Fat bears • Survivor manipulation • Amazing Race bloat • Golden Bachelor terror
Dear newsletter friends,
Happy Fat Bear Week!
I've spent a good chunk of the past week hibernating, as fatigue was my #1 COVID symptom. Thankfully, that's fading. I really appreciate all the well-wishes as I recovered!
I'm feeling so much better that I stayed up all the way until 9 p.m. (!) to watch The Golden Bachelor last night—and had fun writing about it.
I also had fun this week with the headline and photo for a relatively serious subject:
Okay, on to everything else I covered...
🌏 Reviews
This season of Amazing Race so far:
CBS's new game show:
🤼 Recaps
A tongue-in-cheek The Golden Bachelor recap:
Survivor—with opening titles!:
The Challenge USA 2:
Episode 11: Oiled-up Challenge USA players slip out of nomination’s grasp
Episode 12: Coming later today!
🗓️ This week's premieres
Among the reality shows premiering are: The Price Is Right at Night (Monday's is an Amazing Race episode); and new seasons of Antiques Roadshow, America's Funniest Home Videos, BattleBots, Bering Sea Gold, The Impact Atlanta, and Forged in Fire.
Documentaries and specials premiering this week include the start of the RHOC reunion; The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring; and The Astros Edge: Triumph and Scandal in Major League Baseball.
🗞️ Reality TV news
Another Love is Blind participant is suing: Tran Dang was filmed for this season but was not included in the episodes. Her lawsuit says she was sexually assaulted on set by the person who she met in the pods. People's story about this is oddly framed around the producers' denial, not the claims.
Survivor Borneo winner Richard Hatch is back in court, representing himself "as federal prosecutors attempt to collect nearly $3 million in delinquent income taxes, penalties, and interest stemming from his reality-TV victory 23 years ago," The Boston Globe reports. Hatch told the paper he cannot afford an attorney.
The Amazing Race’s editors have unionized.
Also:
Netflix is charging $39+ for a Squid Game event at which I assume participants get murdered?
Survivor and a few other unscripted shows made THR critics' list of the 50 best TV shows of the century so far 🎉
And from my September news round-up:
Boston Rob returning to island survival reality TV
A cast fight stopped RHONJ production
Amy Schneider's memoir
🤩 I recommend
This show, improbably!
This video, in honor of Let Freedom Read Day
Bonus: Buy one of these banned books, like the most-challenged book of 2022 or the most-banned book of the last decade
That's all from me this week. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
best,
Andy
🌄 This is issue 256 of reality blurred’s weekly newsletter, first sent on 5 October 2023, and it may still be hibernating some this weekend.
📸 Photo of autumn decor by Brigitte Tohm