At the end of the year, I looked back at the year in reality television:
Happy New Year! I hope 2016 brings joy to you and yours.
Project Runway mentor and co-host Tim Gunn was recently criticized for his treatment of a designer/contestant. That criticism prompted me to think and write about Tim’s reaction, the role of a teacher/mentor, and my role as a critic. It also gave me the opportunity for refer twice to one of my favorite films, Clue.
One of the highlights of my 17 days in Los Angeles—where I was attending and reporting from the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour—was being a guest on a reality TV production company’s podcast. We talked about this crazy and amazing genre of television, and also about my past criticism of one of their shows. Altogether, a great conversation.
Afterwards, I interviewed them about their podcast, which I’d been a fan of long before they invited me on as a guest. Listen on any podcast app (it’s episode #48 of The Jay and Tony Show Show) or at the end of my story.
I’m honored to have my writing on reality blurred recognized by the Society for Professional Journalists’ Florida chapter, with the first-place award for long form blog writing in the 2015 SPJ Sunshine State Awards. I may have been the only one nominated in the category, but I really do appreciate the recognition.
I wrote three pieces about Shark Week, which starts tonight on The Discovery Channel. All three look at what the summer stunt has done the past few years (i.e. airing fake documentaries pretending to be factual) and where it is going this year.
I love when television surprises me, and Animal Planet’s The Last Alaskans truly surprised me. It’s a show about Alaska, yes, but also one that seems like nothing I’ve ever seen before–whether it’s about Alaska or not.
Here’s my full review, and an interview with the producers about how they created the show.
Check it out; I promise it’s worth your time.
I wrote several things about the news related to the Duggar family. These are the kinds of stories I’d rather not write–it’s important to cover, yes, but mostly I’d rather the victims have never experienced any of what led to all of this.
My coverage, below, was cited in the media, including on Vox and in The Oregonian.
I’m thrilled to be a finalist for a Society for Professional Journalists’ Sunshine State Award in the long form blog writing category for my work on reality blurred.
I’m also the only finalist in the category, so if I lose to myself, that’ll be awkward.
My writing was previously recognized by the Florida Pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists when it won the award for magazine feature reporting, so I’m very grateful to have my work selected for recognition again.
A new CBS reality series announced this week, The Briefcase, has an exploitative premise. And a show in its 30th season, Survivor, continues to feature contestants’ verbal abuse.
I talked about both on the radio with Paul Harris; listen to the segment online.
Ben Affleck’s decision to exclude a slave-owning ancestor from a PBS reality series raised in interesting question: Should subjects of unscripted TV shows be participants in the editing of their stories? In this essay, I argue that yes, the Ben Affleck model should become reality TV’s standard.