Reality TV Emmy nominees (Survivor! Traitors! Mormon Wives!) + reviews, recaps, news
Dear newsletter friends,
Happy Friday! I hope your week has gone well so far.
There’s a lot of ongoing upheaval in the media world, from websites like mine being hurt by the traffic apocalypse to the post-strike effects on reality TV , never mind all the corporate capitulating to a wannabe autocrat.
But this is a happy intro 😅.
I recently interviewed a one-time American Idol contestant who’s now building his own streaming service.
Brandon Stewart’s goal for his streaming service and studio: create Bravo 2.0 for forgotten reality stars.
Talking to Brandon, I was struck by his understanding of the current media ecosystem. The big dumb corporations that have hollowed-out cable TV to try to get us to pay for their streaming services, and they’ve left people and fandoms behind. (Just look at all of HGTV’s cancellations this summer.)
Brandon is creating reality TV shows around those people, and is also adapting himself. Having built audiences on social media, he’s now using that to drive them to his new-ish streaming service.
Anyway, there’s lots more in the full interview; it’s a fascinating model, and I’ll be curious to see how it plays out.
🧑🍳 Reviews
Family Recipe Showdown: a casual, comfortable cooking competition
The Rise and Fall of Michelle Mone: The bra biz is scandalous padding
Coming soon:
A review of The Profit star Marcus Lemonis’ new show The Fixer
🕵️ Recaps
Below Deck
Miss Love Island? Try Below Deck, which cast an Islander to work — through the crew
Big Brother
Episode 2: Rachel’s on her way to a BB27 win; guess who was nominated first?
Episode 3: 🤷 I haven’t yet watched it, and usually don’t love the live episodes. So maybe a recap, maybe not. 😆
ICYMI: Check out my new Big Brother hub
🗓️ Reality TV premieres
This week’s premieres include Love Island: Beyond The Villa, which follows islanders from last summer’s season; the 10th season of Love & Marriage: Huntsville, and the new dating series Kings Court, starring Tyson Beckford, Carlos Boozer, and Titus O'Neil; and a show following five female surfers
Docs and specials premiering include Netflix’s next Trainwreck, which is about Balloon Boy. Remember that, when we were all captivated by a balloon with a boy in it that turned out to be a hoax?
Also: Frontline’s look at Trump’s Power & The Rule of Law, and docs about Billy Joel, the pop star Yurena, and the Furry Detectives
💬 Comments of the week: Big Brother edition
On my recap, David wrote:
One thing on Zach’s power- it’s only available to him until jury starts, not all season (so 5 to 8 weeks depending on any double evictions and if the jury is 7 or 9 people)
And it’s actually an interesting dilemma for him to a point- since he would know who the other two nominees are before he has to use it, he might decide not to give the money to the HOH thinking he can beat the others in the Blockbuster comp, or if worst comes to worst, the eviction vote….$10,000 isn’t chump change.
and Ki wrote:
I am finding the vast majority of players annoying and caricatures of real people – the dumb jocks, the old people, the horny singles.. Yawn… I haven’t even bothered to learn their names since they are just walking cliches.
and Chuck wrote:
I know it's just the start of the series, but Rachel didn't annoy the fuck out of me tonight. She actually said something funny, too.
🗞️ Reality TV news
Show news:
All the reality TV Emmy nominees, including SLOMW, Survivor, and The Traitors
Shark Tank isn’t replacing Mark Cuban but is adding these 6 new guest sharks
HGTV's purge continues: Flipping El Moussas and Christina on the Coast have both been cancelled, Us Weekly reports.
Netflix's Physical: 100 USA is now casting, and on their PR website, Netflix is throwing shade and/or trying to limit applicants:
"Just remember: each day, to prepare for the competition, Woo Jin-yong — CrossFit athlete, snowboarder, and winner of Physical: 100 Season 1 — ran 1 mile wearing a 20-pound weighted vest; did 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 squats; and then ran another mile. Think you can handle a workout routine that intense?"
Reality star news:
American Idol music supervisor Robin Kaye and her husband were shot to death in their home. Kaye also worked on Lip Sync Battle, Hollywood Game Night, Nashville Star, and many other shows.
A 22-year-old was arrested for the murders; Robin and her husband "are believed to have been killed after walking in on a burglary suspect inside their $4.5-million Encino home on Thursday," the Los Angeles Times reported. LAPD responded to a possible burglary at the house the day they were killed but didn't go inside.
Jax Taylor is leaving The Valley, saying “my focus needs to be on my sobriety, my mental health, and coparenting relationship.” Brittany Cartwright talked about his violence toward her during season two.
UK MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace was fired after more than 50 people came forward with claims about inappropriate behavior. A review of complaints by production company Banijay and a law firm "found that just over half – 45 of the 83 allegations against Wallace – were substantiated," the i Paper reported, including "unwanted physical contact," "inappropriate language and being in a state of undress," and "one of swearing and one of racist language."
In June, Great British Bake-Off winner Nadiya Hussain said she was leaving the BBC after they decided not to order another show. In a fascinating interview, she revealed that BBC wanted her to lie about leaving, and also says they gave her “no definitive" reason for the cancellation, despite high ratings for her most-recent shows.
When Mistress Isabelle Brooks confronted Aja on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Aja reacted calmly for a good reason: “I was too high," she said during a viewing party. Aja explaining that Jorgeous helped her out: "we were about to go to the studio and she pulled out these tiny little blunts”
🤩 I recommend
This video and its message, which I cosign 100 percent
Supporting your local public media station(s) if you can. They need the help.
That’s everything for this week! Have a restful and easy rest of your week and weekend.
best,
Andy
🌄 This is issue 427 of reality blurred’s weekly newsletter, first sent on 18 July 2025, and like the dog in the image above, it’s ready for a summer nap!