PODCAST · tv
Reality TV, PhD
by Reality TV PhD
Christina and Em dissect all your reality TV faves with a critical (and sometimes even academic) lens. But despite how long we spent in school, nothing–and we mean NOTHING–is too low brow for us. Join us for weekly episodes where we catch up on all the reality TV happenings that week, hear from guest lecturers, and hold back none of our hot takes! The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not reflect the views or positions of their employers, any entities they may represent, or anyone else.
Episodes
-
On Alone Season 11, Ep. 1-3
Here it is. The episode you all have been waiting for… The episode where Christina and Em leave the comfort of their reality TV dating show coverage and embark into the unchartered territory that is SURVIVAL SHOWS aka ALONE SEASON 11. This episode of the pod features a competitive draft where...
-
On Love Island US, Eps. 1-10
Episode Description: SOMETHING IS IN THE WATER BECAUSE WHAT IS HAPPENING ACROSS THESE SHOWS? We need to talk about Harry. We need to talk about Rob. And guess what?????? WE DO. That’s honestly all we’re going to say. Tune in :) Episode Timestamps & Spoiler Warnings: 0:00-24:47 Home Room: Report...
-
On Perfect Match, Ep. 1-6
WARNING: Very long, meandering conversation at the top of this episode that has nothing to do with Reality TV. That’s just what we needed, OK?! Once we get that out of our system, we dive in. For this first time in history, Christina gives one of Em’s favorite shows an A, which is huge, IMO. Em...
-
On Race to Survive New Zealand (Ep 1-3)
Seminar was Race to Survive NZ, but in reality this ep is a bunch of mini episodes. We talk F Girl Island—I mean Lovers and Liars—and how that (almost) ends. We talk Love Has Won, and we will never talk about it again. We talk Love Island UK, which should be at the top of your to-watch list. We...
-
We’re back! A recap of Spring 2024 reality TV
Welcome back to our (arbitrarily named) Season 4 of the pod! We missed you all! In this ep, we recap all the shows… no really, all of them: Deal or No Deal Island Season 1; The Circle Season 6; Lovers & Liars Season 1; Summer House Season 8; The Valley Season 1; Top Chef Season 21; The Bachelor...
-
School's out (til summer)
Don't worry -- we didn't leave you! We are just taking a very short pause. See you in June :)
-
On Love is Blind Season 6, Finale and Reunion
Yes, we are releasing this a week after we recorded it… but you know what? There actually wasn’t much to talk about in the reality TV space this past week, so we aren’t sorry. Also, we had to recover from our vulnerable stories we share at the end of this episode *shudders* before posting it. We...
-
On Love is Blind Season 6, Episodes 7-11
Here we were, thinking we’d not have much more to say about LIB, and yet… how wrong we were! We unpack each couple and get into allllllll the drama. And also, Em asks Christina a vulnerable question regarding Sarah Ann’s decision to send JerAmey a DM. You won’t BELIEVE what Christina says! We…
more -
On Love is Blind Season 6, Episodes 1-6 (ft. Ed)
The day hath arrived: A new season of love is blind, a new EXPERIMENT (barf) to discuss! We invite our fav Love is Blind guest, Ed, to unpack the first episode drop. We originally said we’d just cover the first 3 eps, because 6 is a doozy, but who were we kidding, we cover them all! Prepare...
-
On The Traitors US, Season 2, Episodes 6-7
First things first: Em deeply apologizes for her audio failure. We fixed it after 20 minutes and we are MOVING ON. (Edit: Christina actually doesn't think it's too bad!) In seminar, we do our deepest dive on the Traitors yet—because, honestly, Sandra deserves it. But before that, we discuss a...
-
On Vanderpump Rules, Season 11 Premiere ft. Jen D’Angelo
We talk Farmers, we talk Wives, we talk Bachelor producers and Traitors. But most of all, we welcome back our resident VPR expert, Jen D’Angelo, to talk about all things VPR Season premiere. Why do we always root for Schaena? At what point do people get personal assistants? Did James know he was...
-
On The Traitors US, Season 2 Episode 5
It was a light week in reality TV but we still had MUCH to discuss. We both had short notes this week which means we got to go on many delightful tangents, including an impromptu overview of the entire Bachelor cast, discussing the low of Queer Eye Season 8, and a sprinkling of David Foster...
-
On The Traitors US, Season 2 + A Whole Lot More
We are BACK, BABY! With so much—some might say too much—to discuss. We cover VPR (Christina binged all 10 seasons!), Survivor (good winner!), Selling Sunset (philosophizing about friends “changing” and what it is to live a meaningful life), RHSLC (Monica), and much more! We close with a seminar…
more -
On Survivor, Amazing Race, GBBO, Love Island Games & More! (ft. Chelsea White)
We’re still here, we promise! Well, at least Christina and her guest co-host, Chelsea, are still here. While Em traipses around in the Shire, we talk about all the shows we’ve been watching and wonder why on earth House of Villains remains so elusive for viewers. Chelsea questions Survivor beauty...
-
On Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 4
Are we releasing this episode a week after we recorded it? Yes. Do we have any regrets? NEVER!!! Anyway, please join us for this episode where we mostly discuss the legendary cast of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, and also confirm yet again that Em is not, and never has been, Mormon. If we...
-
On House of Villains Season 1, Episodes 1-4
Have we talked about this show for the past three podcast episodes? Yes. Did we still decide we needed a Seminar dedicated to it? Also yes. But that’s not all—we also have a jam packed homeroom where we cover the highs of Survivor and the lows of Monica’s mother on Real Housewives of Salt Lake...
-
On House of Villains, FBOY Island, The Challenge, BIP, Golden Bach, RH, and more!
This week we broke all the rules because we are adults so why not?! Departing from our usual structure, we present to you an EXTENDED HOMEROOM where we deep dive into ALL the shows we are currently watching. There was simply too much to discuss to focus on just one! Not sorry! We talk about...
-
On FBOY Island Season 3, Ep. 1-2
We are back after a week off, and Em is just going to pretend LIB Season 5 finale and reunion never happened. We have bigger and better things to talk about, like the focus of this week’s episode: FBOY Island! Join us for seminar where we go through all the male contestants’ Instagrams and roast...
-
On Love is Blind Season 5, Ep. 8-9
On Love is Blind Season 5, Ep. 8-9 Oh how the mighty have fallen. We started out so excited for this season of LIB, only to be severely disappointed at how big of a trainwreck it has become. The word of the week is: BLEAK. We also ponder if Reality TV would lose any of its entertainment value if…
more -
On Love is Blind Season 5, Ep. 5-7
We love nothing more than when we disagree, and we’re so happy to report that we disagree on this episode about at least ONE Love is Blind character! Whose side are you on with this one: Em or Christina? (Yes this is a competition, isn’t everything???) In addition to unpacking the progress (or...
-
On Love is Blind Season 5, Ep. 1-4 (ft. Guest Lecturer: Ed)
Not to be extreme… but this episode is going down as one of our all time faves. We are joined once again by our resident Love is Blind expert, Ed, to unpack all the mess of what MIGHT be the best LIB season yet. We talk archetypes, intentionality, vulnerability, dystopian hypotheticals,...
-
On Love is Blind Season 4: After the Altar
Ugh ugh ugh. Why was After the Altar so… anticlimactic? Thank God Christina thinks we are still in Peak Reality TV Era, because Em’s confidence is waning! Anyway. This episode we praise the new season of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, anti-praise the Ultimatum Reunion, and discuss LIB’s After...
-
On The Ultimatum Season 2 (Ep. 1-5)
Can someone please help us understand what is happening this season of the Ultimatum? Em is confused, Christina is confused, and we simply must know: is it an Ultimatum problem, or is it an us problem? In addition to trying to figure out what the heck is going on in these trial marriages, we also...
-
On The Challenge USA Season 2 (Episodes 1-3)
So happy to be back after a week long hiatus (or should we say, yacht hiatus!?!?! Listen to this ep and you’ll get it). This episode features a philosophical discussion of why The Challenge USA might be the first and only show that Christina does not see all the way through. We also enjoy a...
-
On Project Runway Season 20 (Ep. 9 “Below Decked Out”)
Recapping the most recent episode of Project Runway, featuring Below Deck cast members, left us with just one question: WHY ARE THERE NOT MORE REALITY TV CROSSOVER SHOWS? We discuss Gary’s hair, the Anna romance, and do our best to talk about a topic that is a true growth area for both of us:...
-
On Love Island USA Season 5 (Episodes 1-10)
Em finally convinced Christina to watch Love Island USA, and life is officially complete. We discuss all the OG cast members, the three new bombshells (as of episode 10), the Carmen/Victor drama, the Bergie of it all, and oh so much more. But of course that’s not the entire Reality TV landscape...
-
On Love is Blind (ft. Julie Cachia, cross-cultural psychology researcher)
Woowwweeee. We had SO much fun chatting with this week’s guest Julie Cachia—a PhD candidate at Stanford University studying cross-cultural romantic relationships. She offers cross-cultural psychology explanations for why LIB US is so starkly different from LIB Japan, and truly delights us all…
more -
On The Bachelorette, Season 20 (Ep. 1-3) (ft. Swiping America Season 1)
This episode is a new kind of meandering chaos. In today’s Seminar, we cover the first three episodes of this season of The Bachelorette (spoiler: we love Charity). But before we get there, we unintentionally snuck in a second Seminar about HBO Max’s Swiping America. We had to! Other shows…
more -
On Alone, Season 10 (Ep. 1-4)
Somehow, against all odds, we managed to have a LENGTHY discussion about a show (Alone) in which no one interacts with other humans and contestants are only ever doing one of three things (sleeping, finding food, building shelter). But don’t think that’s all this episode is about—-we also have a...
-
On Temptation Island (Season 5, Episodes 1-2)
This week, we discuss Temptation Island, aka what Em is officially calling “The Show of the Summer.” A perfect serving of trash where somehow every single contestant is giving Messy Main Character Energy juxtaposed against a host who is truly an Enlightened Being—what more could we possibly ask...
-
On The Ultimatum: Queer Love
This week’s seminar is all things Ultimatum: Queer Love. Christina rants, Em cries, what’s new? We unpack our journeys with each contestant from Episode one through the Reunion, and boy did our impressions change over the course of this season!!! Em caps the episode off with an office hours…
more -
On Vanderpump Rules Finale + Reunion (ft. Jen D’Angelo)
Buckle up, students, as (our arbitrarily decided upon) “Season 2” of the podcast has officially launched! A little structure shake up, a lot of rambling. We high-level cover Stars on Mars; The Ultimatum: Queer Love; Barbecue Showdown Season 2; Race to Survive Alaska; Queer Eye Season 7; Below…
more -
On expressions of emotion in reality TV
The good vibes are back this week, baby! Chrishell’s journey on Selling Sunset! Let’s let people be both emotional and strategic! Watching people be mentally tortured in physical competitions is not it! The complexities of deciding who to bring to Final Tribal in Survivor! To cap it off, Em hosts...
-
On miniature horses and feeling our feels
Why are emotions so gosh darn hard!? What’s up with the reverence for ship Captains? In what ways are news headlines misleading? Could we love the Fab Five (Queer Eye) and Carolyn (Survivor US) any more? We maybe took a lot of tangents in this one, but we think the journey was worth it—and hope…
more -
On first date eject buttons
For the second time ever, Em and Christina were in the same city this weekend. So we recorded the podcast together, in real life! Join us for this scintillating episode where we discuss a wide range of topics, such as, how do we feel about live eels and Gary, respectively, on Below Deck Sailing...
-
On Top Chef [ft. Guest Lecturer Kendra Vaculin]
If you’re not watching Jury Duty, what are you even doing? Does Christina come up with the most insightful metaphor that aptly summarizes Survivor 44? (spoiler: yes, yes she does) But mostly, this episode is all about Top Chef, with esteemed guest Kendra Vaculin. What would she value most if she...
-
On platitudes and the power of saying “I Like It”
Can we get behind any of Netflix’s production decisions (spoiler: no, we cannot). What’s the casting process like for the Farmers who want wives? In what way is Survivor like baseball? Can you ever benefit from being strategically prosocial? What did theater people ever do to Christina? Brace...
-
On Love is Blind decision day and disappointments
Will we ever be able to trust Netflix again? Which men disappointed Christina this week? How might the concept of false positives vs. false negatives help Love is Blind contestants make optimal decisions? Who broke the cry count record this week, and why? Tune in to this week’s ep to find out…
more -
On generous takes, deception, and Alaska’s “lawlessness”
Are we too nice to reality TV contestants? Was Jackie (LIB) legally allowed to keep her engagement ring? How confident would you be in running up a wooden half-pipe wall? When is keeping something a secret (i.e., a lie of omission) the best choice? Is there such a thing as “lawlessness” in the...
-
On Love is Blind [ft. Guest Lecturer: Ed]
What is the difference between falling in love and being in love? What is more important to us: The Jedi or food? How would we redesign the “Is Love Blind?” experiment to make it more scientifically sound? What is Ed’s core thesis about LIB (hint: it involves the concept of “transference”)? This...
-
Trailer
Christina and Em dissect all your reality TV faves with a critical (and sometimes even academic) lens. But despite how long we spent in school, nothing–and we mean NOTHING–is too low brow for us. Join us for weekly episodes where we catch up on all the reality TV happenings that week, hear from...
-
On Vanderpump Rules [ft. Guest Lecturer Jen D’Angelo]
How much should we trust the medical teams on Reality TV shows? Will Christina ever stop talking about Captain Lee? Why are we still talking about “sex week” on the Bachelor? But mostly, have you ever met someone more expert on anything than Jen D’Angelo, this week’s guest lecturer, is in the…
more -
On fake idols, gender biases, and production heavy-handedness
Will production-enabled fake idols ruin all idols forever? Can we please stop voting women out on the early season episodes of Survivor? How can we, in one moment, despise someone for being cruel to another group, but in the next moment feel tenderness towards them? If you’re friends with…
more -
On self-awareness and franchise success
Is Survivor US too self-aware? Is there an Oscar nominated film that all Below Deck lovers should see (at least the first 45 minutes of?) Why aren’t they talking about the important topics on Farmer Wants a Wife (and why isn’t it called Farmers Want Wives?) Tune into this week’s episode for a...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Christina and Em dissect all your reality TV faves with a critical (and sometimes even academic) lens. But despite how long we spent in school, nothing–and we mean NOTHING–is too low brow for us. Join us for weekly episodes where we catch up on all the reality TV happenings that week, hear from guest lecturers, and hold back none of our hot takes! The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not reflect the views or positions of their employers, any entities they may represent, or anyone else.
HOSTED BY
Reality TV PhD
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Reality TV, PhD have?
Reality TV, PhD currently has 44 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Reality TV, PhD about?
Christina and Em dissect all your reality TV faves with a critical (and sometimes even academic) lens. But despite how long we spent in school, nothing–and we mean NOTHING–is too low brow for us. Join us for weekly episodes where we catch up on all the reality TV happenings that week, hear from...
How often does Reality TV, PhD release new episodes?
Reality TV, PhD has 44 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Reality TV, PhD?
You can listen to Reality TV, PhD on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Reality TV, PhD?
Reality TV, PhD is created and hosted by Reality TV PhD.
URL copied to clipboard!