Last Chance Kitchen results • bonkers Survivor • What Jennifer Did—to a photo • reviews • recaps
Dear newsletter friends,
Last weekend, I went to a rage room with my sister and husband. We put on helmets and protective gear, and then were given a half-hour to smash the shit out of a bunch of glasses, bottles, and plates, plus a coffee maker, a filing cabinet, and a china cabinet with glass windows.
It was a blast—and also felt kind of wrong, even though these items were on their way to a recycling plant or landfill anyway (the owners of the one we went to also own a trash removal service, which is a genius business model).
In the past, I’ve done mud and obstacle races, and escape rooms, which all felt like reality TV challenges.
This was different: just a cathartic, fun way to get out some energy and stress and be silly, like when we clinked wine glasses and then hurled them at a concrete wall.
Since I spend so much of my days in front of screens—a TV, my laptop, my phone, sometimes two at once–it might have also just been novel to engage with the physical world in an extreme and safe way.
And then I went back to my screens! On to that…
⏰ Food TV
I recapped:
Top Chef Wisconsin, which revealed Last Chance Kitchen’s results after an episode with its best guest judge yet
I reviewed:
24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, which made its own title irrelevant less than halfway through the first episode 🤔
I interviewed:
And don’t miss my interviews with Maneet Chauhan and Jet Tila
👯 Recaps
Survivor 46
Survivor’s Tribal Council was indeed ‘the dumbest thing ever’—but also entertaining, at least!
Also:
Big Brother Canada
Hamsterwatch recapped for us:
Episode 18: Movie Night Massacre was actually a new BB twist (yay), but with a cliffhanger (boo)
Episode 19: A reality show withheld spoilers—only to spoil itself 🤨
Episode 20: A pack of lies led to another blindside—and another eviction
🔪 True crime
Listen to The Docket:
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💬 Comments of the week
On this story, Margaret wrote,
Between this and the Quiet on Set controversy, it’s a tumultuous time – I hope producers can see that audiences do respond to ethical content and will call out trash tactics like this, but I’m not too hopeful.
On this Survivor piece, Johnny wrote,
Walton, I agree with your comment wholeheartedly. My kids and I also just watched the All-Star season and Heroes versus Villains. Interesting, athletic, and intensely conniving contestants, difficult physical challenges, and elaborate rewards at pristine locations. Seems like building a fire and swimming are perfunctory requirements of a contestant, but how many can do either this season. The new “version” of the show is nearly unwatchable. Sad to say after being on board since 2000.
On this recap, Kim wrote,
The mistake by BB in releasing the Interview with Kayla is non starter with me. If that’s the Biggest Mistake BB Canada makes, I am truly A-ok with it!! What an EPIC week, full of everything you could hope for on ANY BB season. Movie Night Massacre was one of the best weeks on ANY BB season ever, it was or could of been a wreck but it provided great entertainment.
On this recap, AK wrote,
I just can’t get particularly excited about “The Amazing Race” anymore. It’s a pleasant diversion, but you feel the budget cuts of it all so much. Teams run around a city for a few hours, check off some tasks and call it a leg. It just feels so rinky-dink next to early seasons and their epic legs that would span multiple cities over multiple days and involve actual difficult travel.
🗞️ News from The Digest
reality blurred’s new front page mini-blog
Cast news:
Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist are getting divorced, which they announced on Good Morning America, as one does. They also both said they still love each other, which explains the divorce.
Gerry explained, helpfully, that they're close to their families and "we look at these situations and I think we just feel like it’s best for the happiness of each of us to, to live apart."
Gerry and Theresa got married on an insufferable two hours of TV just four months ago, and now they've gotten total Bachelor experience. —Andy
Kenya Moore will return to The Real Housewives of Atlanta for season 16 and Rebecca Minkoff was added to the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City, while Robyn Dixon said she was fired from The Real Housewives of Potomac and Crystal Kung Minkoff is leaving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Margaret Qualley has departed Hulu's Amanda Knox limited series for scheduling reasons. I liked that casting, so this is a bummer…but! Deadline notes that a similar casting issue hit The Dropout — "Kate McKinnon, originally attached to star and executive produced, dropped out. Amanda Seyfried was subsequently cast in the lead role, winning an Emmy" — so maybe this too will turn out for the best? —Sarah D. Bunting
Show news:
I was excited to see the news that Aarón Sánchez from Chopped and other series was getting his own Hulu show, Talking Sabor. An "exclusive" in Variety called it "a cooking series" in which he "travel[s] to 16 Latino-owned restaurants."
Hulu's website, however, calls it "Paid Content by Pepsi," the trailer's thumbnail shows Aarón drinking a Pepsi, and later in the story Variety notes that this "hails" (stop with that word, please) from his production company plus "Pepsi and Disney Advertising."
So, to quote A Christmas Story, it's a crummy commercial. Aarón Sánchez deserves better! —Andy
Amazon Prime Video is bringing back Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, though now as Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, hosted by Taylor Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Contestants will face off against whatever alleged "celebrities" producers gather over 20 episodes.
Ugly Delicious and Mind of a Chef star David Chang, who's also appeared as a guest judge on Top Chef, apologized for his company's attempts to trademark "chili crunch" and stop small businesses from using that phrase.
As Ed Choi said in a TikTok video’s caption, "Stepping on the people of the cultures you used to build your empire is grossly egotistical and delulu." —Andy
Also:
I'm rewatching Below Deck season 7 (fun background TV), and this group of "misogynistic assholes," as Kate called them, are just horrible. I did a search and came across Leslie Jones' criticism of Ashton, which included his after-show defense of himself by—wait for it—being misogynistic:
"Anyone who knows me personally knows that I will always open a door for a lady. My mom and dad brought me up with great manners. It really annoys me when people hit me with that misogynistic stick because I think the world's a better place with women."
"I am so tired of this 'misogynistic' word being thrown around, especially when it comes my way. I love women. And I love the fact that women exist on this earth with us."
Opening a door for another person is lovely and kind! Defending yourself for your gross sexist behavior by saying you participate in a patriarchal tradition but only for "a lady," not so much.
Also, the "world's a better place" and "with us" are just icing on this yucky cake, as if men are the default and women are just extras that showed up to entertain them—which is exactly how those four guys acted, actually. —Andy
🤩 I recommend
This week’s Tribal Council, which was bonkers
This Netflix show, if you need some silly fun this weekend
Rage rooms, if you need to get out some energy or stress, and mud/obstacle runs, if you want to experience a reality TV challenge firsthand
Coming next week: The Jinx: Part Two, an interview with Top Chef’s set designer, classic Bravo shows are back, and more.
I hope you have a fantastic rest of your week and weekend!
best,
Andy
🌄 This is issue 379 of reality blurred’s weekly newsletter, first sent on 19 April 2024, and it did not win Last Chance Kitchen