Top Chef challenges • old Bravo shows return • The Jinx • 10 recommendations
Dear newsletter friends,
Happy Friday! I have a lot of great reality TV and true-crime coverage to share with you—and I have a busy Friday ahead, so let’s just dive right in…
A review and two round-ups
My review of a great new PBS series:
Eve Batey’s hilarious look at ways to reinvent an MTV show:
Exciting news:
😵 The Jinx
My review: The Jinx: Part Two answers some questions but avoids looking critically at itself
Listen: Sarah, Eve, and I chatted about The Jinx on The Docket
👯 Recaps
Survivor 46
Top Chef Wisconsin
Big Brother Canada
Hamsterwatch recapped for us:
Episode 23: A Big Brother Canada player set a record during the double eviction episode
Episode 22: When did Big Brother Canada’s rookies forget they agreed to evict vets?
Episode 21: BBCAN 12 goes back to the ’80s and gives us repeat nominees, too
🔪 True crime
A review of Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio
True-crime news from Sarah D. Bunting:
Perhaps not news to some of you, but: OJ: Made In America is available to stream on Netflix. Apologies for not spotting that sooner! In the past, the doc had kept itself semi-hidden on, like, ESPN+ — I finally threw my hands up and bought it outright a couple years ago — but if you've been waiting for it to hit a streamer you already subscribe to, it might be your day.
Kelly Sim (fka Kelly Ellard), the woman convicted of killing Reena Virk, says Under The Bridge will re-traumatize Virk's family because of the "horrendous" crime at its center. Given that Sim committed the horrendous crime in question, and Sim's behavior in subsequent years, the comment strikes me as deeply disingenuous, and reads less "I don't want Virk's family to feel bad" than it does "it makes me look bad."
From AP: "New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial." Because, apparently, the trial judge allowed prejudicial evidence/testimony. I can't with these mofos getting convictions overturned, I just really can't. Like, maybe accounts of ruinous serial predation should "prejudice" jurors against a defendant? Because it's serial predation?
🗓️ What was new on TV this week
This week’s reality TV show premieres include tonight’s new season of We’re Here, now starring Sasha Velour, Priyanka, Jaida Essence Hall, and Latrice Royale; new seasons of Intervention, To Catch a Smuggler, and 100 Days to Indy; and more The Ugliest Homes in America, My Mane Problem, and Farmhouse Fixer.
The documentaries on TV this week include Secrets of the Octopus, from James Cameron and narrated by Paul Rudd; Hip Hop and the White House; and Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.
💬 Comments of the week
On this behind-the-scenes piece, Gisele wrote:
So interesting and informative. I saw this episode and thought while watching it how brilliantly made and immersive this was. But reading the amount of work that went into editing this is the reason why. You and your colleagues did an amazing job and I appreciate the behind the scenes details and insight that are usually (sadly) not as appreciated as they should be.
On this review, Awnutts wrote:
One thing that has stuck with me is how outside of the area, everyone calls it the “Kent State Shooting” or “Kent State Massacre.” In Kent and the nearby area; like, just around Portage County, people call it “May 4th.” It’s incredible how 35 year later, the region still really felt the impact of that event.
🗞️ Reality TV news
From The Digest, reality blurred’s new front page mini-blog:
Survivor winner and The Traitors star Parvati Shallow was interviewed for the cast of The Real World Paris and Road Rules South Pacific in 2003, and she shared her rejection letter on Instagram last year.
A Reddit thread resurfaced it and I'm glad they did, because I had not seen it. The letter is signed by both Jon Murray and Mary-Ellis Bunim, and although it's a rejection letter, starts with "Congratulations".
RuPaul's Drag Race 16’s finale "was the highest-rated episode of Drag Race in 13 years, according to Nielsen" ratings, Deadline reported. That represents an increase of 88 percent among viewers 18 to 34 compared to last season. This was also the highest-rated season since season 12.
A second season of the rebooted The Great American Baking Show is coming to Roku Channel later this year—and Roku just ordered a third season, with hosts Zach Cherry and Casey Wilson.
Mandisa, the American Idol 5 finalist who went on to win a Grammy, died Thursday at age 47 at her home; the cause of death is unknown. The show will honor her Monday night.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said the company—which just reported that it made $9.37 billion the first quarter of this year, up 15 percent—is having "huge success" with reality TV.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, got a 26.5% raise to $49.7 million last year, for his good work in gutting the company to pay for all the debt he added by buying Warner Bros.
Just an idea: What if both companies used some of that money to pay the people who make and star in their money-producing reality TV shows? Or does giving money to the people who do the work not make Wall Street happy?
🤩 I recommend
These 6 old Bravo shows, now on Peacock
This beautiful show and its portraits of artists
This show with John Lithgow, airing tonight on PBS
Bonus recommendations:
This 🤣 clip of Drew Carey on After Midnight
This 🥲😭 trailer for the the Jim Henson documentary
That’s everything from this busy week! I hope you have a fantastic rest of your week and weekend.
best,
Andy
🌄 This is issue 380 of reality blurred’s weekly newsletter, first sent on 26 April 2024, and it still hasn’t watched The Traitors Australia 2 or NZ 1, aack!