Escaping Reality

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!

It's Agie, Stacey, and Anna in the chat today, and we had a doozy of a time trying to get this recorded for y'all. From technical difficulties to laugh breaks, we had so much fun talking about Episode 11 and can't wait to hear your thoughts.

There is so much to unpack from the "Do or Die" to comparing this week's challenge to its previous iterations in previous seasons. We also are talking editing, vibe checking Jeff, and bringing back "Fans Have Spoken" thanks to your last-minute submissions. Let's get into it!

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!

Can you believe that we've made it to final 8? The game is really heating up and with only 3 episodes left after this one, there's still a lot of game left to play. Listen to us break down all the things that we think are going to be important as we enter the final stages of this game: who has what it takes to win and who is just superfluous at this point?

Nick is back to help us talk about the episode, and in light of last week's monumental one, we're maybe not sure how to feel about this one. Let us know if you agree.

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!

Settle in for our recap of a hugely important episode. We always appreciate when diversity is addressed in Survivor, so you already know we had MANY thoughts about this episode. Listen for our takes on representation, allyship, white fragility, straight men being...straight men, and TV shows that the disgruntled Survivor 'fans' should consider watching instead of Survivor (cause you’ve got other options so don't let the door hit ya on the way out). We'd like to give a HUGE thank you to the Black players on this season, and the Black alumni who shared their insights and experiences this week. A few we listened to and highly recommend are linked below. 

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 Pod Has Spoken w/ Jeremy Collins 

Purple Pants Podcast with Brice Izyah and Wendell Holland 

Rob Has a Podcast with Jamal Shipman

We're post-merge and knee-deep in some seriously good Survivor, my dudes. Season 42, Episode 7 was littered with goodies and we're talking through it all! 

Not only did this episode give us a new take on the Beware Advantage, it gave us a million more reasons to BEWARE of Jeff. We're unpacking all of the completely out of pocket Jeff moments, and all of the continued strategies that caught us by surprise (in the best way). We're talking social games, potential Winner's edits, poor negotiations, and players that made us cry. Things are really starting to get good & we are HERE for it. 

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 Merge time, Baby!! Well... almost. We've got a few hoops to jump through first. 

We're back with our coverage of the latest episode in Season 42 of Survivor! Episode 6 finds us finally at the individual game, after a few lackluster weeks, it comes much anticipated. Since we all watched Season 41, we knew much of what to expect with this episodes twist, but, as Jeff intended, the decision making process differed with a new set of players (duh). 

We're talking through the twist and it's outcomes & ALLL of the strategizing, alliance scouting, and genuine relationship building we see play out in this episode. We're highlighting some of the key players & our personal Castaways of the Week. Plus there is SO much to vibe check Jeff for (and a lot to thank him for too!). And, of course, we have some feelings about the Applebees of it all. 

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!