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Andy Dehnart

writer, TV critic, teacher

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Pacific Standard

Andy Dehnart > writing > publications > Pacific Standard

Pacific Standard is a magazine that “tells stories about society’s biggest problems, both established and emerging, and the people attempting to solve them.”

Reported features

  • Saving Critical Thinking, One Joke at a Time, September/October 2018
    When is humor effective in changing people’s minds, and when does it fail? I looked at that through a deep dive into Adam Ruins Everything, a truTV series that debunks common misconceptions. My reporting includes—and greatly benefitted from—the insights of Dr. Danna Young, who studies how political humor affects viewers.
  • What couples who stick together after starring on reality TV can teach us about enduring romance, March 2016
    Interviewing people who married strangers on Married at First Sight and stayed married, I learned that they attributed their relationships’ success to certain aspects of the television show. In this story, I report on research that backs up these cast members’ claims. Yes, there really is something we can learn from reality TV show romances.

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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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what I’ve been doing

  • Three podcasts, two stories, one wild year December 30, 2021
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  • I asked CBS executives about their reality shows’ problems with race. Here’s what happened. August 16, 2019
  • An anniversary, and three recommendations, plus a way to really stay up to date July 15, 2019

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

—Mister Rogers

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RSS recent reality blurred stories

  • Hotel Inspector: a charming British B&B makeover show, now streaming free
  • Legendary has grown into reality TV’s best dance competition
  • Why is Life Below Zero’s music so loud? Why can’t I hear dialogue on reality TV?
  • Great American Recipe is PBS’s disappointingly bland cooking competition
  • Survivor’s premiere and Big Brother’s finale break up

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