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Andy Dehnart

writer, TV critic, teacher, improviser

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Andy Dehnart > about me > interviews and press

interviews and press

Thanks in part to our society’s never-ending interest in reality television, my work is frequently cited in the media, and I’m often interviewed to provide details, perspective, and/or analysis. Below are highlights of my media appearances.

recognition

  • USA TODAY / Pop Candy’s People of the Year 2001, #93 of the year’s “top 100 personalities” in popular culture

profiles

  • After Elton / Andy Dehnart … is Snackable! / 8.20.10
  • The Morning Call / Reality Blurred: A shrewd and skeptical look at reality TV / 10.28.05
  • Associated Press / The last six blogs you should be reading / 9.23.05
  • Daytona Beach News-Journal / Stetson instructor talks TV / 12.16.04
  • The Toronto Sun / Webmaster of the Reality TV Domain / 1.28.2001

podcast interviews and appearances

  • Extra Hot Great / Episode 320: Zooming In On Home-Shot Reality TV / 9.16.20
  • #AmWriting / Episode 224: From Mr. Rogers to #RealityTVJournalism / 7.14.20
  • Daily DVR / Andy Dehnart of Reality Blurred / 7.14.20
  • Reality of Reality / Andy Dehnart – 20 Years Of Reality Blurred / 7.2.20
  • Reality Steve / Podcast #189 – Interview with Reality Blurred’s Andy Dehnart / 7.2.20
  • Reality Steve / Episode 147: Interview with Reality Blurred’s Andy Dehnart / 9.12.19
  • On The Island / The State of Survivor with Andy Dehnart / 9.25.18
  • Reality Steve / Episode 78: Interview with Reality Blurred’s Andy Dehnart/ 5.17.18
  • 15 Minutes of Blame / Episode 67: Andy Dehnart, Reality Blurred Creator / 4.30.18
  • Reality of Reality / Andy Dehnart / 2.7.17
  • The Jay and Tony Show Show / Episode #48 – When critics attack. What happens when producers and journalists get real / 8.13.15
  • Faroe Islands podcast / Reality (TV) comes to the Faroe Islands and Viking Shores, Revisited / 4.12 and 6.12
  • Rob Cesternino’s Rob Has a Podcast / Andy Dehnart from Reality Blurred on Colton’s Impact and The State of Reality TV / 3.9.12
  • Matt Paxton’s 5 Decisions Away podcast / Keeping it Real / 11.10.11
  • This Week in Reality TV / This Week in American Idol / 1.18.11

television appearances

  • Cheddar Live / Can Food Network Survive in the Netflix Era? / 8.8.18
  • Katie Couric Show / Rural Reality Showdown / 5.16.13
  • HLN / Jane Velez-Mitchell / 12.12.12
  • TV Guide Network / Reality Chat / 7.11.08
  • VH1 / 40 Greatest Reality TV Moments 2 / 2007
  • MSNBC / MSNBC Live [video] / 1.18.07, 3:40 p.m. ET
  • MTV Canada / MTV Live / 12.19.06, 7:10 p.m. ET
  • MSNBC / The Most with Alison Stewart [video] / 9.1.06, 3:10 p.m. ET
  • CNN / Showbiz Tonight / 8.25.06, 11 p.m. ET
  • MSNBC / The Most with Alison Stewart [video] / 8.25.06, 3:20 p.m. ET
  • MSNBC / Tucker Carlson [video] / 8.25.06, 4:30 p.m. ET
  • FOX News / Fox & Friends / 1.30.06, 6:50 a.m.
  • Canal+ España / Estás nominado: Cuando la realidad supera a la ficción / 5.18.05
  • MSNBC / Connected: Coast to Coast / 5.4.05, 12:45 p.m. ET
  • MSNBC / Lester Holt Live [video in sidebar] / 12.15.04, 4:50 p.m. ET
  • CSPAN / Great American Think-Off / 6.10.00

interviews

  • Monsters & Critics / Exclusive Interview: Reality TV journalist Andy Dehnart gets real on what’s real / 1.10.21
  • Tylt / Reality TV is failing Black people / 7.8.20
  • Portland Press Herald / Popularity of Maine reality shows proves it’s the way TV should be / 6.15.20
  • New York Times / ‘Survivor’ Limps to a Finale After a Difficult Season / 12.18.19
  • Vanity Fair / How Reality TV Gate-Crashed the Emmys / 8.20.19
  • NPR / A Kinder, Gentler Wave Of Reality TV Tries A Little Tenderness, For A Change / 7.26.19
  • USA TODAY / ‘Mythbusters Jr.’ is just the latest kid-friendly reality spinoff: What’s behind the trend? / 12.28.18
  • Stetson magazine / Passion Pursuit / fall 2018
  • Los Angeles Times / Julie Chen and other spouses caught up in the #MeToo era face a difficult decision / 10.4.18
  • The Orlando Sentinel / Fox News Network and Roger Ailes’ widow battle lawsuit in Orlando court / 2.20.18
  • Variety / Emmys: RuPaul and Tim Gunn Share Hosting Tips for Reality Shows/ 6.19.17
  • NPR’s All Things Considered / Bachelor In Paradise’ Suspends Filming After Sexual Assault Allegations / 6.15.17
  • Los Angeles Times / Does too much violence spoil the fairy tale? A look at Season 12 of ‘The Bachelorette’ / 6.20.16
  • USA TODAY / ‘Cake Boss’ Valastro helps failing bakeries rise / 12.1.13
  • The New York Times / Reality Show Contestants Pay a Real-World Price / 7.9.13
  • NPR / ‘Big Brother’ Isn’t Just A Terrible Show, It’s A Wasted Opportunity / 7.2.13
  • Variety / Bruckheimer Brings Big Pic Vision to Small Screen / 6.24.13
  • USA TODAY / Storage Wars star says A&E series is faked / 12.11.12
  • Los Angeles Times / Ryan Lochte, Olympians test the reality TV waters / 8.22.12
  • Reuters / ‘X Factor’ may be singing “Oops!…” over Britney / 5.16.12
  • CNN / Where’s the originality in reality TV? / 3.15.12
  • Reuters / Bruised ‘X Factor’ limps toward finals / 12.16.11
  • CNN / Lifetime gets real / 9.28.11
  • Philadelphia Daily News / Ryan Dunn: Why so many cared about a ‘Jackass’ / 6.21.11
  • The Los Angeles Times / Making a case for truTV / 5.29.11
  • USA TODAY / ‘The Voice’ coaches have their reasons / 4.25.11
  • Minneapolis Star-Tribune / More reality TV shows are featuring players with physical disabilities / 4.18.11
  • Reuters / At 25, MTV’s ‘Real World’ challenged to stay fresh / 3.9.11
  • After Elton / What Does Reality TV Say About Gay Men? / 9.27.10
  • Dallas Morning News / Reality TV expert: Jimmy Johnson’s wealth not insurmountable to win “Survivor: Nicaragua” / 8.21.10
  • Variety / Can reality fix mix? / 8.3.10
  • CNN / What makes a two-hour show work? Process of elimination / 7.29.10
  • CNN / In defense of reality TV / 7.29.10
  • Multichannel News / Take This Job and … Air It / 7.19.10
  • New York Times / Farewell to ‘The Hills,’ With a Wink and a Nod / 6.14.10
  • Associated Press / ‘The Hills’ fans lament end of MTV reality series / 7.14.10
  • Chicago Sun-Times / ‘Bachelor’ land turns ugly / 6.22.10
  • Variety / Food, wedding among reality hot topics / 6.7.10
  • Philadelphia Inquirer / They’re baaack: Has-beens find new life in reality / 5.16.10
  • Associated Press / Fans delighted by DeGeneres’ ‘Idol’ debut / 2.10.10
  • St. Petersburg Times / ‘American Idol’ faces crucial season; which winter shows should you be watching? / 1.10.10
  • Kansas City Star / An expert speculates on the new seasons of ‘Idol,’ ‘Survivor,’ ‘Runway’ and more / 1.6.10
  • Chicago Sun-Times / A fighter, not a lover / 10.7.09
  • Daytona Beach News Journal / Journalism still interests students despite industry downturn / 10.3.09
  • Metro / Pressing charges ‘with the Stars’ / 9.28.09
  • New York Times / Killing Raises New Reality TV Concerns / 8.21.09
  • Variety / Mark Burnett raises reality TV genre / 7.7.09
  • St. Petersburg Times / Brooke Hogan and Jon & Kate: Will summer TV be filled with disintegrating families? / 5.31.09
  • Esquire / Why Does David Caruso Continue to Get Work as an Actor? / 3.19.09
  • St. Petersburg Times / The messy ending made ABC’s The Bachelor even more real for fans / 3.5.09
  • Associated Press / For some, ‘American Idol’ a second chance at fame / 2.5.08
  • Time / A Brief History Of Reality TV / 9.19.08
  • The National / Reality bites traditional TV staples / 9.15.08
  • Orlando Weekly / The Incredible Shrinking Newspaper / 8.7.08
  • msnbc.com / Scoop: Natasha Bedingfield, plugs can’t be unwritten / 7.9.08
  • The Chicago Tribune / It’s reigning men: The reality kingpin behind ‘Deadliest Catch,’ ‘Ice Road Truckers’ and other he-man hits / 6.18.08
  • msnbc.com / Scoop: ‘The Mole’: Burning questions answered / 6.8.08
  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette / Hearing voices: More and more television shows use narration to advance story / 11.18.07
  • St. Petersburg Times / Reality clouds Bollea’s career / 11.11.07
  • Associated Press / Controversial remarks and a physical altercation fuel ‘Big Brother 8’ / 8.29.07
  • St. Petersburg Times / Is ‘Idol’ losing its worshipers? / 5.22.07
  • The Chicago Tribune / ‘American Idol’: Are there cracks in the facade of the Death Star? / 5.22.07
  • The Baltimore Sun / Being No. 4 still can be fantastic on ‘American Idol’ / 5.9.07
  • Boston Herald / Is ‘American Idol’ cruising on its last vocal chords? / 4.6.07
  • St. Petersburg Times / Stepping up to celebrity status / 2.17.07
  • St. Petersburg Times / Want celebrities to be perfect? Lots of people prefer they aren’t / 2.10.07
  • Green Bay Press Gazette / After 5 seasons, there’s still only 1 ‘Idol’ 1.14.07
  • AP / “Survivor’s” latest tribal twist: racial segregation / 8.24.06
  • The Chicago Tribune / ‘Survivor’ move to divide teams by race raises eyebrows / 8.24.06
  • New York Post Page Six / Reality Racism / 8.22.06
  • Reuters / 15 minutes of fame shrinking in reality TV era / 8.10.06
  • Baltimore Sun / Realistic material and sheer talent keep ‘Project Runway’ in, not out / 7.12.06
  • Scripps Howard / Spelling bee not just for nerds anymore / 5.30.06
  • The Baltimore Sun / Battle of the TV titans / 5.25.06
  • Los Angeles Business Journal / Hollywood execs do much better behind cameras / 5.22.06
  • CanWest News Service / ‘Carpet grazing’ catching on in Canada / 3.29.06
  • The Altlanta Journal-Constitution / Olympic dream runs into reality (shows) / 2.26.06
  • The Chicago Tribune / Why do we still watch ‘Survivor’? / 2.1.06
  • The New York Post / P is for Pitiful / 1.27.06
  • St. Petersburg Times / Turns out the show is really the ‘Idol’ / 1.15.06
  • The Ottawa Citizen / TV networks flog their blogs / 10.1.05
  • The Sacramento Bee / Parting shots / 9.27.05
  • The Boston Herald / Even in Katrina’s wake, the show must go on / 9.18.05
  • The Daytona Beach News-Journal / Martha, Martha, Martha / 9.10.05
  • The Chicago Tribune / When rock rolls on TV… / 8.14.05
  • Sacramento Bee / Come again? Reality shows replacing reruns as summer TV fare / 8.8.05
  • The Chicago Tribune / ABC’s ‘Dancing’ steps lively / 6.20.05
  • Daily Herald / Riding the reality wave / 5.19.05
  • The Daytona Beach News-Journal / Web site puts campus crowd face to face / 5.17.05
  • The New York Times / On TV, Reality Loves a Villain / 4.26.05
  • Chicago Tribune / Error has voting system under fire / 3.24.05
  • TV Guide / “The Real World, Celebrity Style” / 2.6.05
  • TV Guide / “You’re Not My Mom: Mate-swap shows really hit home” / 12.19.04
  • The New York Times / An Audience Finally Catches Up to ‘The Amazing Race’ / 11.16.2004
  • The Chicago Tribune / With help from fans, hit CBS show rolls on / 11.16.2004
  • UPI / The Web: Grassroots action thrives online / 8.18.2004
  • Psychology Today / Seeing by Starlight / 7.15.2004
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer / ‘Assistant’ spoofs best — or worst? — of reality TV / 7.10.2004
  • MTV.com / Surviving Reality Television / 5.26.2004
  • St. Petersburg Times / ‘Idol’ is TV, not reality / 5.25.2004
  • The Washington Post / The Evil Sista Of Reality Television / 2.24.2004
  • Psychology Today / The Money Shot / 1.9.2004
  • The New York Times Upfront / So, this is reality? / 2.7.2003
  • Creative Loafing / Reality check / 11.27.2002
  • LA Daily News / CSUN extension to explore TV phenom / 10.8.2001
  • The New York Times / Stalking New Hot Trends Along the Lycos Trail / 2.5.2001

radio appearances

  • KDKA Radio Pittsburgh / Lynne Hayes-Freeland & Robert Mangino midday show / 6.12.20
  • WDBR, 103.7 FM: Dave and Dina / “Reality Check” / weekly, Fridays at 8:20 a.m. CT, 2004 to 2010
  • Minnesota Public Radio / Reality still hot as fall TV seasons premiere [listen] / 9.22.10
  • Marketplace / VH1 rethinks reality TV after incident / 8.28.09
  • KFWB News 980, Los Angeles / weekly reports, summer 2009
  • CBS News / BlogBuzz: RealityBlurred [MP3] / 3.29.07
  • Rock 102 / Bax & O’Brien / 2.13.07, 8:45 a.m. ET
  • CJOB Canada / Richard Cloutier Reports / 1.18.07, 11:40 a.m. ET
  • CBS News / BlogBuzz: RealityBlurred MP3 / 12.28.07
  • Wisconsin Public Radio / Joy Cardin show / 11.3.06, 7 a.m. ET
  • Northeast Public Radio / The Weekly Rundown / 8.4.06
  • WHYY, Philadelphia NPR: Radio Times / reality television / 3.3.05
  • WSAR, 1480 AM: Information Highway with Paul Giammarco / weekly from 2.04 to 6.05
  • Charles Adler / 10.28.05, 7.19.05, 5.16.05, 5.23.05
  • syndicated: Lifetime Radio / occasional appearances
  • WTBU, 89.3 FM: Beyond The Headlines / reality television / 11.10.04
  • KTBZ, 94.5 The Buzz: The Rod Ryan Show / 9.29.2004
  • XM Satellite Radio: Channel Surfing / trends in TV / 4.22.2002
  • CKNW, AM980: Doc Harris Show / reality television / 11.24.2001
  • CKNW, AM980: Shiral Show / media coverage of Sept. 11 / 9.20.2001
  • CFPL, AM980: Homestretch with Brent Bissell / 2.7.2001

work cited in the media

  • Rob Has a Podcast / “Tough as Nails Season 1, Episode 8 Recap” (starts at 12:00) / 8.20.20
  • Washington Post / ‘Live PD’ started during a national uprising over police brutality. Less than four years later, it’s ending the same way / 6.12.20
  • Variety / A&E Canceling ‘Live PD’ Following Ongoing Protests Against Police Brutality / 6.11.20
  • Daily Mail / ‘Cops’ defunded: Police reality show is CANCELLED after 33 seasons… / 6.10.20
  • The Washington Post / Shut down all police movies and TV shows. Now. / 6.4.20
  • The Washington Post / What gets edited out of ‘Big Brother’? How sharp-eyed online viewers are leading a backlash. / 8.15.19
  • The New Yorker / Celebrity Delirium on “The Masked Singer” and “The Other Two” / 2.11.19
  • Vulture / If Women Have Power in the Bachelor-verse, Why Can’t They Propose? / 2.6.19
  • Associated Press / Fans divided about Ellen as new ‘Idol’ judge / 9.10.09
  • Associated Press / Fatone wants to appear on ABC dance show / 12.21.06
  • New York Post / ‘Stars’ Taps ‘NSync / 12.18.06
  • Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star / Gentry is still a ‘Survivor’ Tune in and see area native tonight / 12.17.06
  • The Guardian / Reality TV turns to race ‘tribes’ to survive ratings war / 8.25.06
  • In Touch / Was Ty Fired from Extreme Makeover? / 5.17.06
  • Reuters / First-time Oscar host Stewart draws mixed reviews / 3.6.06
  • Boston Herald / Confused callers worship false Idol / 3.2.06
  • Newsday / Simon says — and ‘Idol’ soars / 2.8.06
  • Reuters / Simpson-Lachey breakup spurs online satire / 11.25.05
  • Newsday / “Survivor locks down Panama” / 11.28.05
  • Us Weekly / Internet Rumors: True or False? / 8.1.05
  • Digital Spy / ‘Real World’ returning to Florida? / 6.10.05
  • Key West Citizen / Key West considered for ‘Real World’ site / 6.14.05
  • New York Post / “‘World’ within Austin city limits” / 12.22.04
  • The Chicago Tribune / Dub flub (item #11) / 11.10.04
  • The Morning Call / ‘Simple Life 3’ team romps through LVIA / 11.10.04
  • Utne / TV is a Turn on / 4.26.02
  • Utne / Move over, Soap Opera Update. It’s ‘Reality Blurred’ / 8.1.00
  • Utne / Yeah, But Can She Cook? / 7.11.00

books that cite my work

  • Celeb 2.0: How Social Media Foster Our Fascination with Popular Culture by Kelli S. Burns
  • Colorblind Shakespeare: New Perspectives on Race and Performance by Ayanna Thompson
  • Censored 2007: The Top 25 Censored Stories by Peter Phillips
  • Paris Hilton (Blue Banner Biographies) by Jennifer Torres
  • Stolen Words by Thomas Mallon
  • Television in New Zealand: Programming the Nation edited by Roger Horrocks and Nick Perry

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Andy Dehnart, photographed by Kellie Warren, March 2019

Hi! I'm Andy, a writer and teacher who obsessively and critically covers reality TV and unscripted entertainment, focusing on how it’s made and what it means. Learn more about me.

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“It’s good to be curious about many things.”

—Mister Rogers

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RSS recent reality blurred stories

  • Mikey Eyebrows left Tough As Nails after a dramatic episode that also sent Tara home
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