Popular Reality TV

Food Network’s usually strong competition Food Network Star is getting a makeover, which will hopefully help to pull it out of its increasingly familiar rut when it returns for an eighth season this summer. Judges Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis will no longer judge, but instead will be joined by Alton Brown as mentors for teams of contestants that they choose. Thankfully, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson will remain as judges, with guest judges joining them each week. But viewers will ultimately select the winner, Variety reports . The series, which dropped the word “Next” from its title last season, is also moving back to New York City from Los Angeles. View the original article here

Survivor One World was confirmed as the 24th season of the show during Survivor South Pacific’s live reunion, as host Jeff Probst confirmed details of the twist— two tribes living on the same beach —that leaked earlier this fall. Probst explained that the two tribes will “compete against each other while living together on one island. They’ll have to decide whether to share their resources or leave the other tribe to fend for themselves as they battle it out.” He also said the show “has traveled across the planet,” a nice way to disguise the fact that this will be the fourth season in six seasons set in the exact same place, Samoa. The only new information Probst offered in the preview was the tribe names: Salani and Manono. While Salani is the name of a village, Manono is the name of an island that’s just off the western shore of Upolo , Samoa’s major island—and more importantly, it’s right next to the show’s base camp and other locations. However, Wikipedia notes that there are no...

With the announcement of Survivor South Pacific’s dull concept and repeat location , we have little to look forward to until the production (hopefully) surprises us this fall. But we do have season 24’s potential. Since seasons are now filmed in the same location, the spring season typically features a twist, and it’s time to brainstorm and give the production some ideas. (When I was in Samoa, they were still locking down the format, theme, and cast members for Heroes vs. Villains, so it’s not too late.) Earlier this year, a clever person mashed up old opening sequences to present two different formats: Survivor Ultimate Catastrophe Edition and Survivor: Super Strategists . (Watch the trailers by hovering over the video icon.) They’re hilarious, especially “ultimate catastrophe“‘s modified theme song, and I think they’re actually viable formats, too, though we may disagree on some of the individuals who’ve been selected here. Inevitably, fans love the idea of a second chance series, ...