This week’s reality TV recap: That emotional 'Love Is Blind' breakup, the fallout from the 'RHOC' background check drama — and more
In Reality newsletter: Catch up on what you missed in reality TV this week
Hey, reality fam! I’m Laura Bradley, an entertainment reporter whose first words just happened to be “I’m not here to make friends,” and each week I recap the genre’s biggest, messiest moments. Let’s get to it.
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Reality check of the week
Love Is Blind’s finale was rough this week. Only two couples, Taylor and Garrett and then Tyler and Ashley, made it to the altar. Meanwhile, Ramses and Marissa shocked us with a split so brutal that it earned the couple our reality check of the week.
What happened: Ramrissa was on thin ice, but Ramses ending things still felt abrupt. Already once divorced, he told Marissa he was afraid of hurting her but later said he worried her energy would be “too much” for him. Hmm. [Entertainment Weekly]
What people are saying: “Can we all agree that people with hearts as big as Marissa’s should no longer be cast on the show?!” is the general vibe. As for Ramses? He was already unpopular, and now he’s reunion chum. [TVLine/BuzzFeed]
My take: As heartbroken as Marissa might’ve been, this was for the best. She’s better off finding someone who’s less judgmental of her military experience and less preoccupied with not wearing condoms. [Cosmopolitan]
The recaps
?? ‘The Voice’
Our opening Battle Rounds were full of standouts, but Gabrielle Zabosky and Frankie Torres’s duet really wowed the coaches, so Reba McEntire stole Torres for her team. Next week, watch out for Snoop Dogg, the only coach with both steals left. [Yahoo Entertainment]
??? ‘Survivor’
We’ve finally reached the merge, which left Rome Cooney eliminated. There’s nothing like watching a man say, “Man, like, I am running this game,” only to be on the boat to Ponderosa minutes later. [Entertainment Weekly]
?? ‘The Golden Bachelorette’
Things got serious for Joan Vassos during Week 6’s hometowns. Frontrunner Chock and ER doc Guy are all in, so Joan had to cut one of her stragglers. Ultimately she kept Pascal and said goodbye to Jordan. [Yahoo Entertainment]
?? ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’
Tamra and Shannon are taking turns throwing each other under the bus, and it’s gotten ugly. As in, Tamra told Gina that Shannon once tried to dig up proof she’d thrown her boyfriend down the stairs. She also called Shannon “a liar and a drunk” to her face. Eek! [Reality Tea]
?? ‘Dancing With the Stars’
Poetically, Disney night put House of Mouse alum Chandler Kinney back at the top of the leaderboard. Kinney’s paso doble to “We Own the Night” from Zombies 2 (in which she starred) stunned the judges, while Real Housewife Phaedra Parks went home. [Yahoo Entertainment]
Reality trivia
Which Bachelor contestant staged part of her hometown date in a taxidermy warehouse?
Hint: This was during Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s season. (Anyone else remember how disastrously that ended?)
Answer at the bottom.
3 questions
...with Real Housewives expert Coleman Spilde
The world of Real Housewives (especially Orange County ??) is heating up, so I DM’d one of my favorite Bravo experts — entertainment critic Coleman Spilde — for his dishy perspective.
Laura: Last week on RHOC, Jenn Pedranti put the infamously unapologetic Tamra Judge in her place. How do you think this will play out?
Coleman: Jenn strikes me as the rare, genuinely good-hearted person to be cast in this franchise, so seeing her put herself first was so gratifying. I think Jenn will play a big part in Tamra's second downfall as we near this reunion.
Laura: We're on the second season of RHONY’s controversial reboot with a new cast. Is it headed in a promising direction?
Coleman: As a rare proponent of the reboot's first season, I fear its second is faring far worse. The women aren't uninteresting, but they operate like real humans, which (unfortunately) doesn't jibe with modern Housewives.
Laura: The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City introduced a new Housewife, Bronwyn Newport. What do you think of her so far?
Coleman: Bronwyn and her strangely spelled name have won me over. She's a perfect Housewife: Heinous confessional outfits, a surprisingly interesting backstory, and so confident it borders on narcissism.
Go deeper: Here’s why Tamra Judge may be the perfect RHOC villain.
Next week's watchlist
1?? It’s reunion time on Love Is Blind: We’ll finally see how Tyler explains that whole alleged secret kids situation. Tune in for chaos Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET [HuffPost]
2?? It’s fantasy suites week on The Golden Bachelorette: Here’s the major change Joan is making to them. Based on the sneak peeks, something gets Pascal in a huff on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. [The Independent]
3?? It’s ’60s Night on The Masked Singer: We’re already down to the last three masks on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. While we wait, can I interest you in a fascinating theory as to who the Goo might be? [GoldDerby]
? Trivia answer: It was Kendall Long who took Arie to a taxidermy warehouse, where they mounted a rat. Collecting taxidermy is kind of a lifelong passion of hers.
About In Reality: It’s hard to keep up when there’s so much great reality TV. Good thing entertainment reporter Laura Bradley is an expert at staying on top of everything. Every Saturday morning, she shares a roundup of what happened on the week’s top shows. Sign up.