Survivor's timeslot has a new occupant, reality stars behaved badly, and I have something new for you
Dear newsletter friends,
Before we get to this week’s links, later today you’ll get an e-mail with the first episode of a new experiment: my podcast, Walking with Andy.
When I first created reality blurred, I was just trying something: blogging a few times a day to share links I'd found, and what I thought about them. 20.5 years later, I tend to spend a lot more time thinking and writing. I miss the spontaneity and discovery of those early blogging years.
So, I'm doing the same thing with audio: just trying it out, whenever, however. Look for the e-mail later!
And now for what I’ve written about, read, and loved this week.
CBS reality TV, plus two mini-investigations
My thoughts on Amazing Race 32’s penultimate episode, as the final four teams sprinted to a bitter end
Survivor’s spring timeslot has been given to Tough As Nails, and I wrote about why I’m really excited about that
Two mini-investigation stories:
Were Julie Chen Moonves’ religious gifts to Big Brother cast and crew appropriate?
Survivor and Big Brother winners were among reality stars socializing mask-less at a charity event. After I published this story, reality stars in attendance continued to post photos of themselves pressing their faces together, mask-less at public events that explicitly required masks and physical distancing. The charity has ignored my follow-up questions.
Drag Race and Dolly Parton
RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 has a premiere date: New Year’s Day. That’s now on my reality TV premiere calendar, along with 30+ shows premiering the first week of January alone.
Drag Race and an all-star season both filmed this summer, during the pandemic, so expect an all-star season to follow season 13.
RuPaul interviewed Dolly Parton, and the interview has amazing exchanges like this one:
RP: No. That’s the thing: There are similarities in what we do, but I take all that stuff off.DP: Well, I don’t. I have to always stay ready—street ready, I always say. I have to keep my makeup on and keep my hair done. Like, when I’m in L.A.—I’ve told you about it—if it’s going to earthquake, if we get an earthquake, I’m not running out in the street looking like you look now. I have to be ambulance-ready at all times, if I get sick or something. But I actually do wear high heels most of the time.
News and views
Jax and Brittany were fired from Vanderpump Rules. The only surprise about this is how long it took; Variety’s Kate Aurthur tweeted that she “pre-wrote this [story] IN JUNE.”
Keeping Up with the Kardashians is ending but the Kardashians are going to create a new Hulu series.
Guy Fieri was named one of Bloomberg magazine’s 50 “people who defined an unprecedented year” for raising $21.5 million to help restaurant owners.
Guy’s work is impressive, and so is that of chef José Andrés, but it’s sad they have to step up where society is failing. Andrés wrote this week about why “a professionalized response — with the full force of the federal government, across multiple agencies and departments — is essential.”
Disney announced an absurd amount of new content yesterday, including a bunch of exciting-looking reality shows from NatGeo—which will be on Disney+ because everything’s going to streaming now. You can see all of the new Disney shows and movies in this Twitter thread, or start at this tweet for the NatGeo unscripted shows.
In The Confessional this week, thoughts on producing reality TV from a producer who’s worked on shows like Paradise Hotel in Europe and shows like Impractical Jokers in the US.
⭐️ My recommendations
This parody of Love Island in the time of COVID, which is by an actor/writer on Ted Lasso, which I learned about from my friend Sarah Rodman’s great piece about the show
Also Ted Lasso, Apple TV+
Kaitlyn Greenidge on Iyanla Vanzant’s emotional manipulation
This UK reality show on Netflix, which is perfect for winter months
That’s everything! Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate, and I hope you have a terrific weekend.
best,
Andy
🌄 This is Reality in Focus issue 223, first sent 11 December 2020, and it is already impatiently awaiting Ted Lasso season two.
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