.
The Guardian’s profile of him notes he was "a barista and aspiring graphic designer before the war" and "is now a disability rights activist with tens of thousands of social media followers and a YouTube series in which he takes famous Ukrainians on city tours to highlight the country’s need to improve accessibility."
Teren said he “will be able to draw a lot of attention to the problems disabled people face. But of course, this is also about love, and if I find someone, that would be great. I’m 28 and in Ukraine you should already have five children at this age!”
I was interviewed on Viewpoints Radio for their episode “A Love-Hate Relationship: Why We Can’t Get Enough Of Reality TV.”
🤩 I recommend
These three classic Bravo shows, now streaming on Peacock
This season of Claim to Fame, which just keeps up with the surprises
The Boyfriend on Netflix, which I haven’t finished yet but will review when I do
This interview with a West Memphis Three attorney
That’s everything! Happy reality TV watching, and enjoy the waning weeks of August. See you in your inbox in September!
best,
Andy
🌄 This is issue 393 of reality blurred’s weekly newsletter, first sent on 16 August 2024, and it needs the break.