Using Ryan Seacrest to measure, and talking with an Eco-Challenge team captain. Plus: Deaf U and Emergency Call reviews
Dear newsletter friends,
Today is flu shot day for me, and annual vet visit day for our cats. For pandemic reasons, the cats will have to handle the experience without their dads. Right now, they’re blissfully unaware! They don’t what surprises are in store.
Awkward segue alert: I think that’s what I like about reality TV, being surprised—and, of course, entertained.
Both were true when I watched Deaf U, which follows students at Gallaudet University.
As I explain in my review, it’s immediately, instantly charming, and a model for representation. Highly recommended!
Speaking of representation, I had a terrific conversation with the captain of Eco-Challenge Fiji’s Team Onyx, the first all-Black team ever.
In our interview, Cliff Lyles shared behind-the-scenes details about Eco-Challenge, and we also talked about his career, and how being a chef for an airline prepared him for his current work—and for helping to feed people during a pandemic.
Measuring Ryan Seacrest and Dancing with the Stars
Last week I asked if Dancing with the Stars ratings were up because Tyra Banks replaced Tom Bergeron. Or was it something else, like Carole Baskin?
This week, without Carole, ratings dropped by one million people. There was unusual competition (football, Biden’s town hall), and it’s ultimately impossible to know why it changed. But if it doesn’t rebound, it’s probably safe to say there were quite a few Tiger King fans tuning in.
This week, I introduced a new unit of measurement, the Ryan Seacrest, to see if the American Idol judges were indeed physically distanced.
In other news:
My recommendations
It was PBS’s 50th anniversary on Sunday, so I recommended 5 excellent PBS reality TV shows, one for each decade of its life.
Also, if you haven’t seen Manor House (aka Edwardian Country House), its episodes are currently free (!) to buy on Amazon.
My other recommendations:
This interview. Even if you don’t care about the show, at least read what he has to say at the end.
This new Netflix show. I imagine most people who like it as much as I did will just start watching and not stop—which is easy because each episode is just 15 to 20 minutes long.
This article, in which the writer describes the experience of watching all of The Real Housewives—yes, almost all of it, different series and seasons—this summer. Impressive!
That’s all for today. Time to go get the cats’ cages ready. Enjoy your reality TV, and be kind to your fellow humans by wearing a mask in public. See you back here next Friday.
best,
Andy
🌄 This is Reality in Focus issue 215, first sent 9 October 2020, and it stays at least three Ryan Seacrests away from other people even during non-pandemic times.
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