It's almost time to bring back Survivor, Babyyyy! Despite some raspy voices, the Escaping Reality team is extremely excited to be back talking about out favorite show. In anticipation of the new season premiere, we're sitting down to discuss our overall feelings & expectations for Season 43 -- which includes an individual assessment of each new castaway based on their promo videos, Entertainment Weekly profiles, and tbh the general vibes we got from everyone. 

Plus, an update from Nick + a layout of which specific players we'll each be watching. We can't wait for you to watch this season along with us! We'll be doing weekly episode recaps as we have in the past & our DMs will always be open to chat in between episodes! 

Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe & leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod so they can join you (and us) on our journey through reality competition shows.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us!

After this recap episode there is only one episode left until we are able to find a winner of The Challenge: USA and definitely we can say who ran TJ's final the best. It's been a long journey to get here and we're breaking down the most recent two episodes for you so that you can be mentally and spiritually prepared for the final this week. 

Who do you think has it in the bag? We have a few guesses and we are debating which woman and which man have what it takes to get through to the end. *Spoiler Alert* we also mourn the loss of Cashay as a competitor and discuss the reality of "pick me girl" energy within this cast. It's a fun one, y'all so buckle up cause we got a lot of footage to cover before the finale.

If you're looking for a particular segment, here's the breakdown:

Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe & leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod so they can join you (and us) on our journey through reality competition shows.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us!

It's been a while since we talked Survivor, and with S43 right around the corner we thought it was time to bring another Survivor Alum to the pod! We were extremely grateful to sit down with Naseer Muttalif (S41) to talk about his Survivor experience, what he does to escape reality, and his thoughts on the upcoming season. Some of us might have even teared up hearing his positive attitude on Survivor and life. 

Naseer generously shared about his Sri Lankan background and ways that he works to support his community. We appreciate his openness and vulnerability SO much and we hope you enjoy it too. He also kept it real with one of our favorite rapid fire questions. 

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify. Don't forget to give us a rating & review! And you can always follow for more content @escapingrealitypod on Instagram and @escapingrealitypod on Twitter. 

Be sure to follow Naseer on the following social media pages:

 Instagram @muttalifnaseer 

Twitter @naseermuttalif

TikTok @naseermuttalif1

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/NaseerMuttalif

We're hitting our Challenge: USA stride! Its episode recap time & we've finally come to the individual game. With this turning point comes a renewed enthusiasm for the players AND for us. It's all coming together now. 

We're talking through how this shift in the game will affect strategies, challenges, and alliances; Who we're still enjoying & who is clearly not an editor's favorite; should Sarah be allowed to compete in the men's challenge & should they even have gendered challenges at all?! Will our faves be the ones to take it home? As we creep closer to TJ's final, our predictions are solidifying.

Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe & leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod so they can join you (and us) on our journey through reality competition shows.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us!

It's that time of the week! A new episode to catch up on The Challenge USA! We're recapping episodes 5 + 6 on this one &, not gonna lie, we're feeling a bit of a lull in the season. So, naturally, we're unpacking all the reasons we're maybe feeling a bit bored by the gameplay. But, we're obviously including all the parts & players we're still fully obsessed with.

We're looking at TJ under a microscope, laughing about how rugged the environment is, and seriously questioning the amount of foreshadowing in the edit. Plus, we explain why we think they should just wrap it up & give Tyson the crown + the money right now. 

Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe & leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod so they can join you (and us) on our journey through reality competition shows.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us!

We're back, back, back again, and this time we're here to break down 2 episodes of The Challenge: USA (on CBS). With Nick out this week, Stacey, Anna, and Agie were joined by none other than fellow reality TV aficionado and podcast co-host Donny Hadfield-Smith (@realdonnywood)! He is the co-host of I Am The Cute One: A Nostalgia Podcast which recaps a lot of your favorite shows and movies from your childhood so go check him and Chelsea out. 

This episode is a wild trip. Agie's internet keeps going in and out so hold on to your hats as we dive into what is going on with the BB23 alliance and how their infighting is affecting their game. We also maybe drag TJ just a bit as we dive into his (and Agie's) favorite challenge: TRIVIA. It's a fun one for all involved. Donny's laughter is contagious and I hope you're ready to giggle through this one.

If you're looking for a particular segment, here's the breakdown:

Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe & leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod so they can join you (and us) on our journey through reality competition shows.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us!

The whole crew is here this week to talk about a new show, The Challenge USA! We talk about our past Challenge watching histories, which players we have our eyes on—both for gameplay and just cause they are easy on the eyes—and our thoughts on playing with your ex. And of course we vibe check TJ Lavin because no reality tv show host is exempt from a good vibe check. 

Be sure to give us a follow as well on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe & leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or follow us on Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod and have them join you (and us) on our journey through reality competition shows.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us!

We're back to talk about the latest season of The Circle! The Circle season 4 is out now on Netflix & since (most of us) enjoyed covering the previous seasons, we couldn't wait to chat through this new one! What is the show still doing right? where can it continue to improve? does it need a host at all!? All questions that will be answered. 

Without totally beating a dead horse... we're rehashing our existing gripes with the show while considering the new additions and adjustments. It's not that we're unhappy with the changes, we just wish they were a little more extreme! Whether it's the pace at which players come into the game, the length of the episodes, or the general concept of 'catfish' in the Circle: we have strong feelings. 

Come with us as we talk about season specifics as well as more general critiques of the show's concept - all while keeping it fun and hilarious, as usual ;) 

Be sure to give us a follow as well on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe & leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or follow us on Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod and have them join you (and us) on our journey through reality competition shows.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us!

The time has come to say goodbye to Survivor Season 42, and we're not letting it go without giving you ALL our feelings on the final episode. The Escaping Reality gals are back this week to talk from final five to final tribal (and beyond... to the pizza party) and WOW do we have a lot to say. 

While the episode gave us an immaculate winner, the events of the episode weren't all that groundbreaking, which gave us plenty of space to wrap up some overall season feelings within the context of the finale. We're chatting last minute advantages, fire-making pros + cons, a beautiful final tribal from ALL involved, and a healthy dose of vibe checks for our pal Jeff.

We're so enjoyed covering this season of Survivor & we can't wait to do it again in Season 43. For now, stay tuned to see what we'll watch & discuss in the meantime (and send a us a DM if there's a reality competition show you want us to cover!)

Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe & leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod so they can join you (and us) on our journey through reality competition shows.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us!

The girls are back and recapping the penultimate episode of S42! 

We chat about the fall of Omar and the rise of Maryanne, as well as the ways Romeo may be playing more than it seems. And of course we give our predictions for the winner.  Plus, some great discourse on how Jeff maybe gets his inspiration from his Peloton bike. 

Our show is about escaping the chaos of this world, but we do recognize the importance of staying aware and advocating for justice. Towards the end of this episode we discuss the recent racist murders in Buffalo, a city two of our cohosts call home. If you would like more information on how to support the impacted communities, send us a DM!

Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram @EscapingRealityPod and on Twitter @EscRealityPod --  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe & leave us a rating/review on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify! Make sure to tell your friends about the pod so they can join you (and us) on our journey through reality competition shows.

As always, thanks for listening & thanks for Escaping Reality with us!