Phil Keoghan answers our questions • 3 new Netflix shows I recommend • Claim to Fame drama • CBS's fall reality • and much more!
Dear newsletter friends,
Amazing Race and Tough As Nails host Phil Keoghan appeared on Rob Has a Podcast this week, and answered questions some of us had about this season of Tough As Nails.
What I appreciated most about that conversation were not the shout-outs from Phil (though: Thanks, Phil!), but his willingness to engage with critics and fans.
He seems to have a genuine appreciation for our role in the conversation about reality TV, and also acknowledges how our analysis and what happened on set can differ, but that doesn't make either one wrong.
That's what I love about reality TV, so I wrote more about that— and also discussed some of the answers Phil gave. And of course, you can watch/listen to the podcast.
🥳 🎉 In other news: reality blurred turned 23, and I launched a new project! 🎉 🥳
😍 Recaps and 3 reviews
Claim to Fame recap:
Tough As Nails:
episodes 5 and 6 recaps: Tough As Nails runs its own Supermarket Sweep after apples create conflict
behind-the-scenes: Phil Keoghan corrects our assumptions—and talks about its future
Netflix shows, reviewed:
🗞️ Reality TV news
CBS's fall schedule clears up the mystery of how Big Brother’s Wednesday episodes will be affected by Survivor and Amazing Race, and I updated my story with those details
Breaking news: Julie Chen Moonves doesn't plan to leave Big Brother because—and this is shocking—it's an easy job. "[T]his is my only gig now, so why would I ever give it up?," she told EW. "I'm like, This is now easier than I could have ever dreamed!"
Love Island USA’s new villa is in Fiji and Peacock says it has "views of the Mamanuca islands"—where Survivor films
I agree with Bethenny Frankel that reality stars should have a union
Producers in the UK and Ireland formed the Association of True Crime Producers to "establish best practice guidelines for the genre" including having shows "put victims and their families at the centre of the production process"
🗓️ This week's reality TV
The reality shows premiering this week include the re-cast Real Housewives of New York City; Max's Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge; and new seasons of Love Island USA, Below Deck Down Under, Teen Mom, and The Incredible Dr. Pol. Also: new shows following Native Hawaiian female surfers as they compete (Surf Girls Hawai’i) and the Weasley brother actors as they travel (Fantastic Friends)
Specials and docs premiering include the Below Deck Sailing Yacht reunion; Stephan Curry: Underrated, which profiles Stephan Curry; and Goliath, which profiles Wilt Chamberlain
💬 Comments of the week
“I don’t want to be a pirate”
—Vixter, on this old news story
Run out of ideas? Well, I guess there really are just so many ways you can have your challenges spooge all over your hamsters…
—Chuck, on this story
🤩 I recommend
This piece I wrote, which just won an Excellence in Journalism award from NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists 🎉
Stay cool and safe this sweltering weekend, and enjoy whatever TV you watch!
best,
Andy
🌄 This is issue 346 of reality blurred’s weekly newsletter, first sent 21 July 2023, and it is very sweaty because it thought it'd be a good idea to sit outside while writing this
📸 Photo of a refreshing drink by ShengGeng Lin