Project Runway and Blown Away reviews, Survivor twist + new Netflix seasons, Challenge and LeVar Burton news, and more
Dear newsletter friends,
Happy Friday. I’m feeling the effects of my booster shot—some muscle aches, but mostly I keep bumping my arm, doh!—but also feeling gratitude for my immune system and all the people whose decades of research made this possible.
Among this week’s reality TV premieres were The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip and Tiger King 2. I started watching both, and may write about both of them this weekend, once I watch more of each. Alas, at this point, I can’t recommend either.
I can, however, enthusiastically recommend this show that I did review:
And in case you missed it, here are my thoughts on the new season of Project Runway:
Survivor
Two huge characters that I loved were blindsided this week thanks to Survivor 41’s latest twist.
And a terrifying bug also made a guest appearance. 😮
Now that there’s a jury, that means there are Ponderosa videos: Tiffany and Naseer & Evvie.
In other Survivor news:
Two classic seasons of Survivor are now on Netflix, including this, the last great season, and the season that produced this spectacular blindside.
Also, I completely forgot that this news was my first impression of season 37.
Reality TV news
The Challenge’s Leroy Garrett posted an Instagram video about being subjected to a racist rant by eventual season 30 winner Camila Nakagawa, and addressed MTV: “You basically rewarded her for being racist and being violent.” Camila and MTV both responded with apologies.
Two of the three men convicted of killing Malcolm X have been completely exonerated after an investigation that was initially triggered by the Netflix series Who Killed Malcolm X? CBS News reports that “prosecutors withheld evidence that could have cleared” them 55 years ago.
Also:
LeVar Burton will host a game show after all
Via Nick Quah, I learned that Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown is now available in podcast form, i.e. just audio.
🤩 I recommend
This Netflix show, a Christmas-themed season of a pretty great competition
This (free, streaming) doc, which tells the real story of the Pilgrims—which is far more interesting than the myth
Watching Luann's Christmas music video, which we saw being made on RHONY. It’s a hot holiday mess!
This podcast, which is going Spotify only next month (which prompted me to rant a little). ELT has taught me so much about everything from flamingos to how reality TV’s most-annoying sound effect is created
That’s everything.
I haven’t decided yet whether this newsletter will be taking next Friday off or not, but I hope you have a great Thanksgiving week!
best,
Andy
🌄 This is Reality in Focus issue 268, first sent Nov. 19, 2021, and it made it through a newsletter referencing Blown Away without making a glory hole joke once. Oops.
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📷 Photo of pumpkin pie by Dilyara Garifullina