25 of my favorite stories from 2025

This was less of an April Fool's Day work of satire joke and more of a rant about two letters that make my head hurt every time I read them: the ed when added to "cast."

Yes, April Fool's Day stories were back, and I had even more fun with this one—especially with the image!

For Survivor’s 25th anniversary, I started a new series of interviews—which will continue in the new year—exploring how the show affected former players' lives, including Francesca Hogi, Erik Reichenbach, and Eliza Orlins.

This interview with Survivor China’s Leslie Nease was the most surprising to me, as she told me about how going on Survivor helped her shift from evangelical Christian to queer ally thanks to Todd Herzog.

I usually look forward to Top Chef every year; its slow decline the past few years led me to write this review, which I wrote as an open letter to the show itself, as if it's a person.

Sometimes you just fall in love with your own jokes, and I still love the way I applied José Andrés' work to this show, even if I didn't love the show.

One of the reasons I write—and write about reality TV—is to discover what I think or why I think that way. Anne Burrell's death was a low point this year, though her enthusiasm even for a comically dumb show helped me find appreciation for what the show, and Anne, were doing.

The headline is, of course, satirical. And the show is coming back in 2026, with SLOMW's Taylor in the lead. But I stand by this take.

Marshal Knight recapped Dancing with the Stars this season, and his writing was a weekly dose of comedy and joy about a show that's on the rebound. Don't miss these recaps especially if you, like me, left DWTS behind years ago.

This was Parvati's year, from Deal or No Deal Island to Australian Survivor: Australia v the World to her memoir, and this was a fun conversation even though it came before her big win.

Interviews with Rylie Jeffries were mysteriously cancelled, but then he popped up, ready to answer everything about his Big Brother behavior—in writing.

In this piece, I offered some helpful follow-ups.

This recap was so fun to write—I'm still proud of the headline—but when I did some reporting to follow up, I was surprised to learn about the dark underbelly of Below Deck and its tips.

I solved a mystery this year!

I had a few thoughts about Netflix’s documentary Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser, but when I interviewed an expert about it, I learned so much more about the damage TV can cause.

Like the interview I did with the founder of Brandon TV, my interview with producer Mickey Ramos was a window into the way people are adapting to Hollywood's new reality. How Mickey basically took over a fandom from NatGeo is an amazing story.

Sarah D. Bunting's thoughtful take on axe murders and a book about them is exactly what I love about reading Best Evidence pieces, from Sarah, Eve, and their contributors.

Having a subject-matter expert review a reality series is always a treat, and here, Mary Beth Ellis reviewed the series and helped us understand its take on racing.

I loved getting to reconnect with Ben Mandelker, co-host of the wildly popular Bravo podcast Watch What Crappens, about his journey from TVgasm recapping to podcasting.

This now-annual survey of reality TV producers is easily one of my favorite stories of the year because producers gave us a peek behind the curtain at what their jobs are really like.

My theories about why Bravo’s Below Deck season 12 was such a mess, from the editing to the casting, Stillie to Solene.

I obtained the “confidential” agreement between producers of 60 Days In and a sheriff’s department to reveal to you what exactly goes on behind the scenes.

Shark Tank, American Idol, and other shows shape our perceptions, regardless of political party, as I learned during this fascinating interview.

Dianna Williams, Coach D from Bring It!, was quite candid in our interview as she discussed what the Lifetime show ignored and why it ‘fell apart,’ and how her new show is different.

I talked to the creators and producers of this charming Netflix show about their casting and filming process, which is very different from other reality TV shows!

The First 48 had Minneapolis detectives fake scenes for the show, as this investigation found, and I was honored to reprint it to share it with you.

One of the wildest and most unexpected parts of producing reality blurred for 25 years is hearing how things I've written have led people to end up on TV, whether that's people being cast or, in this case, finding their way to the audience.

Yes, that's Melissa—who we all know from her tarsier avatar in the comments—on Tournament of Champions. And she's generously shared behind-the-scenes details from the tapings she's attended, bringing things full circle.