Dear newsletter friends,

Happy Friday, and happy December! ☃️

I hope you enjoyed the 13 Days of Holiday Reality TV—and thank you to those who let me know that you’ve enjoyed some of them!

I may do something like this again, though perhaps not for 13 days in a row. 😅

Here’s what else I’ve been working on these past two weeks…

🪩 The big two

Marshal recaps the end of great DWTS season:

• Why was Dancing with the Stars’ holiday special so recycled and mid?

• 6 iconic dances from DWTS 34 — that could also be your bisexual awakening 👯

• A dazzling finale with stress diarrhea dances and a deserving winner

Survivor:

• Episode 10: a turducken—or piecaken—of an episode

• *Episode 11: * an all-time great challenge—for one person! And a repeat of last season.

• Why faked scenes make The Traitors and Survivor better

🍭 More recaps!

Tournament of Champions:

• Here’s TOC All-Star Christmas’ final four—and Michael Voltaggio’s revolting candy cane prep 🤢

• The TOC All-Star Christmas quarterfinals delivered surprises, stress, and laughs

Below Deck Med:

• A skid mark of a guest

• The heat flames out

The Amazing Race:

• Teams—and the show—got lost in Milan

☃️ Winter reality TV

I present to you my brand-new winter guides! As always, I update these throughout the next three months, so bookmark and check back.

• Winter reality TV premieres

• Winter documentaries and reality TV specials

🔪 True crime

• Review: Sean Combs: The Reckoning and the charismatic-villain problem

• How much true crime is on Johnny Cash’s acting c.v.?

• Down the JFK rabbithole with Errol Morris

• Murderland: “You cannot look away because she doesn’t”

🎅🏼 Secret Santa 🎁 Expressive Arts Therapy

Gift yourself with creativity and reading recommendations from Emma Sullivan Uebele!

Her newsletter is for “folks interested in creativity, creative therapies, and trauma-informed care”

…because I am Emma’s Secret Santa!

Lex Roman put together this fun exercise between creators, and I hope you’ll spread the cheer by checking out Emma’s amazing work using creative expression to help people—perhaps including you! 🎨 🤗

🗞️ Quick news

• NBC’s Deal or No Deal Island was cancelled

• We now know what “Fruit Pebbles” means in the context of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives

• Simon Cowell is sorry, kida, for being an asshole on American Idol: “I’m not proud of it, let’s put it that way. I never look at this stuff online, so when I hear about these clips, I’m like, Oh, God. But then again, the upside is that it made the shows really popular worldwide.”

🤩 I recommend

• The Celebrity Traitors UK, just a terrific season

• Watching these 6 iconic dances

• My first viral* TikTok video. Also watch on Instagram or on YouTube
  * Well, viral for me. And all because of Tom Daley—Tom Daley’s body. Wet body.

That’s everything for this edition. Have a fantastic weekend!

best,
Andy

🌄 This is issue 446 of reality blurred’s weekly newsletter, first sent on 5 Dec. 2025, and it loves short holiday weeks and would like some more, please.