HGTV axed 4 shows • a Survivor first • Poop Cruise & Astroworld • Anne Burrell tributes
Photo by Junjira Konsang Dear newsletter friends, I know it’s folly to try to reach a point at which all my e-mail is answered, all my tasks are done, and,...
reality blurred and I need your help as its 25th anniversary approaches
Dear friends, In two weeks, reality blurred will turn 25. 🎉 That's a long time, judging solely by the massive monitor in this photo, the only picture I have...
Reality TV premieres for June 22 to 28, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, Good evening. Here are the highlights of unscripted TV on its way to your screens: The week’s reality TV premieres: A new...
Traitors & Challenge casts • Survivor's Francesca • Anne Burrell • more
Photo by Raychel Sanner Dear newsletter friends, It’s been a tough week, with more unnecessary cruelty and legalized discrimination piling on to all the...
Anne Burrell died
Some sad, breaking news: Anne Burrell died this morning. She’d been a Food Network personality for 20 years, most notably as host of Worst Cooks in America...
Reality TV premieres for June 15 to 21, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, Good Sunday evening. Another overwhelming/bonkers news week/end, another reason for some escape into reality TV. Here’s...
Top Chef • The Snake • The Mortician • Eliza Orlins • more!
Photo by Gabriel Sollmann Dear newsletter friends, A week ago, I was elected as the new Television Critics Association president. As I wrote, I’m honored and...
Reality TV premieres for June 8 to 14, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, I hope you’ve had a great weekend so far. We’re back to weekly updates with my highlights of the reality TV premieres ahead....
Summer reality TV!
Photo by Jas Min Dear newsletter friends, Happy June and Happy Pride! 🏳️🌈 This year it’s all the rage for companies and corporations to be part of a...
Survivor premiered 25 years ago tonight! Here's some new Survivor for you
Dear newsletter friends, As promised, I’m writing to share my new Survivor coverage—and typing this exactly 25 years after watching Survivor’s premiere in my...
Happy 25th birthday, Survivor! 🥳 🏝️ Plus: Survivor 50's cast, Destination X, and more
A tarsier, an animal I learned about on Survivor (photo by Deb Dowd) Dear newsletter friends, A quarter of a century ago tomorrow night: That’s how long it’s...
Reality TV premieres for May 25 to 31, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, We're almost to June—someone please explain how that happened! That means it's time for a new quarterly premiere guide. I'm...
Amazing Race & Survivor finale secrets • Kristen Kish's better show • more!
Photo by Jared Rice Dear newsletter friends, It’s been a hot and sweaty week here at reality blurred headquarters in Central Florida, made even hotter and...
Reality TV premieres for May 18 to 24, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, I just read that we’re about to have record heat here in Florida for May, so it’s a good time to stay inside in the a/c and...
Amazing Race's winners • First 48's losers • Survivor & Cutthroat Kitchen surprises
Photo by Philipp Dear newsletter friends, Looking at headlines I wrote this week, I realized three were in the form of a question. Shit! Am I watching too...
Reality TV premieres for May 11 to 17, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, It’s mid May, and the week ahead is very light on new premieres—but those are big shows, including the long-awaited return...
What Survivor secrets do you want to know? • 2 interviews, 4 recaps, 1 review
Photo by Aaron Burden Dear newsletter friends, Happy Friday! This week, we learned how reality TV affects us, heard great news from Shirley Chung, and saw...
Reality TV premieres for May 4 to 10, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, Happy May the Fourth—May the Fourth be with you this week! ✨ No Star Wars reality shows are on their way, but we are getting...
Martha Stewart's mess, Claim to Fame's end, more surprises and disappointments
Photo by Andrey Grinkevich Dear newsletter friends, Happy Friday, and happy May! Some disappointing news this week: I reported that my favorite summertime...
Reality TV premieres for April 27 to May 3, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, It’s a big week of premieres, with a lot of returning shows and some brand-new ones, too. You’d think it’s summer but no,...
TOC exclusive • new Drag Race format • milk muscles • tiny penguins • reviews & recs
Photo by NOAA Dear newsletter friends, Happy Friday! We’ve come to the end of another week and (almost) another month, never mind the first third of a wild...
Reality TV premieres for April 20 to 26, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, Good evening, and a happy Easter to those who celebrate! This week’s premieres are heavy on returning shows, and light on...
Got to Get Out is great • TAR's Jonathan • Padma's new show • so much more!
Photo by Simon Kuznetsov Dear newsletter friends, Good morning! I’m still getting over this fun spring virus, which left my voice sounding like this....
Reality TV premieres for April 13 to 19, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, Good evening! There’s a slow week of premieres ahead, which is fine because there are plenty of shows still airing. So...
I asked Prue Leith about the Hollywood Handshake • Plus: Top Chef's stumble, a Survivor trend & more
Dear newsletter friends, Good morning. I just woke up—because when I woke up earlier, it was with a blisteringly sore throat, a fever, and that realization...
Reality TV premieres—and reality blurred plans—for April 6 to 12, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, Good evening! I have a new feature in this preview for you: a preview of some of what you can look for on reality blurred...
A reality blurred tradition returns! • Love on the Spectrum, Top Chef, & more
Photo by Seele An Dear newsletter friends, Happy Friday! I hope you’re well and—if in the central U.S.—safe from the storms. On Tuesday, I wrote about: Why...
Reality TV premieres for March 30 to April 5, 2025
Dear reality blurred supporters, Happy Sunday, and welcome new subscribers! We’re at the end of March, which means this week will bring us April Fool’s Day....
Survivor 🥹😭 • A fantastic Traitors clone • new TAR twist • DONDI interviews
Photo by Patrick Pahlke Dear newsletter friends, From that spectacular and moving Survivor episode to the news that Tim Gunn got screwed once again, it’s...
Reality TV premieres for March 23 to 29, 2025
Dear newsletter subscribers and supporters, Good evening, and happy Cuddly Kitten Day, which is allegedly today. I think every day is cuddly kitten day, for...
Reality TV recap bonanza • my Parvati interview • Amazing Race news & more!
Photo by Mark Olsen Dear newsletter friends, Happy Friday! This week has been long, and I cannot come up with an insightful or clever intro, so I will...
Reality TV premieres for March 16 to 22, 2025
Dear newsletter subscribers, Hope your weekend has gone well so far. I write, as usual, with your weekly preview of premiere highlights. 🗓️ Reality premiere...
Top Chef's back • a 🤯 Survivor • Matt Paxton's latest • recaps and recs!
Photo by Bianca Fazacas Dear newsletter friends, I love the community that has formed around reality blurred. That word can be overused, but it’s so true, in...
Reality TV premieres for March 9 to 15, 2025
Dear newsletter subscribers, I hope you’re having a decent Daylight Savings Time Stinks Day, and aren’t too tired from the lost hour of sleep. Someday we may...
Traitors ends! Survivor & TAR start • Spring premieres • 12+ reviews & recaps
Photo by Ken Cheung Dear newsletter friends, Happy Friday, and happy March! Without a newsletter last Friday, we have a ton of great stuff this week—more...
Reality TV premieres for Feb. 23 to March 1, 2025
Dear newsletter subscribers, Today, Feb. 23, is the 40th anniversary of Bobby Knight (coach of Indiana University’s basketball team) hurling a chair across...
Snatch Game & sous chef woes • Extracted's twist • 3 reviews, 5 recaps, and more!
Photo of Denali by Barth Bailey Dear newsletter friends, Happy Friday! Another cold front swept through Florida this week. It was 38 this morning, which is...
Reality TV premieres for Feb. 16 to 22, 2025
Dear newsletter subscribers, Good evening! If you’re in the middle of a three-day weekend, I hope it’s been a relaxing one for you. And if it’s a work day...
An all-Big Brother Amazing Race • Team Tzarina or Team Anthony? • Bye, Bachelorette!
Photo by Jay Antol Dear newsletter friends, Happy Valentine’s Day! 💜 I hope you’re surrounded by people, animals, books, and/or ideas that bring you joy and...
Reality TV premieres for Feb. 9 to 15, 2025
Puppy in a bowl—get it?! 😂 Dear newsletter subscribers, Happy Super Bowl Sunday, if you celebrate. I’m sending this early because two of this week’s...
Dr. Will & Boston Rob earn their paychecks • Captain Jason & Coach D are back • recaps and reviews
Dear newsletter friends, Happy Friday! First, a correction and mea cupla. In a news item last week, I linked to the Survivor 48 cast reveal video—or at least...
Reality TV premieres for Feb. 2 to 8, 2025
Dear newsletter subscribers, Happy Groundhog Day! I’m writing this before the groundhog does its thing, so I don’t know if it’ll predict more winter or an...
Survivor’s off-limits camera camps • Traitors messiness • true crime worth your time • recaps & reviews
Photo by Ralph Katieb Dear newsletter friends, It’s been one of those weeks: Some super-fun reality TV!An anxiety spiral or three!Working on exciting things...
Reality TV premieres for Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, 2025
Dear newsletter subscribers, Good evening. I cannot believe I just wrote “February” in the subject line. Okay, “Feb.,” but—what? Where is January? What year...
Survivor explained to a Survivor winner, and more comedy and catastrophe
Photo by Fabien Dear newsletter friends, The image above is not from Florida, though it could be, since the northern part of the state got snow this week. So...
Reality TV premieres for January 19 to 25, 2025
Dear newsletter subscribers, Good evening, and a happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day eve, if that is a thing. Though it’s not premiering this week, I suggest...
Bob vs Rob • Dr. Will, reality TV corpse • Hollywood Squares lies • help for fire victims
Photo of Seiser Alm in Italy by eberhard grossgasteiger Dear newsletter friends, While LA fires are still burning, the worst may have passed. There’s still a...
Reality TV premieres for January 12 to 18, 2025
Dear newsletter subscribers, Good evening, and happy National Hot Tea Day, which is appropriate even here in Central Florida, where we’ve had temps in the...
Traitors is back 🎉 • my new podcast • 5 recaps • Survivor mysteries, solved
Photo by Aaron Burden Dear newsletter friends, A very happy new year to you! I realize that, for so many people affected by extreme weather right...
Reality TV premieres for January 5 to 11, 2025
Dear newsletter subscribers, Happy New Year! 🥳 I hope the opening days of this new year have been great for you so far. The first full week of 2025 will...