The Reality Of Reality

Inside the Mind of an Entertainment Journalist: Celebrity Interviews, Reality TV & Journalism Ethics w/ Sydney Bucksbaum

This week, entertainment journalist Sydney Bucksbaum takes us inside her world — from red carpets, A-list interviews and insane press trips! Sydney opens up about her 15+ years working in entertainment, her time working at Entertainment Weekly, the debate between influencers and traditional journalists interviewing on red carpets, and how people do and don’t follow journalism’s code of ethics. Sydney has interviewed nearly the entire Harry Potter cast, traveled to Paris for The Summer I Turned Pretty finale coverage, gotten slimed on Nickelodeon’s Double Dare, and SO much more. And of course, we also get into reality TV. Sydney shares behind-the-scenes stories from covering shows like The Challenge, Love Is Blind, and House of Villains. Plus, she shares what it was like writing her book “How to Win at The Challenge and Life: A Champion's Guide to Eliminating Obstacles, Winning Friends, and Making That Money”, revealing her favorite interviews, which winners didn’t want to participate, and her thoughts on the current state of The Challenge as a Challenge superfan.

Upfronts Updates: The Bravo & Peacock Reality TV News You NEED To Hear!

The Bravo-verse is heating up with huge announcements, including new shows, vertical dramas, a Love Island USA crossover, and an (intentional) Summer House reunion leak! All of this and more were announced at the NBCU Upfronts - but what exactly are "Upfronts"? In this episode, I’m breaking down all of the biggest Bravo and Peacock announcements from NBCU Upfronts and what they mean for us as viewers. With show renewals from The Real Housewives, Summer House, Southern Charm, Top Chef, Watch What Happens Live, Wife Swap and more, to upcoming projects and unexpected crossover moments, there’s a lot for us reality lovers to be excited about. So tune in now for your full Bravo/Peacock Upfronts update.

The Current State of The Real Housewives: According To My Mom

So much has been happening in the world of The Real Housewives lately, they needed their own episode! And no one follows these women more closely than my mom. My mother, Andrea Riccio, joins me in the studio to break down everything currently happening across the franchises — from Miami reportedly being “on pause,” to our obsession with Rhode Island, to why we think Beverly Hills may be in desperate need of a reboot. We ‘re diving into the latest Bravo discourse, revisiting some of our favorite Housewives moments, and telling a story about The Real Housewives of New York that we’re still not entirely sure we’re allowed to share… but we did anyway! So tune in now for Bravo hot takes, Housewives gossip, unfiltered opinions — straight from this mother-daughter duo!

The Reality Of: Vanderpump Villa w/ Hagen Bach

Hulu’s favorite housekeeper is in the studio! Hagen Bach is here to hilariously spill all the tea about Vanderpump Villa Season 3. We dive into his intense friendship fallout with Hannah Fouch, which of his Villa coworkers he considers “flops,” what it was like working with Stassi Schroeder, and all the guest group drama — including the chaotic visit from The Challenge cast and, of course, the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives DadTok trip. Hagen also gives us the inside scoop on what we didn’t get to see from Dakota Mortensen and shares how he really feels about Jordan Ngatikaura. Hagen also teases the Vanderpump Villa reunion (out now), describing it as “really fun”… while also admitting he told someone to “burn in hell.” Plus, he breaks down his promotion this season, the challenges of stepping into the butler role, his $50,000 bonus, and whether he’d return to the Villa next year… He may no longer be a housekeeper, but he’s still talking trash. Tune in for The Reality Of: Vanderpump Villa.

West & Amanda CAUGHT KISSING?! The Yankees Game, Reunion Predictions, Ciara's Glamour Interview, and Kyle Cooke's Romantic Night with Meghan King

West and Amanda kissing at the Yankees game? Kyle Cooke going on his tiptoes for Meghan King?? And Ciara is finally speaking out??? So much has happened over the past few days, it felt only right to dedicate an entire episode to a WestManda update. I’m recapping everything these two lovebirds (?) have been up to — from a night out at one of New York City’s busiest bars to being caught kissing on camera at the Yankees game. And speaking of unexpected moments… we also have to talk about Kyle Cooke’s cozy evening with former Real Housewife Meghan King. Plus, Ciara Miller did an interview with Glamour magazine that we NEED to talk about. And you guys wrote in with your West/Amanda thoughts and I'm reading them all during this episode (some of which caught me a bit off guard) 👀