Reality Live Chats, Part 3 (All International Editions: Survivor, Traitors, BB, Amazing Race, etc)

[November]

Housemates must have been told that ratings have dropped. Coco and Bruce just kissed in the pool! I rekon shes preggers now.

Colin has gone wild since Holly left. She was keeping a lid on him, he has been way, way worse. Now the other boys are giving him endless lectures.

Hollys eviction was weird, like sending that little girl crying up to the stage? Maybe they were trying to hype Holly up before she saw how the outside world reacted to her. And Holly seemed to get a longer interview on the stage the next day. Im sad the eviction interviews are so poor. Sonja was shit, but at least the housemates got a bit of a chance to ride the wave and have a say before they saw what the rest of the world had to say. I really miss the memory packages, they were so fun! They have a good short eviction interview for Im a Celeb, so I cant understand how BBAU stuffed it up so bad.

 

[Cohen]

There was another eviction yesterday but we haven’t watched it yet. I didn’t realize the finale is already scheduled for Sunday! What a short season! But I can’t complain because it gave us entertainment for the last month.

With Survior US ending soon, too, we’re looking for other competitions to keep us busy. We tried this one called “Reality GOATs” but Daniel Tosh, who I loved on Tosh.0 a decade ago, was annoying.

 

[November]

Mel looked gorgeous tonight. It was a much better exit episode for the evictee too. Most memorable eviction of the series. I'm glad its a short season, considering who is left.


Have you seen Cheer @Cohen ? Sports doco/drama, A few years old now but much more talented than the Dallas cheerleader one that is popular now. Netflix, short bingeable, I loved it.

The Block - High stakes, bitchy building/reno show. Extremely popular in Australia. Has a lot of seasons on 9now. Out performs survivor in the ratings.

MAFS - 10+ seasons of relationship drama, sexy and sassy. Not really a competition tho.

Hunted - cops and robbers, not too long, fun.

Aussie Shore - raunchy revolting sexcapades. Makes Love Island look tame, also not a comp.

My Kitchen Rules - dinner parties with dickheads, I havent seen a lot of it, always has love to hate characters.

Bondi Rescue, not a competitive reality show, but if you like hot aussie blokes on the beach, its brilliant.

Alone is a league of its own, heavy. Outlast on Netflix had a similar idea, but not great, passes the time but isnt fantastic. Might get better as seasons progress.

Lego Masters is fun, and worldwide, so there are UK episodes and Scandinavian series too I think.

The Bridge and The Summit were ok, cant remember if you caught them.

Sometimes I catch an old episode of Australias next top model and am reminded how much more nasty we all used to me. I miss it lol.

 

[Cohen]

Mel looked gorgeous tonight. It was a much better exit episode for the evictee too. Most memorable eviction of the series. I'm glad its a short season, considering who is left.


Have you seen Cheer @Cohen ? Sports doco/drama, A few years old now but much more talented than the Dallas cheerleader one that is popular now. Netflix, short bingeable, I loved it.

I never saw it. I know there was some controversy!

The Block - High stakes, bitchy building/reno show. Extremely popular in Australia. Has a lot of seasons on 9now. Out performs survivor in the ratings.

This sounds interesting!!

Hunted - cops and robbers, not too long, fun.

The US did one season of this! There’s a couple of seasons on Amazon Prime so I started the first season last week (one episode in). I liked the US version and i enjoyed the first episode of AUS!

 

[Cohen]

Catching up on BBAU… this is the most depressing Christmas week. 😂😂

They’re all ready to get out the house already. This cast is so odd compared to past seasons. I really want this to do well though because I’ve enjoyed this format and want it to come back. Speaking of previous casts, I follow Dion on Instagram and his posts came up as I was watching the other day and it made me miss that cast. They were so fun! They got trashed so bad on socials because it was the “love” season, but they were actually really entertaining to watch.

Honestly I won’t be sad to never hear Colin say “bro” again after Sunday. The Bruce and Coco love thing has become uninteresting. But at least those three have been DOING stuff. The others are kind of just existing.

Honestly this cast was more promising week 1, but in retrospect I think I like the BBUK cast more. In fact at this point, the BBUK cast is probably my favorite 2025 cast out of USA, UK & AU.

 

[Stake fodder]

Survivor US: I think it was wise to vote out Sophie, one of the stronger competitors and a real candidate to win if she had gotten to the end. But I still think they should have split up the Rizo-Savannah team long ago. They may be unstoppable at this point, with Savannah's ability to win challenges and Rizo's idol.

I laughed that they basically handed the journey to Stephen, and then spent the rest of the episode regretting it. Only two more episodes now!

 

[Cohen]

Survivor US: I think it was wise to vote out Sophie, one of the stronger competitors and a real candidate to win if she had gotten to the end. But I still think they should have split up the Rizo-Savannah team long ago. They may be unstoppable at this point, with Savannah's ability to win challenges and Rizo's idol.

I laughed that they basically handed the journey to Stephen, and then spent the rest of the episode regretting it. Only two more episodes now!

It’s been a really good season! Multiple sole survivor contenders. To be placed just before the 50th season, the cast had an uphill battle. But I really like how everyone in these final 6 can be legit crowned the winner, for various reasons.

Everyone who made the merge were really playing the game. It’s made the show so interesting. I commend this cast for their efforts to keep us entertained!

 

[November]

Survivour US
Rizo's pathetic beard is very distracting. He cant train that for reality tv.

I laughed that they basically handed the journey to Stephen, and then spent the rest of the episode regretting it. Only two more episodes now!

I cant imagine any of them who are left who would have been physically capable of it! Maybe Sophie. It was a stunning visual challenge to watch. Beautiful island! Looks like they spend so much on camera angles.

It was good to fill the episode too, this didnt drag as much for me and I enjoyed it a lot with only a few zone out moments. I liked the challenge and always love rewards. Stephan was cute with Kristina. Shes not a big player, but the sort you'd want to sit next to at the end (strong dislike lol). Stephan needed that win, good episode for him. He didnt use his advantage yet? How long does he have to use it?

Savannah has been good quality. Sophie was never gona win that showdown. And a good time to make the move on a threat like her.

I have liked this season too, a couple great episodes amongst mediocre ones, which is better than mediocre across the board.

 

[November]

BBAU
They really should just let Mel ad lib or even write her own script. I can see her waiting for the auto cue, especially when she does the "its time to go" bit, even Mel looks over it. It feels like production is dulling her, wanting her to be a puppet and hit the cues like Sonja, when she really shines when shes doing her own thing with her own style. I expected her live shows to have her own run down, like this video, but shes standing there like a stunned mullet waiting to be told what to do by an incompetent crew. Having them all stand on eviction is awkward too, where are the oversize chairs!

Spoiler: Eviction

Glad to see Conor go. He was hard to watch, so cocky and his mansplaining got worse as he got more screen time when numbers dwindled. He thinks so highly of himself, authority on all things.

I forgot Ed existed pretty much as soon as he was evicted. Never liked him anyway. Hes a real typical aussie bloke, thats probably why I hated him so much haha.

I turned on the live stream and Colin was talking about how proud his mum must be to see how good he looked after himself in the house without her. And then went on to talk about his favourite fart in the house.

 

[Cohen]

Live reacts to final 2 episodes of BBAU.

Spoiler: BBAU Finale Episodes

Called Edward being voted out. His behavior the last week or so with the women clearly turned the public against him. The way he talks down to some of the women. Also the way he treated Mia when she let him know about her crush. Bye Ed!

Steal or Stack:
I would steal. Especially if I was on the chopping block. And especially knowing if I survive, there’s no more noms. Sorry, this isn’t a team sport. One person gets the pot.

Also called Connor going next. His story will continue to being him financial gain, whereas this is life changing money for Coco and Colin. He has a story that will continue to push him forward, and good for him! I love “Baylen out loud” and I love seeing him being a positive role model in Australia for the Tourette’s community.

The reflection bit was cute, and didn’t last too long. BBUS does a whole 45 minute flashback episode and it’s awful. Like I’ve already watched the season. I don’t want to rewatch the bits with narration from the three finalists. lol

Alanna looks like a Shih tsu with her hair like that. lol

I love this Suzuki twist. I would have stood up too. No chance against Emily or Coco. lol.

Alanna and Bruce are playing the game for the car. Omg down to 2 domes!!! That was insane. I called 9! Way to go Alanna!!

This has been a fun finale so far! Honestly Mel does better than Sonia and I never would have thought that I would like a new host. I knew nothing about Mel going into this season but she better be back in the future! She’s been the best part of this season! She’s so personable. She’s a fresh change from the typical hosts like UK’s (I never bothered to learn their names) and Julie Chen from US.

I also think it should be longer than a month (cause what???)

Bruce evicted. Thats why he went for the car. He should have gone for the 25k steal yesterday.

Colin evicted. I guess Australia didn’t like the fart boys 💨

Emily & Coco final two!! Honestly I’m glad for either to win. Coco surely deserves it for her kids, but Emily equally deserves it for being a teacher—often underpaid, but such an important position!

Coco wins!!! She was probably most impactful during the season and really didn’t rub people the wrong way. She stood up for some of the housemates who were being treated unfairly. I’m happy with this!

 

[November]

I was very happy with the winner, I voted for her. I would have been pissed if Emily won. Seems nice enough, but was bland in comparison to Coco who looked the Big Brother part from the very start. Teachers get paid super well here Emily would be near or over $100,000 a year, with holidays and sick pay, long service leave etc going by what I know about other teachers in Perth. Coco had only talked about part time child care and casual work, which is very, very low with no extra benefits. Im so glad she took the win.

Alanna looks like a Shih tsu with her hair like that. lol

I love this Suzuki twist. I would have stood up too. No chance against Emily or Coco. lol.

Alanna and Bruce are playing the game for the car. Omg down to 2 domes!!! That was insane. I called 9! Way to go Alanna!!

HAHA so true, Allana did look weird with her hair like that. Yeah I enjoyed the game for the car, I expected Bruce to go for it as soon as I saw the twist, but happy Allana put her hat in the ring for it too. Couldnt have planned it, getting down to the last two!

This has been a fun finale so far! Honestly Mel does better than Sonia and I never would have thought that I would like a new host. I knew nothing about Mel going into this season but she better be back in the future! She’s been the best part of this season! She’s so personable. She’s a fresh change from the typical hosts like UK’s (I never bothered to learn their names) and Julie Chen from US.

Im happy to hear this 😀 Mel has copped a little flack from aussie audiences but I dont think it is her that is bad, I think the production needs to be better - like give her a covered stage that isnt going to get rained out, and give them eviction chairs! Mel did exceptionally well, considering the circumstances. Shes also a fan, so thats cool too. I hope they give her a better stylist and make up artist next season.

I'll be happy to never ever see Colin again, and next time I see people with his haircut, I am giving them an extra wide berth. I will not even give them the benefit of the doubt, avoid avoid avoid. I bet the tabloids will follow the Holly and Colin stuff until shes overseas again. And then I only ever expect to see Colin on tv again when he is arrested for some sort of crime. Scary kid.

Coco and Bruce were kinda cute in the end. I duno where it will go, but I'd not be surprised to see Bruce on love island or something similar to that next.

Vinnie has already been working hard, I saw a competition for a date with him at Dreamworld. I think we will see a lot more of him on TV if he can find a gig.

So the cast weren't all bad. Besides the pool, I liked the house a lot. I think a bigger pool and a bit more booze would have even spiced this lot up a lot. I had a heck of a lot of fun online with it. In the beginning I didnt think I would watch another season because of the likes of Colin, but if it is as fun online next time, I'd watch it just to participate more in it. So thanks @Cohen for watching along 😀

 

[Cohen]

I was very happy with the winner, I voted for her. I would have been pissed if Emily won. Seems nice enough, but was bland in comparison to Coco who looked the Big Brother part from the very start. Teachers get paid super well here Emily would be near or over $100,000 a year, with holidays and sick pay, long service leave etc going by what I know about other teachers in Perth. Coco had only talked about part time child care and casual work, which is very, very low with no extra benefits. Im so glad she took the win.

😳 I need to move to Australia. I am severely underpaid.

Im happy to hear this 😀 Mel has copped a little flack from aussie audiences but I dont think it is her that is bad, I think the production needs to be better - like give her a covered stage that isnt going to get rained out, and give them eviction chairs! Mel did exceptionally well, considering the circumstances. Shes also a fan, so thats cool too. I hope they give her a better stylist and make up artist next season.

I don't think people like change. You have to go in with an open mind. I will be giving David an open mind when Survivor returns, though I know I will be in my feels when JLP isn't on the screen. But it's not fair to David for me to go in with prejudgment. So I offered the same grace to Mel, and I ended up loving her. It was also her first season doing this gig, so she was going to have blunders. However, she is so personable, she really shook off the issues like a champ. But production needs to commit. I am sure they were on a limited budget, which is why the season was so short. If Ten can give it the budget it deserves, the next season could go well!

So the cast weren't all bad. Besides the pool, I liked the house a lot. I think a bigger pool and a bit more booze would have even spiced this lot up a lot. I had a heck of a lot of fun online with it. In the beginning I didnt think I would watch another season because of the likes of Colin, but if it is as fun online next time, I'd watch it just to participate more in it. So thanks @Cohen for watching along 😀

I always enjoy watching these shows with you and @Stake fodder! It makes watching them so much more fun when you have someone to discuss with!

 

[Cohen]

Stake fodder AUD 100,000 is equivalent to USD 66,400, so maybe it's not as bad as you think. Though I think teachers are always underpaid for the valuable work they do!

I make less. Lol. With 2 masters degrees, and nearly a doctorate. Severely underpaid. lol.

With Australia, I would also get warm christmases, so I would be in heaven. How is Aussie healthcare? lol. 😅😂

 

[November]

I make less. Lol. With 2 masters degrees, and nearly a doctorate. Severely underpaid. lol.

With Australia, I would also get warm christmases, so I would be in heaven. How is Aussie healthcare? lol. 😅😂

Healthcare is a bit of a shitshow to be honest haha. Non residents cant use Medicare until they are citizens/residents, and private cover isnt included in your work - although teachers/nurses/police do get more discounts and benefits than others since they are in such high demand. Taxes are high, but I wouldn't know how that compares and if its the same for people on working visas. If you own a home (as Emily does cos she mentioned her mortgage) you're pretty much set for life now in this country.

But you would get a warm christmas haha, especially on the west coast. Rural placements will pay more and some include housing, cos they are such rough gigs that people tend to work out their contract and leave lol. If you and hubby are the outdoor adventure/beach types, then places like Esperance are possibly worth the work. Its just a long way from anything... in the world.

https://apps.det.wa.edu.au/aab/

Teacher salaries - Department of Education

www.education.wa.edu.au

Feeling a bit lost without the livestream today! It was so easy to put on in the background. It looks like BBAU has been renewed for 2026, but not much on over christmas now. Im a celeb should start up in January, setting the reality tv ball rolling again.

 

[November]

Survivor US

Spoiler: live reacts

Wow good one for Savanah, I didnt expect her to win reward with her cry before it started. I thought she would choose Soph. Honestly best strategy to do so. Might be a fun trigger for Sage rage. Rizo eats like a man, could he fit any more in his gob? Noo Stephen, that was dumb to share. Keep them guessing. These girls are not playing on his level.

Skipped the letters from home while getting dinner, I never care.

Feels like a full episode, which is nice! No idea who will win this immunity... I feel like the legacy comment is foreshadowing...
Dont trust, doooont trust, dont do it. Phew, good girl Savannah. Good fight from Sage.

Now Stephen realises Kristina is not playing on his level, good analogy.
They have 3/3, Stephen has his block a vote, Sage DO NOT complicate this now.
Oh, Soph has some smarts if she does play Rizs idol for herself, and that would be a huge move, correct play.
Lets see...

Ohhh Soph, why didnt you do your original idol plan? Now we have to see who Sage sides with...

Rizo doing his showmanship again.

Noooooo. Sage you suck! But it was a move to make. Puts a target on her. Sage, you better be sure to win the next immunity and force the power couple to eat Soph.

Great ep!

 

[Cohen]

In the end credits, it’s revealed both Kristina and Sage voted for Stephen.

Except for the crying over “reasons to be here” during the home letter portion, I really enjoyed this episode. I’ve already told close family/friends if I ever go on one of these shows and I do a sob story about trauma to never let me live it down. Because my reasons for being there are private and everyone has a reason to try to win $1 million.

Rizo is continuously annoying to me but I think he’s just representative of his generation. The open mouth eating sent me over the edge.

I think that Stephen was playing too cocky and that’s what ultimately sent them home. There’s a fine balance you have to play and while they made a great tribal move, they were smug while doing it and you have to remember the nuance of making big moves but in a way that keeps the target off of you. Ultimately they failed to do that.

Next week will be interesting because the final five have all ebbed and flowed, except for Rizo and Savannah. The other players need to work strategically to get the duo out or they’re going to end up losing in the end.

 

[November]

In the end credits, it’s revealed both Kristina and Sage voted for Stephen.

Yeah, but Kristina wouldnt have come up with that without Sage pushing it. And Sage was pissed at Rizo for lying about his Idol still being useful, so she fell for Rizos play. I cant see anyone being able to beat Rizo or Savanah now, and I would be a bit pissed if anyone else did cos they have come to PLAY! I liked cocky Steven with his "nope". It was very entertaining to see Sophi fumble that. Even if she had gone for the idol, it still would have been fumbled, either way she comes out of that badly. Sophi better not win this!

Obviously, I fell for every misdirect in the episode too! But it did make it fun to watch 😀

Rizo is continuously annoying to me but I think he’s just representative of his generation.

Agreed, I dont interact with any of this generation in my day to day life so I only see it on tv.

 

[Stake fodder]

Noo Stephen, that was dumb to share. Keep them guessing. These girls are not playing on his level.

I think he had to share that he had the Block a Vote, so they could feel confident in their plan to vote out Sophi, with three votes to two. Of course, it didn't work out that way. I think Sophi made a serious mistake not using her Knowledge is Power to obtain Rizo's idol. It would have been seen as a big move, and Rizo would have only himself to blame for not telling her it was good for another tribal.

I also tend to think that Sage and Kristina erred in voting out Stephen. Yes, he is a threat to their games, but he was still an ally. Now they are up against the power alliance, which has no real reason to vote out Sophi, and either Rizo or Savannah likely would have been targeted as soon as they could be, anyway. But maybe it gives Sage some credit with the jury.

I think that Stephen was playing too cocky and that’s what ultimately sent them home. There’s a fine balance you have to play and while they made a great tribal move, they were smug while doing it and you have to remember the nuance of making big moves but in a way that keeps the target off of you. Ultimately they failed to do that.

I agree, but Rizo has been cocky, too, and it hasn't hurt him any!

I laughed at how Sophi could not keep the sombrero on her head!

 

[Cohen]

I think Sophi made a serious mistake not using her Knowledge is Power to obtain Rizo's idol. It would have been seen as a big move, and Rizo would have only himself to blame for not telling her it was good for another tribal.

This. Even if she didn’t play it, stealing his idol would have been a power move because he couldn’t play it. He did say it was useless after that tribal, so by hoodwinking them and her not using her advantage for his idol, he made a bigger move. Hers was blundered, even though Stephen’s block a vote was ineffective.

I also tend to think that Sage and Kristina erred in voting out Stephen. Yes, he is a threat to their games, but he was still an ally. Now they are up against the power alliance, which has no real reason to vote out Sophi, and either Rizo or Savannah likely would have been targeted as soon as they could be, anyway. But maybe it gives Sage some credit with the jury.

Here’s what COULD happen though: Savannah doesn’t win immunity: Rizzo and Savannah are vulnerable. Rizzo has to decide to use idol on himself or Savannah. Sophi, Kristina and Sage band together to get out whichever is being voted for. Rizzo would have to play correctly to ensure both of them stay.

I agree, but Rizo has been cocky, too, and it hasn't hurt him any!

Next week could prove his downfall. Or final 4 at firemaking.


This season is so compelling!

 

[November]

I think Sophi made a serious mistake not using her Knowledge is Power to obtain Rizo's idol. It would have been seen as a big move, and Rizo would have only himself to blame for not telling her it was good for another tribal.

👍

This. Even if she didn’t play it, stealing his idol would have been a power move because he couldn’t play it. He did say it was useless after that tribal, so by hoodwinking them and her not using her advantage for his idol, he made a bigger move. Hers was blundered, even though Stephen’s block a vote was ineffective.

Early on Jeff was using Soph as an example of how the game (no food) scrambles your thinking at tribal council, but Sophi came to tribal after a big mexican meal! So we cant blame lack of food for her bad judgement this time! She had said in her confessional that she was considering stealing Rizos Idol and I wonder if someone got in her ear to turn her from that idea, because it was the better one!

As annoying as Riz is, I respect the gameplay. Plus, I'd much rather run into him on the street than people like Colin or Zelah!