The Dom and Colin Podcast

While Probst and the Facebook casuals enjoy the salad days of the Summer offseason, the game is still very much afoot down under, and today Mike Bloom fills in for Dom to break down all of the madness from the first 9 episodes, so dig up your novelty-sized jar of assorted cookies and listen as we analyze each player's spot in the game, forecast the impending merge, and dissect how the franchise continues to evolve on the player below, here, or on iTunes here. Need to get caught up on Australian Survivor? Start here.

This week Dom atones for sins in his past lives by talking about The Bachelor for an hour while sounding like he's dying from the plague. Luckily he's in good company, as Lita Brillman takes a break from dragging Jessica/Cody fans to school him and you on The Bachelor's complicated relationship with race and gender as well as the wider issue of representation on reality TV. Listen below, here, or on iTunes here. For more material, see Lita's piece on Jerri Manthey and some of her other writing. If you're interested in reading more about these topics in the context of The Bachelor, a recent Longreads reading list can be found here.

After a hectic start to the game in Week 1, we're back to break down Kaysar's reign as HoH, Will's efforts to torture him, and the early stages of BB5 and BB6's respective implosions. Plus, a closer look at how floaters once got by without life-vests, and the full backstory on how Richard Spencer became head of casting for CBS when you listen below, here, or on iTunes here.

There was some interest in (yet another) Game of Thrones podcast so we decided to try our king's hands at it. We enlisted the lords of Houses Mazzaro and Bloom to discuss the show's increasing divergence from the books, the tension between politics and fantasy, and who is destined to meet a gruesome end. You can listen below, here, or on iTunes here.

After an extensive look at the pre-game dynamics in Part 1, today it's time to tear off the mask and dive deep into the circuitry and wires of the opening round.  With the power to strike first, what was the Season 6 alliance looking for in an initial target, and did they make the right decision?  As the two tightest and least reliable players in the game, what really went into Chilltown staying off the block? And which classic Big Brother tropes need to make an immediate comeback? All that and more below, here, or on iTunes here.

It's been a decade since it aired, and forever since we talked about it, but Big Brother: All Stars still stands tall as one of the greatest seasons of any competitive reality show. This marks the beginning of a season-long retrospective covering the twists and turns of the game from the moment the cast entered the house to the moment the winner was crowned. ...but first, we have to choose a cast! The gimmick of Big Brother has always been allowing audience control over the houseguests but this season took that to the next level by letting the fans and cats at home decide who they would get to judge all summer; and, of course, any all-star season only starts after a frenzy of pre-game paranoia and scheming. In the first episode of this series, we follow the campaigning in public, the plotting in private, and the growing hype for what promised to be an incredible season of televisoin. If you like what you hear - or just the idea of an audience being in control - consider supporting us via our new Patreon page! This Big Brother series is free but Patrons will get to choose which shows we give this treatment to and have exclusive access to those episodes in the future, among many other things. As always you can listen below, here, or on iTunes here.

Five years after his first podcast with us, Rob Cesternino returns for a deep dive on life at the helm of RHAP, the future of TV podcasting, and his place in the Survivor media.  Find out how a web show became a community and where it's headed next when you listen below, here, or on iTunes here.

(image credit: Reddit) The first official eviction hasn't even happened yet and two have already fallen with others trying their best to get medevaced. We wanted to talk about the show while there are still people left to talk about so today we bring you an in-depth look at the first two weeks, from a serious discussion of 'pandas' and PTSD to a curious discussion of Paul and his powers. You can listen below, here, or on iTunes here.

(Music: Strangers - Passenger) For obsessive reality TV fans, a favourite pastime is grimacing at the excesses of other obsessive reality TV fans. With the end of the aptly named Big Brother: Over The Top, where fans had more influence than ever before over the players they loved and hated, this seemed like the perfect time to explore the nature of fan interaction in reality TV. We take a tour through the history of the genre with film & media professor Amanda Ann Klein, while Stephen Fishbach and Andy Herren discuss their experiences as reality show contestants, alumni, and Twitter firebrands. 5:21 - Stephen 50:04 - Amanda 1:27:10 - Andy You can listen below, here, or find us on iTunes here.

We were somehow tempted to watch Big Brother again this season and, before that wears off, we wanted to break it down. Since somebody on the podcast should know what they're talking about, we enlisted Liana Boraas to give us the lowdown on who these people are, whom we should like/hate, and what to expect from this season of silliness. You can listen below, here, or on iTunes here. Snake/apple competition breakdown

Two years ago, we waited impatiently for the premiere of what promised to be the greatest ever season of reality TV. Esteemed sunbae Mike Bloom joins us today to look back with hindsight on an episode that set the bar very high and easily cleared it. How well does the premiere frame the rest of the season? Does any of the craziness make more sense in retrospect? And are any of us over the loss of our idol and his lurid pink sweaters yet? All this and more on the first of hopefully many more Genius podcasts, available below, here, or on iTunes here.

Survivor: Game Changers is officially in the books and today we're back to evaluate Sarah's win, offer our parting thoughts on the cast, and debate how history will remember the season as a whole. Plus, what other tweaks could be made to Final Tribal Council? What will be the lasting impact of Advantage-geddon? And who's coming back for another shot?  All that and more below, here, or on iTunes here. (Take the survey here) (music: Michael Jackson)

Put the kettle on and settle in for a leisurely edited podcast about a hastily convened election. Michael Botta joins me as I figure out what just happened and explain it to you as if I knew the whole time. If you're reading this, take a moment (or several) to answer our listener survey! Then come back and start listening below, here, or on iTunes here.

With Dom off on another mission for MI6, Post Show Recaps' Antonio Mazzaro fills in to offer early thoughts on the finale and speculate about the long-term legacy advantage of Game Changers. Where does Sarah's win stack up historically and how will her success impact future seasons? What are the pros and cons of the new jury format and might it actually affect strategy going forward? And how will the producers adjust the twist ratio after Advantage-geddon took out the possible GOAT? All that and more below, here, or on iTunes here. (music: Sturgill Simpson)

As always we have no idea what's going on, and for once we're not alone. In an episode that flummoxed players, Probsts, and fans alike, what sense can we make of what happened? Will the much-hyped Twist-a-geddon be even worse? And who - Sarah or Brad, Dom or Colin, vanity or charity - will emerge triumphant? All that and more on this week's show, available below, here, or on iTunes here. (music: Bonobo)