Best reality TV 2025 • Survivor, WTF? • producers talk • What's in the Box?
Dear newsletter friends,
This week, I published my list of the best reality TV of 2025. 🥇
Are there any on my list you haven’t seen? Something I missed or should have watched?
I also published the story I’m even more proud of, though my contribution was minimal: Reality TV producers share what their jobs are like.
That’s a follow-up to the survey I did last year, and I asked producers to answer questions about what their jobs are like. Those who contributed include field producers, editors, a composer, and Emmy-winning showrunners and EPs.
And their insight is fascinating—sometimes consistent between people and shows, sometimes wildly different!
Even when I watch and review a show that doesn’t work for me, I always try to remember how many people have done so much work to make that happen. And I also want networks and studios to trust those people more to do their best work!
And that’s why I also write my best reality TV of the year list every year—to point out what’s worked so well.
🙌 Before we get to everything else from the week: Congrats to our contest winners! Trever (scarf), Jolene (stocking), Rebecca (butter socks), and Emily (necklace).
And if you haven’t already registered for our live discussion/Q&A with a Survivor star, do so now—and you’ll be entered to win his book!
🏝️ Survivor
Survivor 49’s winner revealed along with Survivor 50’s horrors
🕵️♀️ Survivor immunity idols will be hidden in each state for us to find
I made a Jeff Probst video for you! You’re welcome. Watch it on:
📦 Reviews and a recap
Netflix:
Bravo’s Below Deck Med:
Independent Lens:
💬 Comments of the week
Mo needs help with the TOC finale:
Can someone tell me what mushrooms Bryan Voltaggio used in his final two cooks? Thank you in advance.
Re: Survivor’s finale, Keith wrote:
Looking forward to Jimmy Donaldson waterski-jumping over a shark… or at least a krait.
An even more basic fail is forcing those not spoiled to play “Where’s Waldo” to find Savannah and Rizzo.
Regarding the prize on The Box, Brisbe wrote,
Fun fact — What’s in the Box was taped between July and August of this year. Let’s assume that the winner got their Bitcoins in the middle of August, August 15th, but didn’t sell them until December 15th.
In August, they would have received 2.5554 BTC, due to a price of $117,398.35 at the time per BTC.
In December, they would have sold those 2.5554 BTC at a price of $88,171.08 [opening price of 12/15; it closed lower than that during the day.] They would have received $225,312.60 (minus fees).
🗞️ In the news
Cast news:
Survivor 48’s Eva Erickson, a doctoral student at Brown’s School of Engineering, was on campus when a shooter killed two students and injured nine in the engineering building during final exams. She was interviewed by the AP and shared her experience in a video.
A contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, the UK’s Dancing with the Stars, says his vote-out was rigged, which I guess is easier than admitting no one likes you
Show news:
ITV America is considering adapting Love Island into a scripted movie
A reality TV producer compares reality TV competitions in South Korea, Belgium, the US, and the UK
Great American Media, which calls itself “the leader in faith and family entertainment” (i.e. they’re Hallmark except without queer people and with a very, very white Christmas movies), announced their “First Original, Unscripted Lifestyle Series”—and then three hours later revised that to just “Lifestyle Series.” Hmm. Anyway, it follows Jep and Jessica Robertson, from the Duck Dynasty Robinsons, and is called Jep & Jess: Beyond the Bayou. Bye you, indeed.
🤩 I recommend
This Big Brother book excerpt (here’s a preview)
This pretend Survivor audition video, a promo for a new horror movie
That’s everything!
FYI, this newsletter and I will return in 2026; I have one or two pieces planned for reality blurred over the next two holiday weeks, but mostly it’s a time for me to reset and catch up and watch more Golden Girls.
🎆 A happy Hanukkah, and an early wish for a happy Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, and/or your New Year’s celebrations.
See you next year! 🥂
best,
Andy
🌄 This is issue 448 of reality blurred’s weekly newsletter, first sent on 19 Dec. 2025, and it loves this quieter time of year when there’s less new TV and more time to breathe.
