A shot in the arm of great TV: TAR, Survivor, Bake-Off, 99 to Beat, and more
I've got a sore arm and lots of reality TV to share with you!
Dear newsletter friends,
Hello! I write with an aching left arm, thanks to my decision to get both the flu and COVID vaccines in the same arm, despite the pharmacist suggesting otherwise.
I’m grateful my immune system is working, and that the process was super-easy, even in Florida! At CVS! Scheduling took seconds; I just said YES and done. (That insurance companies all agreed to keep paying 100 percent of the cost of COVID vaccines tells you how effective they are. Insurance companies don’t want to pay for anything!)
Pre- and post-shots, this has been a really fun week of reality TV, and I haven’t even watched everything I wanted to yet!
Leaving aside that twit on ABC, this week included:
- Sandra Diaz-Twine trying to win another $1 million, but being forced to do challenges!
- someone spitting water in someone else’s eyes as an answer to a question
- an expert’s insight into The Biggest Loser
- so much innuendo on Bake-Off that I couldn’t resist this screenshot
So lots to cover. Let’s get into it!
💯 Reviews and an interview
Reviews:
- Netflix’s Next Gen Chef
- Fox’s 99 to Beat, featuring Sandra from Survivor and other reality TV stars
Interview:
- I followed up my review of Netflix’s Biggest Loser documentary with…
- …this interview with an expert in weight stigma, who talked about the show’s legacy and where the doc failed
🍩 Recaps
The Great British Baking Show
- Episode 3: Bread Week, aka ball and hole week
The Amazing Race
Survivor
🗓️ Reality TV premieres
Reality TV premieres this week include new seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Hell’s Kitchen, Halloween Wars, Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, The Voice, and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, plus new shows Unlocked: Family Secrets and The Death Investigator with Barbara Butcher.
And I still intend to watch and review the new Korean competition Crime Scene Zero.
This week’s docs and specials include a documentary about the Lilith Fair; The Bitter Pill, the story of a lawyer who sued drug companies over the opioid crisis; The Devil is Busy, which follows workers at an abortion clinic in Atlanta; and profiles of Roberto Clemente, Barbara Walters, and Cleopatra.
💬 Comments of the week
On my Survivor recap, Jeff wrote:
The thing that got me about Nicole spitting water into Jeremiah’s eyes is that it doesn’t actually answer his question, “How’d you get the mud out of your eyes?” She didn’t spit in her own eyes, right?
On my review of 99 to Beat, David wrote,
It's interesting you've mentioned the fast pace as one of the selling points. I watched the UK version - same producers, very similar games (eg the opening "we're dropping balloons from the roof, find a lei and put it on" game was "we're dropping 99 yoga balls from the roof, find one and sit on it while blindfolded") - earlier this year and that was SO much faster than this. Their premiere was only three minutes longer and yet had time for two extra games.
On my first Australian Survivor recap, Kelley wrote,
I’ve watched every season of Australian Survivor and this season is by far my least favorite. To me, it felt like the Parvati show, and I’m not really a fan. Check out their other seasons! Fantastic twists and turns and amazing players!
🗞️ Reality TV news
Show news:
-
MTV has cancelled Catfish after 9 seasons ("wait, 9?? but it's been on since like 1935!" Yeah, but at least one of those seasons legit had 60+ episodes IIRC). The producers can shop it elsewhere, and the network will continue to fill its schedule with reruns of the show. —SDB
- Nev and Max reunited to say goodbye
- ABC really wants you to watch and love Golden Bachelor Mel Owens
- The cast of Laguna Beach will reunite on The Roku Channel next year, the—I don’t believe this—30th anniversary of the show’s end. I am old.
People news:
- The Amazing Race 34 winners and Big Brother alum Claire and Derek broke up
- The Amazing Race 32 winners Will and James had a fun message for those being raptured
- Survivor hosts Jonathan LaPaglia and Jeff Probst hung out together
- Survivor winner Kenzie said she got death threats during and after her season, even now. “It’s normal, apparently,” she added. Ugh.
- Where Project Runway season 1 contestants are now
🤩 I recommend
- 99 to Beat, for silly fun
- Netflix’s version of Top Chef, for its setting and twist
- Exploring these 33 publications
Bonus Best Evidence recommendation:
That’s everything for this week. Have a terrific weekend, and enjoy any reality TV you watch!
best,
Andy
🌄 This is issue 437 of reality blurred’s weekly newsletter, first sent on 26 Sept. 2025, and it was awakened at 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 by cats this morning, and not even the same one.