Hey, reality fans! How do we keep it up? Curious about all our favorite scheduled shows next week? Same. But there was still plenty to summarize, so let’s dive in.
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Reality moment of the week
While many shows were on an election hiatus, Survivor delivered. It was another week, another blindside, but this one gave us our first judge, Sierra.
What happened: Poor Sierra thought she had Andy in her pocket, but… in reality (heh), he was out for blood because he knew she had once considered sending him away. Finally he got it. “I’m here with some really good liars,” Sierra said. [Gold Derby]
What people say: Survivor recapper extraordinaire Dalton Ross hit the nail on the head when he said Sierra will likely be haunted for the rest of her days by her claim that Andy is “not a threat.” Embarrassing! [Entertainment Weekly]
My hot take: Andy was smart to abandon his fellow Gata tribemate (it’s not like she would have). are back), and honestly, she should have seen it coming. [Reality Tea]
The summaries
🎤 ‘The voice’
When Battles ended, Reba McEntire and Michael Bublé used their last steals to replenish their teams with country singer Tanner Frick and indie folk singer Cassidy Lee. [Yahoo Entertainment]
🌹 ‘Golden Bachelorette’
Charles L. was the belle of the ball at Joan Vassos’ unsurprisingly glorious “Men Tell All,” but Jonathan had the best revelation of the night: apparently he’s met someone! [Yahoo Entertainment]
🗽 ‘RHONY’
Everyone still hates Brynn, who showed up at Erin’s mezcal party and flirted with her dad. Eek! Sai saw an opportunity to be shady with Brynn, who was dealing with sugar baby rumors, and took it, telling the producers, “if it walks like a duck…” [The Daily Beast]
⛵ ‘Below deck: sailing yacht’
Emma’s struggle to adapt to life on deck has been an undercurrent this season, but this week it was Real rough sailing (sorry) – as in, this girl completely fell asleep during her night shift. [Reality Tea]
Reality trivia
Which Real Housewife has dated both George Clooney and Ralph Fiennes?
Tip: She is related by marriage to Jackie Kennedy.
Answer below.
3 questions
…with Andy Dehnart
It was a banner week for Survivorso for this week’s Q&A I called up TV critic Andy Dehnart, who created the reality TV hub Reality Blurred.
Laura: We are now in the jury phase of Survivor. Who are you rooting for as we near the end?
Andy: For me, no player has emerged yet, so I say Andy. Selfishly, it would be nice to have a winner who shares my name, but mainly because Andy getting past the merge after Episode 1’s meltdown is so unexpected that it makes me go for the chaos of an Andy win plead.
Laura: Is there anyone under the radar who has the potential to become a Sole Survivor?
Andy: Genevieve, Caroline and Rachel play interesting games that I think can go far. Genevieve’s conversations with Rome should be studied by future players, and Rachel’s move at this week’s Tribal Council was brilliant. They are the players to watch.
Laura: Last week, our post-merger castaways were divided into teams. What did you think of that decision?
Andy: In one word, 🤬. The merger should be, you know, a merger. Jeff Probst is unfortunately obsessed with the idea of small tribes. Still, I don’t understand why the producers don’t just give us a trunk swap and a later merger. The whole “earn the merge” thing and a merge party for only half the players is one of the worst parts of a very fractured new era Survivor.
Go deeper: What’s best Survivor season of all time? Let’s see where your favorite ranks.
Next week’s watchlist
1️⃣ The voice: It’s time for knockouts. Who are our Mega Mentors? In addition to a returning Jennifer Hudson, a message in a bottle tells us to look for an exciting newcomer on Monday at 8 PM ET. [Entertainment Weekly]
2️⃣ Dancing with the stars: Get ready to party as the show hits its 500th episode on Tuesday at 8pm ET on ABC. Expect our dancers to recreate classical performances and see familiar faces. 👀 [Us Weekly]
3️⃣ The Golden Bachelorette: During the finale on Wednesday at 8 PM ET, Joan Vassos will finally choose between her two finalists. But what is this “weird twist” she teases? We’ll have to wait and see. [The Wrap]
✅ Trivia answer: Carole Radziwill, whose late mother-in-law, Lee Radziwill, was Jackie Kennedy’s sister.
📧 Email me: I have predictions for the Golden Bach final? Any guesses as to who will return DWTS next week? Go to my inbox.
About in reality: It’s hard to keep up when there is so much great reality TV. It’s a good thing that entertainment reporter Laura Bradley is an expert at staying on top of everything. Every Saturday morning she shares a recap of what happened during the week’s top shows. Register.
