Top Chef's new location • Survivor & Love Island's connection • Match Game • Ozzy Osbourne
It's hard to keep up with reality TV and the news! Also: Top Chef's next location; deaths of reality TV legends; reviews and recaps.
Dear newsletter friends,
On my podcast this week, I talked about losing momentum with TV (and elsewhere), and after I recorded, realized there was so much more.
For example, this week: Ozzy Osbourne died, and I did not have a pre-written obituary or time to think about The Osbournes to write an essay about its contribution to reality TV, basically giving permission for celebrities to do reality TV and show a more vulnerable side.
Ditto for Hulk Hogan and Hogan Knows Best—though I didn’t watch that and have no intention of watching it now, and also fuck that guy.
Elsewhere, I intended to watch and write about Netflix’s new Hitmakers and Building the Band. I had thoughts after watching the Trainwreck about the failed P.I. Moms reality TV show (mostly that it didn’t tell the wild, full story).
It seems silly to beat myself up about not watching or writing about every single thing, or being exhausted by the idea of too much to cover—especially when I’m reading about how people are starving to death in Gaza or being killed by the Israeli military while trying to get food, to say nothing of all the other suffering.
I was drawn to both reality TV and the internet because of the way they allowed me to connect with people, especially those who are different from me. And that’s gone from one show (The Real World) to hundreds of shows, plus all the people in the world via social media.
Which is really incredible—whether it’s revealing atrocities or giving us something silly to laugh about together.
We’re more connected than ever before, and that gives us a lot to focus on.
👨🔧 Reviews
😘 Recaps
Below Deck
Big Brother
🗓️ Reality TV premieres
This week’s premieres include Netflix’s Hitmakers, which follows a group of songwriters; Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross, which is self-explanatory; a show that follows people in London’s trauma units; and Judge Judy’s new Justice on Trial. Plus: new seasons of Renovation Resort Showdown, Welcome to Plathville, My Strange Arrest, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
Docs and specials premiering include the newest Trainwreck, about a Lifetime reality series following soccer moms working as private investigators; the follow-up to Shiny Happy People, following Evangelical teen pop culture; and Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Theme Parks, Peacock’s infomercial that I’ll probably still watch.
💬 Comments of the week
On my review of Family Recipe Showdown, Kathy wrote:
I completely disagree with most of this review. This show is blander than a loaf of white bread without salt. Despite the NO setting and Dook Chase. I adore Octavia Spencer, but she is totally out of her element here. Dook is very pretty to look at, but has all the on-camera personality of a soft shell crab. The contestants need WAY more personality. It’s a nice effort, but I don’t see it getting a second season.
In a discussion about Hollywood Squares’ giving celebrities answers, David wrote,
I really don’t see why it would be considered unethical. No matter what, it comes down to a 50-50 decision as to whether a celebrity gave you the correct answer or not, no matter where it came from. To me, I think it’s better that they are furnished the two choices, because it make sure that the incorrect answer is at least fairly plausible. If the star goes out on their own and just says anything, there’s a pretty good chance it would be so obviously wrong, that it would be unfair to the other contestant.
🗞️ Reality TV news
Show news:
The BBC has footage from an unaired show following the Osbournes
American Experience, the documentary series produced by GBH, has laid off 13 staff members and stopped production on new documentaries, and instead will air repeats in 2026. That's thanks to Republicans defunding public media.
Reality star news:
Anne Burrell's cause of death was revealed by the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner: she died by suicide, specifically of “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of diphenhydramine, ethanol, cetirizine, and amphetamine.” Her body was discovered surrounded by hundreds of pills.
If you need to confidentially talk with someone, either for yourself or someone you're worried about, please call or text 988.
Ozzy Osbourne, who helped make reality TV celebrity friendly with MTV's The Osbournes, died t age 76, a few weeks after his final concert with Black Sabbath. From 2002 to 2005, he appeared on the highly rated and Emmy-winning The Osbournes with his wife, Sharon, and kids Kelly and Jack, who went on to their own reality TV careers afterwards.
Hulk Hogan, star of the VH1 series Hogan Knows Best and admitted racist piece of shit, died yesterday at 71.
Welcome to Plathville star Olivia Plath, the ex-husband of Ethan Plath, "has become more and more vocal about the alleged homophobic, racist and threatening actions Ethan and his family have committed over the years," The Ashley's Reality Roundup reported. Olivia "took to Instagram on Friday to blast TLC, Discovery (which is the parent organization for TLC) and the show’s producers for allegedly covering up or ignoring some very disturbing statements and actions made by Ethan and the Plaths, including one incident in which she informed TLC that Ethan allegedly had a “hit list” of people he wanted to shoot, one of whom was the executive producer."
🤩 I recommend
The Fixer, if you liked The Profit
These pieces about The Osbournes and Ozzy Osbourne:
How The Osbournes derailed reality by Melanie McFarland
Ozzy Osbourne Created the Template for Reality TV Celebrity Reinvention by Dan Fienberg
America’s Favorite Dysfunctional Family: The Oral History of The Osbournes by Marah Eakin
AdoptAStation.org, which identifies public media in any area you choose that’s in need of funding help
That’s everything for this week! I hope you have a great rest of your week and weekend.
best,
Andy
🌄 This is issue 428 of reality blurred’s weekly newsletter, first sent on 25 July 2025, and it’s honored to be among the 50 top creator-journalists