Reality TV
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Netflix renews the Squid Game reality show for a second season of (mostly) fake torture
Netflix just announced that it has renewed Squid Game: The Challenge for a second season, and casting is already underway. The reality show is based on the dystopian drama of the same name.
Netflix's Squid Game: The Challenge trailer confirms it missed the message
Netflix has launched a full-length trailer for the upcoming ‘Squid Game: The Challenge.’ The reality competition series debuts on November 22.
Netflix is creating a real-world competition based on 'Squid Game'
Netflix is planning a real-world competition show base on 'Squid Game,' complete with a $4.56 million prize.
A 'Real World: New York' reunion will launch along with Paramount+
The original Real World housemates are getting back together for a new streaming series on Paramount+.
12 Sims players will compete for $100,000 on a TBS game show
'The Sims Spark'd' will premiere on July 17th.
Twitch is working on 'live and interactive' reality TV shows
Twitch is reportedly looking for reality TV-style programming to put next to its live gaming streams.
Disney+ announces two adventure competition shows for teens
While Quibi is remaking the once-popular Nickelodeon show Legends of the Hidden Temple, Disney+ is planning two of its own mazes-based, puzzle-solving shows that could be Legends of the Hidden Temple-esque with a reality TV spin. Today, the streaming service announced plans for the new content: The Quest and The Maze.
Apple's first reality TV series is 'Planet of the Apps'
As rumoured earlier this year, It looks like Apple's getting in on the TV-content game. Online applications are now being accepted for Apple's first ever original series Planet of the Apps. As the punny title suggests, the show will give app developers (yes, including you), a chance feature in the reality show. Applications must be received before August 26 if you want a chance of being selected, though.
Azeroth Choppers episode four dives into... arenas
Just over eight minutes of motorcycle talk and worrying over deadlines and setbacks await you in today's edition of Azeroth Choppers, the World of Warcraft reality show in which two teams square off to build faction-themed motorcycles, or probably will, at some point. Bonus points for the Stormwind music floating behind the massive machine shop and for making the gearheads enter an in-game WoW arena to murder each other, which is totally how you get motorcycles designed and made. The video's after the cut.
Let's all gape at Azeroth Choppers, a WoW motorcycle-themed reality show
We can't decide whether this is completely awesome or bizarrely terrifying, but because there really aren't adequate words for World of Warcraft's latest marketing stunt, I'll just let Blizzard explain it: Grab a front-row seat for the ultimate road showdown! Legendary custom motorcycle designer Paul Jr. has assembled two handpicked teams of bike experts to bring to life a pair of asphalt-kicking chopper designs inspired by World of Warcraft®'s two warring factions. Joining each crew on their epic quest are members of the World of Warcraft development team, on board to help to infuse the essence of the Horde and the Alliance into each bike. In the end, only one chopper will reign supreme as the undisputed king of Azeroth's roads in a winner-takes-all showdown voted on by World of Warcraft players around the globe. Get to da choppa already. And by the choppa I mean the trailer -- it's after the break.
ITV Player revamp brings ad-free TV rentals, keeps the free catch-ups
As a profit-driven network, ITV has its work cut out in the online streaming world when the BBC's iPlayer looms overhead. How do you compete with a cultural institution? Its solution these days is one of sheer choice: it's launching a publicly available beta of its ITV Player refresh that offers TV show rentals. While viewers will have free, ad-backed viewing for the last month's worth of programming, they'll also have the choice of renting 30-day access to archived episodes at 49p (79 cents) each without the pesky commercials in between. Anyone who just can't get enough Collision can spring for a 90-day rental of a whole series at a lower total price, and the broadcaster is even planning trials of streaming-first episode premieres -- if only we were so forward-thinking in the US. We'd question the wisdom of anyone who really, truly needs an uninterrupted The Only Way is Essex, but at least those who want fodder for water cooler chats can blast through their pseudo-reality TV at a record pace.
DirecTV adding TruTV HD ahead of March Madness again, will let it stick around this time
Last year, DirecTV temporarily added TruTV HD to its lineup just during March Madness so its fans could catch all of the games, and it's bringing Turner-owned network back again this year. This time however, the satellite company has promised on Facebook (if a relationship is Facebook official, you know it's real) it's sticking around this time. This means not only can customers get all the college hoops this month, they can also later tune into all manner of reality TV programming. You're welcome (c) Kobe Bryant.
The Amazing Race's first season in HD starts this weekend
Ahead of The Amazing Race's 18th season premiere Sunday night on CBS, the producers and host are finally talking a bit about the jump to HD and how it should enhance the program. We've been wishing the show would switch to high definition for years and host Phil Keoghan told the AP he agrees, "I think if there's any show on prime-time network television that lends itself to HD, it's 'The Amazing Race.' It screams for HD, and it's been screaming for HD for a long time." There's stops in Asia, Europe and South America bookended by the start in California and finish in Australia and we're anticipating a great look at everything with the new HD cameras. There's not a lot of technical details in this piece, but if you just need a primer before the action starts, punch the read link.
Pac-Man reality TV show coming, and not a moment too soon
Not since Hollywood Reporter told us about a possible Asteroids bio-pic have we been excited about a film or TV show: Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Merv Griffin Entertainment has hammered out a deal with Namco Bandai to develop a reality TV show based on Pac-Man. Envisioned by Merv Griffin Entertainment's president of TV Roy Bank as something "big" and "crazy" like Wipeout or Fear Factor, the company wants "to take what Pac-Man is and bring it to life, to bring what is essentially the world's biggest game of tag to television." If this doesn't sound like the definition of a mid-season replacement, we don't know what is.
Report: Pac-Man reality series in development
Certainly, this must be one of the signs of our inevitable doom. According to Deadline Hollywood, Merv Griffin Entertainment is planning video game-themed reality series where contestants compete in a series of loosely game-related challenges for a chance to win a job as a video game tester. Just kidding! Unfortunately, that just makes too much sense. No, the company supposedly plans on adapting Pac-Man as a reality series. Wait, what? "The idea we have is to take what Pac-Man is and bring it to life, to bring what is essentially the world's biggest game of tag to television," Merv Griffin's Roy Bank told Deadline, presumably while wiping some brownie crumbs off his face. The pitch, inspired by ABC's Wipeout, comes in time for the mascot's 30th anniversary. At least there's some reason behind this madness. We can only assume that the end result will look exactly like this fan-made movie adaptation. And if Pac-Man: The Reality Series manages to find an audience, who knows what other game franchises we'll see adapted for the TV screen? Cho Aniki, perhaps?
The Amazing Race finally goes HD next season
One of the highest profile prime time television programs still broadcast in standard definition is CBS' The Amazing Race, and after a long wait, it will finally make the jump to high definition next season. Like Survivor, it's a perfect fit with action taking place at some of the most picturesque settings around the globe. Big Brother, America's Next Top Model and Hell's Kitchen (Fox Widescreen) fill out the rest of the still-SD reality programming slate, but your guess is as good as ours about which will be the next to go.
15 Minutes of Fame: Reality TV producer beats interview drama and ICC
15 Minutes of Fame is WoW.com's look at World of Warcraft personalities of all shapes and sizes -- from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, from the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about. Discipline priest and reality TV field producer Jordan Peterson shows discipline indeed in maintaining two ICC raiding characters while working on the road for weeks and months at a time. Despite long days unspooling endless hours of production arrangements and endless drama filming interviews for The Marriage Ref, the Kingslayer has managed to carve a reliable nightly niche for 10-man progression raiding. With four twinks and two end-game raiding characters, Peterson balances perpetual travel, bad hotel connections, a fiancée (who happens to raid with him), work and interviews with playing WoW ... "But I find time," he declares. Yes, folks, it's another 15 Minutes of Fame with just another non-basement-dwelling, non-Cheetos-munching WoW player ... The trolls who proliferate that stereotype all over the internet must really hate us, don't you think? Join us after the break as Peterson shares a slice of life on the road in reality TV.
Interview: Will 'Cyrus' Powers, winner of The Tester
Here's something you haven't seen on The Tester, Sony's PSN-exclusive reality series: winning contestant Will Powers (aka Cyrus) receiving a novelty $5,000 check. We had a chance to chat with the next PlayStation game tester, who talked about his aspirations and why he decided to pursue such a difficult challenge for an entry-level job in the games industry. Joystiq: What was life like at The Tester behind the scenes, when the cameras weren't rolling? Will Powers: When we were awake, they were always rolling. It's just a matter of what made it into the final cut or not. Essentially, the dynamic of the house, everyone was really competitive. They set us up with a couple of PlayStation 3 systems and multiplayer games, and an air hockey table. It didn't matter what we were doing. We were always competing at something, which was kind of ironic. When we had down time from actual challenges within the competition, we were still competing.
Big Crits, a new WoW reality series
At the end of the summer last year I had this crazy idea: to make a TV show about a raiding guild. I was inspired by the relationships and interactions in my current guild and how much they impacted me personally -- both good and bad. I fleshed out the idea over beers (many beers) with some friends. We talked about logistics, equipment, participation, but most importantly, the goal. I wanted the show to be about the people, to be about the interaction between the raiders. And I don't mean ninja-looting drama-mama QQing. I wanted to explore the things that go on in a group of people trying to work together online to accomplish something great. There's more to raiding than drama. Things like, as I'm fond of saying, "the soul crushing 1% wipes and the absolute exhilaration of taking down a new boss for the first time." I worked on a pitch and reached out to friends & family in "the biz" but I spent most of my time trying to explain concepts such as a "raid" or a "boss" or that when I said "guild" I meant a group of MMO gamers and not an actor's or writer's union -- which made for some very confusing conversations at first. Frustrated, I wasn't sure I'd ever convince anyone this was an idea worth doing. But I knew it was.
'The Tester' contestants should probably have read this account first
Ever since Sony first announced its game industry reality show for PSN named The Tester back in 2009, we've been a bit wary of the idea. Can you really blame us? The show pits various personalities against each other in a variety of challenges, all with the end goal of becoming an entry-level game tester -- a job often viewed in the game industry as less than pleasant. And ex-tester Matthew Burns seems to agree with us in his lengthy account of the life of a tester, detailing long hours of monotonous game playing paired with "an often grimly bureaucratic process," that can sometimes lead to subpar products. While offering plenty of gripes with the job, we should point out that he prefaces his complaints with the open admission that "entry-level game testing would not be found near the top of a list of the world's most demanding livelihoods," also repeatedly noting its importance in the development of good games. That said, we can't help but wonder how Sony's reality show winner is going to feel when the reality of their "prize" sets in. [Thanks Matthew!]
