Andy Dehnart (born August 26, 1977) is an American journalist and television critic. He may be best known as reality television's "longest-standing critic" [1] for his online journalism, as he is the creator of the genre's first tracking website, realityblurred.com. [2] He is a member of the Television Critics Association.
Currently a contributor of television criticism and cultural journalism to NPR, The Daily Beast and msnbc.com, Dehnart has also written for Salon.com, Wired.com, The Boston Globe , Metro , the Chicago Tribune and Playboy . [3] He regularly appears on television and the radio to discuss reality TV and popular culture.
USA Today named Dehnart one of the Top 100 People in Pop Culture in 2001. [4]
Dehnart earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Bennington College, [5] where his non-fiction studies included a lecture which explored the cultural impact of blogging, then a relatively unknown phenomenon in popular culture.
Dehnart now teaches writing, journalism, and communication studies at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where he advises the student newspaper. [5] He has also taught for Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth.
Earlier, Dehnart moved to Chicago in 1999 to work as managing editor of a non-profit website, and later he worked as a producer for thepavement.com, a site for recent college graduates, and BrassRing, a recruiting solutions company. A native of Naples, Florida, Dehnart received his BS from Stetson, where he majored in journalism and earned minors in political science and religious studies. While an undergraduate, he edited the weekly campus newspaper, The Reporter, for two years; both years, it was named the best private college newspaper in the state of Florida. [6] [7]
Dehnart is openly gay. [8]
Type of site | Blog |
---|---|
Available in | English |
Owner | Reality Blurred LLC |
Created by | Andy Dehnart |
URL | www |
Advertising | Yes |
Commercial | Yes |
Launched | 2000 |
Reality Blurred is an American entertainment news website Dehnart created in July 2000, [9] [2] [10] and the daily-updated site quickly became a primary source for devotees of the reality TV explosion. It was the first website to cover reality television. [11]
It tracks reality TV shows [12] and includes reporting, analysis, commentary, interviews, and show reviews. [11] [13]
Reality Blurred launched July 2000 as an entertainment blog modeled after Jim Romenesko's MediaNews [11] but focused on early reality television shows such as Survivor and Making the Band. Media coverage of the website said it "analyzes the reality TV genre" [14] and "tracks daily press coverage of all the currently running unscripted TV series." [15]
In 2010, the website published the Survivor contract and rule book. [16] Much of the website's focus is based on its negative view of the show's evolution in recent years, and disagreement with almost everything Jeff Probst says or does in his roles as host and producer of the series.
Reality Blurred was first to report news such as CBS's plans for a season of Big Brother on CBS All Access, which became Big Brother: Over the Top., [17] [18] and Netflix casting journalist Alex Wagner to host The Mole. [19]
Dehnart still writes for the website. [20] Other contributors to Reality Blurred have included Stephen Fishbach, The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies contestant Corey Lay and Jane McGonigal. [21] [22]
Two months after its launch, Entertainment Weekly graded Reality Blurred an "A," calling the website "a Virgil to guide you through television’s latest ring of hell" and a "smartly dressed compendium of so-real-it’s-real links." [23] Slate named Reality Blurred the best culture blog about television [24] in 2003.
Reality Blurred won the 2021 Los Angeles Press Club’s award for Entertainment Blog by an Individual Not Tied to an Organization in the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards. [25]
Survivor: The Australian Outback is the second season of the American reality television series Survivor. Broadcast by CBS, it was originally shown between January 28 and May 23, 2001. Filming took place at Goshen cattle station, on the bank of the Herbert River in northern Queensland from October 23 through December 3, 2000. The show was hosted by Jeff Probst and featured 16 participants competing over 42 days. It was the first and only season to have more than 39 days of gameplay.
Survivor: Pearl Islands is the seventh season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. It was filmed from June 23, 2003, through July 31, 2003, and premiered on September 18, 2003. The season was filmed on the Pearl Islands, off the coast of Panama, and had a pirate culture theme. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay with 16 competitors.
Boy Meets Boy is an American reality television series broadcast by Bravo. The series premiered on July 29, 2003, and it concluded with its sixth episode on September 2, 2003. Filmed in Palm Springs, the series depicted leading man James Getzlaff selecting a partner among a group of fifteen men, referred to as mates. Getzlaff and the mates participated in one-on-one dates and group activities, with Getzlaff eliminating three mates from the competition in each episode. However, in the fourth episode, it was revealed to Getzlaff that the mates actually consisted of both gay and straight men. If the final mate in the competition was a gay man, he would win a $25,000 reward and a vacation to New Zealand with Getzlaff. Conversely, if the final mate was a straight man, then he alone would win the $25,000 reward. The series was hosted by English television presenter Dani Behr.
Big Brother is an American television reality competition show based on the Dutch reality show of the same name created by producer John de Mol Jr. in 1997. The series takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The American series launched on July 5, 2000 on CBS, and since the discontinuation of the Spanish version in 2022, is the longest-running adaptation in the Big Brother franchise.
He's a Lady is an American reality television series broadcast by the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). The six-episode series premiered on October 19, 2004, and concluded on November 23, 2004. Filmed in Los Angeles, California, the series depicted eleven cisgender men in competition for a $250,000 reward over who could pass themselves off as a more convincing woman. The contestants were required to cross-dress and adopt feminine personas, which were then introduced to their family and friends. The contestants additionally competed in weekly challenges that required them to embrace femininity. The competition culminated in a beauty pageant, which was judged by a celebrity panel. The series was hosted by American television presenter Tony Frassrand.
Britney and Kevin: Chaotic is an American reality television series created and directed by Anthony E. Zuiker. Starring pop singer Britney Spears and her then-husband Kevin Federline, the five-episode series aired on UPN from May 17 to June 14, 2005. The series chronicles the couple's relationship from their courtship, engagement and wedding.
Survivor: Cook Islands is the thirteenth season of the American competitive reality television series, Survivor. The season was filmed from June 26 to August 3, 2006, and premiered on September 14 of that year. Filmed in the Cook Islands, it was broadcast by CBS.
Gay, Straight or Taken? is an American reality television series broadcast by Lifetime. The series premiered on January 8, 2007, and its eighteenth and final episode aired on March 12, 2007. Filmed in Los Angeles, California, each episode depicted a straight single woman going on a group date with three men. Among the men, one is straight and single, one is straight and partnered, and the other is gay and partnered. At the end of the date, the woman was required to discern which of the men she believed to be straight and single. If she correctly chose the straight single man, the two would win an all-expenses-paid vacation together; if she chose one of the other two men, that man would receive the vacation with his own partner.
David Vanacore is an American television music composer. Dubbed by television music industry insiders as 'The King of Reality', David Vanacore is the composer behind many reality television series, such as Survivor, The Apprentice, Big Brother, Ink Master, American Chopper, Dirty Jobs, Hell's Kitchen, Wipeout, and Whale Wars.
Survivor: Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites, also known as Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites and Survivor: Micronesia, is the sixteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. It is the show's third season to include contestants from past seasons, after the all-returning contestant pool from Survivor: All-Stars, along with Survivor: Guatemala, in which two contestants from Survivor: Palau returned for a second chance.
Hey Paula is an American reality television series starring and co-produced by American television personality Paula Abdul that aired from June 28 to July 27, 2007, on the Bravo network.
Survivor is the American version of the international Survivor reality competition television franchise, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson created by Charlie Parsons which premiered in 1997. The American series premiered on May 31, 2000, on CBS. It is hosted by Jeff Probst, who is also an executive producer along with Mark Burnett and the original creator, Parsons.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains is the twentieth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. Premiering on February 11, 2010, it was the show's fourth season to feature contestants from past seasons, after Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Guatemala, and Survivor: Micronesia, and was only the second season to feature a cast consisting entirely of returning players, after All-Stars. The season was filmed in Upolu, Samoa. Unlike previous seasons, the preceding season and this season were filmed back-to-back with a commenced short break occurred between seasons due to budget circumstances over the worldwide Great Recession.
Russell Dennis Hantz is an American television personality, best known for his appearances on the U.S. reality show, Survivor. He was the runner-up on Survivor: Samoa, and the second runner-up on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. He also competed on Survivor: Redemption Island and Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders, where he was the second player to be eliminated both times.
Restaurant: Impossible is an American reality television series, featuring chef and restaurateur Robert Irvine, that originally aired on Food Network from 2011 to 2016. After a three-year hiatus, the show returned on April 20, 2019. It was announced that the show was canceled after 22 seasons in 2023.
Rob Has a Podcast (RHAP) is an entertainment podcast hosted by former Survivor contestant Rob Cesternino. The podcast primarily provides commentary of reality television game shows.
Big Brother is a United States reality television series based on the Dutch television series of the same name created by John de Mol Jr. in 1997. The series premiered on July 5, 2000. The series follows a group of contestants, known as HouseGuests, who live together in a custom–built home under constant surveillance. The HouseGuests are completely isolated from the outside world and generally have no communication from the outside world. In the first season, HouseGuests would nominate two of their fellow HouseGuests. The two HouseGuests with the most votes would be "marked for banishment" and the public then voted on whom to "banish" from the house. When three HouseGuests remained, the public voted on the winner. Despite an initial successful start, ratings and critical reaction continued to grow increasingly negative. This led to the second season being a revamp of the show featuring a more competition–based challenge. Starting with the second season, HouseGuests compete in a series of competitions to win power and safety, they then vote to "evict" one of their own until there are only two HouseGuests remaining. In finale episodes, previous HouseGuests vote on who they think they should win the game, with the HouseGuest who receives the most votes being declared the winner and receiving the grand prize. Casting is currently underway for a 26th season.
Survivor 44 is the forty-fourth season of the American competitive reality television series Survivor. This season, filmed from June 5 through June 30, 2022, is the twelfth consecutive season filmed in the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji. It premiered on March 1, 2023, on CBS in the United States and Global in Canada. The season concluded on May 24, 2023, when Yamil "Yam Yam" Arocho was named the winner of the season, defeating Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt and Carolyn Wiger in a 7–1–0 vote.
Conveyor Belt of Love is an American reality television special broadcast by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Initially intended to serve as a backdoor pilot, the one-hour special premiered on January 4, 2010. The special depicted a panel of five women selecting a suitor among a group of thirty men. The women were seated in front of a conveyor belt, in which the men were individually rotated out for a period of one minute. During this minute, the men were required to display a talent or skill in order to make a positive impression on the women. At the end of each minute, the women raised a paddle indicating whether or not they were interested. American voice actor Dale Inghram served as the special's narrator.
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