Survivor 2's first two, Top Chef winners' new show, Nicole Byer on Drag Race, and so much more!
Dear newsletter friends,
This week I wrote about:
A fun new competition starring three Top Chef alum, including two winners
Shark Tank guest and TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie’s reality TV past
The revival of an Animal Planet series, yet another show Discovery is moving behind its new paywall
I also began my re-watch of Survivor: The Australian Outback, with its first two episodes:
The episode in which Jerri accused Kel of eating beef jerky and Tina volunteered to be voted out
I’m really enjoying revisiting the season. New recaps will be up every Thursday from now on; if you want to join me, here’s how to watch.
Also this week, Bravo’s Summer House returned, and so did HBO Max’s Haute Dog. If you haven’t read Marshal Knight’s celebration of Haute Dog host Matt Rogers, well, click that link and read it!
News from the week
In two days, Nick Cannon was both temporarily replaced as host of The Masked Singer and re-hired by VH1 as host of Wild ‘N Out.
Hilary Farr is getting her own HGTV series, in addition to Love It Or List It
T.I. and Tiny are “being alleged to have engaged in—among other things—sexual abuse,” while they have “called the allegations ‘egregiously appalling,’” Complex reports.
⭐️ Recommended
This Drag Race lip sync. Sure, Denali’s lip sync was incredible, but LaLa Ri’s is also exceptional—and amazing despite her wearing the show’s worst outfit ever
This supercut of ever Simpsons LGBTQ joke, which illustrate the show’s (frequently shitty but improving) ideas about queer people
🤩 Bonus! Recommended scripted shows
I think my consumption of scripted shows has increased this past year, as I’ve sought out comforting TV. I’ve also caught up on two shows you may already know are great, but if not, I highly recommend:
Steven Universe, which is on Hulu and HBO Max. Animated, technically for kids, but just awesome, especially the way it builds its bigger story through these short episodes. And it is the exact opposite of The Simpsons in terms of its LGBTQ characters.
Stath Lets Flats, on HBO Max, which co-stars The Big Flower Fight host Natasia Demetriou (best known for What We Do in the Shadows, which is also amazing). The title kept me from watching at first because I couldn’t make sense of it, but that seems ridiculous now because it’s simply a comedy about a guy named Stath who rents apartments in the London.
That’s everything I have for you this action-packed week. I hope the weekend brings you plenty of entertaining television, and hope this newsletter helps you find some good things to watch and read. Stay safe!
best,
Andy
🌄 This is Reality in Focus issue 229, first sent Feb. 5, 2021, and it still can’t get the Steven Universe theme song out of its head.
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📷 Photo of a frost on leaves by laura adai