I may play a Disney heroin, but if you cross me, I'll kick your fucking ass.
I'm a Type A with a side of dass and a whole lot of coffee. I'm a Type A, but I'm a sea cut that would be better. Sorry, I'm not your sea cover. Not.
I am more, more, better, more, a little bit more better more.
Welcome to More Better, a podcast where we stop pretending to have it all together and embrace the journey of becoming a little more better.
Every day, or at least trying to. That's most from Marrow, and that's Stephanie Beatrice. Hey, guys, welcome back.
How are you I I just told you your hair looked great? Is that because you were shooting yesterday?
Because I was shooting last night till like one thirty in the morning, and so fresh curls. I do enjoy the way they're doing your hair on the show. Thank you. Yeah, welcome. Not allmine. There's a lot of fake hair in there.
Listen, it looks great. It's it was somebody's at some point.
It is real hair. Yes, you're right, it is real hair. Yeah.
I just want to say, if you haven't watched Melissa's show yet, it is on NBC.
It's on the following day on Peacock.
It is so good. It's so funny, it's so smart. It's also like delectable, like juicy. I guess is a way to say it, like if you like if you like things like if you like funny, sexy, good fashion. I think it's fun to look at. It's like a gorgeous looking show. And there's like sort of these like fun narratory elements to it where like not the I wouldn't say like the point of view necessarily changes, although you get and character's point of view specifically per each episode,
you get like a little more about them. It's very it's giving like it there's a lot of secrets, Sarah, everybody's hair is so big because it's full of secrets.
Everybody's hair is so big because it's full of secrets. I stole that from Mean Girls. I love it and thank you friend. Yeah, it's a fun, escapist show. It's yeah, I'm really enjoying it.
I'm through all the episodes airs I believe Sunday nights, but you can always catch it the next day on Peacock and it's on Peacock.
I very much look forward to your live texts while you're watching it.
I text it because I refuse to use X because you know, Mesku is an idiot.
The reasons for obviously we missed that a little bit.
I do miss the live tweets, so I personally live tweet you.
When I'm watching the show so great, which is also annoying because I know she knows what's going to happen and I'm like, wait, is this the person who did this? And now are they cheating with this person? She's like, I don't think we'd give it away that, and I'm like, wow, it's really fun. So if you're looking for something fun to watch, I highly recommend, and not just because she's my friend, but I'm really enjoying.
It more better.
What are we talking about today? We are talking about something that's gonna get you so excited. We're talking about getting better at appreciating reality TV.
This is how you know that our producer is indulging me because I do really love reality TV. I was talking with my friend the other day who's a showrunner, and I was like, you know, like on this stow and I was like naming all these reality shows. Who was like I don't watch reality TV, and truly, for someone who is a showrunner, I kind of appreciate it, like I'm like, oh, yeah, you're smarter than me.
I'm like a smart person, and I don't need you to be watching the reality The amount of reality television that I'm consuming, I don't need in my my show friends. Yeah, you know, possible future boss Man breakin.
I love all forms of this genre and I will call it that. God damn it, I will because listen, if you don't watch it, then perhaps this isn't the episode for you, Melissa.
I know I'm going to really try hard not to be like Debbie down or this whole I love it. I want. Here's the thing too, is I often will be like, oh, I don't really watch reality TV. But then, especially today, going through this outline that our brilliant producer I just put together for us, I was like, oh, I do watch some reality we all do? Like, yeah, we all do. I think inevitable anyone truly doesn't like no, I mean maybe what's considered reality TV, but maybe my friend. Yeah.
Well, here's the thing, and this is why I I think for a long time I was really resistant to it because and Melissa, do you want to give us like a baby bit of history of like where it came from, like reality TV as we know it now, like the part of television history where reality TV really like blossomed where it was like miles and miles of it. When was that, Oh yeah.
Well, it was like the early aughts and it was around the time of the very first SAG strike and it was because we were on strike and there were no shows airing that there was like just this explosion of reality TV because it was cheap to make, it was non union and you didn't have to hire writers.
You didn't have to hire to hire writers, your overhead was really low, and so it would end it was like it felt at the time, uh, like all the network's way being like, oh you want to strike, fuck you, We're just a bunch of in reality shows and we're going to fill our schedules with that. And so, I mean it was it definitely existed before for that, but I feel like that time was like every network had so many shows and that's when like some really terrible ones were on TV.
What's the first one you ever remember watching? Do you remember like not and not?
Let's push aside like documentaries, because that's a that's a different, different thing, right. What is the first reality show that you remember watching. I mean that first season of the Real World. I remember my mind was blown. Puck I Puck Puck. Remember Puck sticky Gus in the peanut butter jar.
The fingers that he picked his nose with and wiped his boogers on the wall of the bathroom.
Remember that, guys. The Real World. The first season of.
The Real World was absolutely like nothing you've ever seen before ever, And at the time it was just boundary breaking.
Was like, well, yeah, it really was. There was. It was like the you know, purest most raw form of this thing, right, Like it wasn't I don't think they were. They were you know, produced, like they weren't being fed things yet they weren't. Like the show wasn't produced. It really was. They picked like seven random strangers and got them this big apartment in New York and then just put cameras everywhere and had camera ment everywhere and just like and also had camera men like just kind of
I guess moving around them. Yeah, and there wasn't we didn't have like you know, if you had MTV, you watched it you watched MTV. That's how you saw. There wasn't this access to movie stars, television stars, music, Uh, people in music. Oh, there wasn't. Social media just didn't have it. Everybody watched it wasn't that. Also like the time of NTV when it was starting to like move away from just playing music videos. So we all were still like watching empty to just watch fucking music videos,
which was such a big thing at the time. And then they had this reality show and so it's like all these teenagers eyeballs were already there. Yeah, I was like, oh, what's this. This looks cool, and then you just got sucked in suck And I've met I've hung out with Heather b a few times, and I asked her once about like the experience of being on that show at that time, and she was like, what you saw was like what hat? She's like, we legit forgot about the
cameras after a while. Yeah, she was like maybe in the beginning it was like a little awkward, she was like, but then we really forgot about them, and we were just so engrossed in like all this conflict and you know, but like they also all became like well not all, but like a lot of them became really close too. It was like such a unique experience and I was so into it. So you were into it, you were
I know what happened. I think for me it just I started to see I think it just didn't it didn't feel real, it didn't feel it felt overly produced. I felt like as I started to work in television more, I was like, Oh, they're like this fight is fake or you know, like the producers are telling them to say this shit, or like you know, making up a
fake fight or I don't know. I just felt like and then I felt like people were always like tricked into it, even though I know, like they're adults and they're yeah, but as adults we know we're stupid sometimes like we've all been tripped. I yeah, I just I more and more started to have And I think it was during that time when there was like the onslaught of shows and we were on strike. I had just started working when that's sorry, and it wasn't a strike.
It was a WGA strike, I said sag earlier, But it was a WGA strike, uh. And I was working on the soap opera and they like they made us cross the picket line and they made us. Yeah. I was like, so we're not working, right, and they're like, no, no, you're working. And I was so young and it was my first job and I was like, this feels very wrong. And so then a lot of the actors would like go outside, like in between scenes to like be with
the and the writer. I remember the writers that were outside were like cool about They're like we get it, like you know, we know they're like making you guys work, but like, oh you know. And so we would just go outside in between takes and scenes and grab a sign and like you know, oh my got them. And it was so weird. So it was awful. It was so weird. I was only like, you know, like twenty two or twenty three and first job, so then I
think it's like yeah yeah. And so I think then there was this onslaught of reality TV, and maybe that's when my bias began, you know what I mean, where I was just like, did the shitty thing. The writers now doing the shitty thing to us. There's less work for actors doing all this reality TV, and it sucks. And it just like grew like a like a little a little weed, a little weed. Yeah.
I mean I was doing theater at the time when that strike was happening, and I was like, whow, thank.
God I'm not because nothing is going on. I was not.
It didn't affect me in that way, but I do remember.
I do remember feeling like, God, this is a lot of television, like all this new TV, and there are no actors in it, and some of it's good and some of it's bad. My sister and I used to be obsessed with toddlers and tiaras. Do you remember that. My guy that love loved it, loved it, loved it until I did it. Because at first it was a hoot and a half because there were these cute little
girls and they're weird moms and their little we taught Roz. Guys, you can't see me unless you're watching me watching this on Instagram or something, but they they would teach the little girls to like make a little heart shape with their face and then go like that would make a little kissy face and like blank. And we taught Roz my kid to do it when she was really little,
because we thought it was so funny. But I got really soured on it because there was this episode where I can't remember the parents exactly, but they were they the parents would have to stay at these motels or hotels where they would have these big competitions and a bap it a boot whatever, and the mom and dad were scream fighting, and the camera is just like on the little girl who's hidden herself underneath one of the tables in the hotel room, and it's just down there like playing.
And I thought, oh, this is so unfair that there's like other adults in this room and no one's saying like, hey, uh, maybe we could like calm down and talk this out instead of screaming in front of this toddler, you know.
And listen, like, raising kids is hard.
Sometimes people yell, I get it, but it was on a different level. It was on a different level. And I remember being like, I can't watch the show anymore. Yeah, I think.
I think in that way reality TV used to, I think represent what was really happening a little more.
Now with the advent of like social media and stuff, it's everybody. Everybody has become a producer. I just read something the other day, read something uh uh huh. I watched a TikTok I this like reality cast that was in really big trouble because they had self produced a storyline.
I think it was maybe Southern charm, but I don't know if I'm right, but they had like the cast had self produced, like let's say that this girl's boyfriend cheated on her or something. I'm getting this wrong, you guys, because I don't watch the show. But everybody's a producer.
Everybody is self producing their own bullshit now, and so like, it's a lot harder to show a version of.
Reality TV that actually truly represents.
Reality, right, Like there's no real I mean, I think the one that I watched that was the closest to watching somebody really go through stuff was Jrry Duty, And that was a show that was a show with one person on the show who thought.
It was real. I think that's why I loved that show so much, loved it, loved it was Yes, it was so again like pure, like his apperience was so pure, and it was this wonderful hybrid of like watching performers who are so good at what they do and like never breaking character and oh my god, the one the guy with the uh with like the thing that happens to his leg and he's like on the clutches just thinking about this guy. But they're not just they're like
they're not cutches. Yeah, they're like what are they?
He's like, they're like my feet that they're like my guys, if you haven't watched Your Duty High directed Jake Samanski, was a friend directed some Brooklyn nine nine just a brilliant, brilliant, brilliantly done. And then at the very very end you watch like the behind the scenes stuff, like there's a whole episode where they sort of show the lead guy like what's been happening? And it is a fucking right. I mean, it's such a good show. It's done so well.
And also the thing that was fun to watch that show is I remember David and I like clutching each other being like, oh god, what if this guy is so mad when he finds out? Like what if? It was such a risk, Like they somehow picked the most like perfect person with the perfect sense of humor that like he he could And I think they never took it too far. They were really good about pulling back whenever it got.
Hell well most I just remembered it's brilliant. It's brilliant, and it's shot like a reality show. It really is shot like there's hidden cameras. There's cameras that they know about. There's cameras in the hotels. There's But also like the performers are so.
But that guy who also like in the in the like I feel like improv world, Like some of them are like no, but they're not you know, recognizable name performers. But they are like incredible improvisers. But this is a real show that we're talking about. I mean, it's a real show with like a reality element.
I do like my real reality. For example, Traders. Now I've wanted it yet.
But so many people are talking about it that I do. I'm graw. Tell me what you love about Traders.
First of all, the first season was painful because it was a lot less It was a lot less people from the reality TV world.
So as the.
Season to progress, it really is a game. Traders is game, and the it's a little bit like Mafia. If you've ever played Mafia at a house party. Side note, if you and by meteor house party and then suddenly we're playing Mafia, I'm fucking leaving, Okay, Like bye, I hate it. So in Traders, you either are a trader or you're a faithful. There are three traders. Traditionally there are three
traders chosen for the game. And then every night that you're you're in this castle in Scotland, but every night the traders vote one of the Faithful off of the
show them they murder a trader. And then at the next day, after the murder, the faithful like everyone has to sip us around this roundtable and they debate about who they think is a trader or not, and people are like, the traders are fucking lying to your face, right, So like people are just lying, and like all day people are having these like secret conversations, and then like the traders like I'll go back together and.
Be like watch up for Danielle blah blah blah blah. You know.
Like so at the end of the night, everybody votes, and like more often than not they are voting just because of.
Numbers, they're voting a faithful off of the show. And then like at the end they'll stand up there and you'll be like, Okay, I'm you know, you guys thought I was a trader, but I'm a Faithful and then like so, so that's happening, And then at the same time, you're also doing these like it's so cruel, Melissa. You're doing these like team building exercises during the day, so you're.
Like doing these like like physical things where you have to rely on each other, or like there's like shit where you have to like hold each other's hands in a big thing, like you and I would put our hands in and have to like hold each other's hands and they drop like spiders or like bugs in there. And as long as we hold hands for like thirty seconds, we get an extra five thousand dollars to put into
the pot. Whoever's at the end of the game wins two hundred thousand dollars if you raise enough money.
I mean, it's crazy. You have to watch it. It's crazy. It's like I get the fat well, okay, so I get the fascination of a show like that and the appeal, but then also like the amount of lying that's required. I lie, I could, I could, I would get an ulcer like if I to be on that show, of course, And then I just start like, how do you not
how do I say this? How do you get more better at uh not judging the shit out of the people that go on these shows because I sometimes I feel like what ruins it for me is I go, oh, no, you're the worst of the worst. You're a terrible person, terrible person. Why am I watching you? This is awful? The thing that I think about this is gonna sound ridiculous, but like the thing that I think about a lot is like, you know how in lame is?
When you know how in lame is when he's hungry and he steals like a crust away not a phrase that's like used enough, you know, and then he steals those silver candlesticks from the priest. Yeah, and the priest is like you can have them, bro, Like, yeah, you can have them and I won't tell anybody who stole them, and like you should sell them and get some money.
And that's like it starts his life. He would have gone on to a life of crime, probably because of everything that was already stacked up against him. And listen, wait, are you about to tell me that you feel like these people would maybe be in jail, but instead they're on a reality show, and so in a way it's creating a service. I mean that is.
I will say some of them are they are really a depth at the con and they also have families, and they have people that they're trying to put through college, and they.
Have dead and they have money, you know, money, the money is. The money is like and and like maybe this would be different if it was you know, if the money was bigger, people might be worse to each other, which I don't want to see, you know, like if it was a million dollars, I can't even imagine how how cruel people could get to each other. But that's also we're starting a social discussion. Which then guys, yeah, like, have have you watched the first episode of The Mister Beast?
Uh No? And I will know. I will not. I will not. This is one that I stand firm on. Yeah I did because my child really wanted to because yeah, the kids love Mister Beasts and he's, yeah, I know, and I'm like, I didn't know that. And then and so so clever he goes, did you know he's cleaning up the oceans? He's trying to clean up the oceans. That's what he hits me with, to be like, my gosh,
look at him. Wow, I refuse. But the first episode was a lot of that, like they have like I don't know how many, like one hundred people and they have to whittle it down to you know, twenty whatever. I don't know what it is. I shot on the stage next to us, oh, Toronto, in Toronto. Yeah, and they start doing things like we'll give you twenty thousand dollars, but your whole row will be eliminated. Yeah, and like some people did that shit, and yeah they do. I
mean it's squid games so intense. It's like squid game. It's so intense, and I, yeah, I couldn't after that, I couldn't do it. I think it was intense for everything. Listen to this. I will say, if Enzel's old enough to watch that show.
He's also old enough to hear you read aloud to him the New York Times expose about that show, and I will forward you the article because.
Please do please not great. Yeah, we didn't watch anymore after that. I think it was even like a little much for for him. But I was like, oh, my value, and I was like it was like this is this is not very nice? Good for him? Good for him? Yeah, but it was I was like, oh, this is uh like fucking with social psychology. Yeah, it's it's I get the It's like the same way we slow down when there's a car crash, you know what I mean.
I mean that's part of it, right, Like it's this, it's this way to explore from the safety of your couch with you know, some of the people that you love best in the world.
It's this way to go, like, what would you do? How would you handle that? How would you whoa? What would you do in that position? How would you feel in that position? I think that's why everyone lost their minds when scandval happened. I don't know what, you know what, I shouldn't call it that because Ariana doesn't want us to Wait a minute, I have to back up.
You don't know, un believable, unbelievable. You don't know what scandabal is. No, Melissa Quick, it's real.
It's a real Housewives thing.
No, it's a vander Pump Rules thing Van was on for like thirteen seasons. It's Tom Standibal cheating on Ariana Maddox with her quote unquote best friend, not really her best friend at all.
Okay, maybe I kind of knew about this through sosi social media.
Listen, so like Andy says, so no, so no social no, no, Sosh. I think when that happened, he cheated on her in their house that they shared together.
They'd been together. Was that on the show or was it just like it came out on the show. It was on the show, like they got that shit on camera, Like what did he see? Idiot?
Basically they got it on camera. I mean, I think he wanted to get caught. Also, I think he just thought he was like up above it a little bit because he'd been on the show for so long. It was like, I think twelve seasons they were on the show. He was like delusional about it.
I think so.
I mean, he's delusional in many a way, but I feel like he was. It was like so close to the camera, Like it was so close that it But then when she found out, when it all came out, she had this amazing scene where she I mean, it was just coming from her guts. I'd never seen anything like it. She was just like I would have gone to the end with you, Like I would have been
with you ride or die. Like it was gnarly watching her just destroy him on camera, and like it was also really validating and and like everybody in America just like got behind her because like everybody you haven't been cheated on, you know somebody that has, or you've been wronged, and you wish that you could just fucking stick it to them.
And she did in that moment, and it was he said all the things, all the things that we hours later or days later, while in the middle of the night, were like, damn, I wish you would have said this. She did that. She did the thing, and then she got reunion shows to do it again. Oh shit, and the and the girl was there and the girl that he cheated with.
And that's part of it, is like you get to watch these people have these experiences and and you do. You get to sit on your couch and judge them and judge them and be like that is terrible, that Cason is horrible.
I would never do that. I guess That's where I struggle though, Like you said, just no girl, you know me, I do it plenty. No more like like the reunion show you just brought up, and that he was there and she was there, and the woman that he cheated
on her with was there. I my. What immediately happens to me is I go, oh, they were either they were like manipulated into all being there and this is like producers behind the scene being like slimy and swarmy or like or what they they they're all like they know exactly what's going on and they and they want to be there because they want to milk this as much Like like my brain gets really cynical and like of like what are all the moves and the motivations
of why people why they're doing this, and then it like takes the fun out of it for me. I see, I see, I see. Yeah yeah, because you're like the human rights like I'm getting to be fed manipulated, manipulated thing, whether it's the producers or the people involved.
Like that's really fascinating. I mean only because we're actors.
Too, Like it's really cynical.
It Well, what I think is fascinating about this is because we're actors, so.
Like we do I mean, manipulate is a nasty word.
But yeah, like you know the machine, so you're going like I see this machine, right, but like.
But we do it too, Like we our stuff is structured in a way that's like listen, I'm not saying we're like you know the old Pixar movies that like make you cry within like ten minutes watching them. I'm not saying we're doing that.
I'm just saying, like, we are making moves we are like you know, whether it's like the writing or like showing you know, two people accidentally bumping elbows, or the music that's behind something to like make you feel a certain way, or like the lighting on someone's.
Face, you know, the audience on a ride, and you're saying that they are basically doing the same thing they are. They're just doing it very clunkily, very like right. Maybe my cynicism is part of that. I'm like, that's part of it. You're like, this is bad, it could be better. This is bad and it could be better, and you should get some writers and take some acting classes and like actually do the fucking thing, because it's I don't want them to take riting acting classes.
I want them to be their cringey selves so that I have to watch it behind my hands, like slightly open like this, because it does make me cringe. I will say that makes me so cringey, and I hate.
Things that make me cringe. I do too. You want, but you want, but you but these are your favorite ones, But I don't watch them all I just pay. I selectively choose.
I selectively choose the ones that are going to make me cringe and enjoy it in equal amounts.
It is like it's equal amounts.
Okay, So, because I know you don't watch them, I want to know. I'm going to read you awful list of very popular reality television shows just because I know you don't watch any of them. And you can say yay or nay if you or like yes or I've seen it or whatever. Okay, the Bachelor. You've watched The Bachelor.
I feel like I watched early seasons of the Bachelor. Yeah, but again, I felt like the women were being so manipulated and and there was something about a guy picking from all these women. Oh, it's gross. It was too cringey for me. It's disgusting. It's disgusting. Yeah, I don't watch it anymore because they've bloated it to like fifty episodes a season, and I can't and it's not good
at that. I mean, I'm exaggerating, but I'll watch I'll watch sixty something episodes of Love Island because it's freaking hilarious. But The Bachelor's boring. Okay. The Millionaire Matchmaker. Did you ever watch that? I actually was very into The Millionaire. I really liked it. Patty Sanger, Yes, I thought she
was so funny and weird. I thought she was so funny and weird, but like also was weirdly good at it and yeah, like kind of telling people like I kind of loved when she whenever she was like you need to get real about yourself, like when she would read people, that was the best. When you would read po like your expectations are unrealistic, like really want to settle down, like thank you. Yeah, I appreciated that. I was like more of that, just that as a show.
Just that Love is Blind. Have you watched that? No? I had the one where they're like behind the walls, Yes, and there it's like love connection, isn't that? Like yeah, kind of like love connection connection. I remember seeing Love Connection when I was a kid. I think my parents watched it and like, well not unlike that, Love Is Blind is full of maniacs. Ninety day Fiance. No. Laura Ash loves the show. Okay, Love Island, I've watched it. I love it. I love it. I love it, I
love it. I have not I have been curious about Love Island. Is that just like a bunch of hot people on an island and they're hooking up and what is the point? Who do they win? Any point? Is love? Melissa? The point? You're looking for love with a bunch of really attractive, hot people who are pay into themselves and all narcissists.
You would love it. I mean, they're not all narcisses. Some of them are really really sweet and some.
Of them are ding dumb dumbs. Be sweet. Here's the thing. Some narcisses can be Oh.
You're right, can be sweet some people. Some of them are like actually really kind people at heart. And I would start with the first season of the British one because it is what are they so funny?
Do? Is it like if they fall in love they win? Do they win money? Ye? Win anything.
One of the best parts of it is that every week, well in the UK, it shows like there's like five episodes a week or something crazy, Oh my god, and you can call in and vote under your favorite couple, and so like every week a couple gets voted like people get voted off. It's fantastic people get voted off the island. It's not a real island. It's like a villa. Okay, Oh, it's just fantastic. It's like all the hormones and all the drama and all the filler.
It's wonderful.
The first season, I think they were still letting them drink alcohol, which was a real issue, which is makes for a fantastic TV RuPaul's Drag Race.
I have watched RuPaul's Drag Race, not as much as I would like to, but earlier seasons I think I did. When I was watching a bit more. I really really really loved some of the first seasons. But sometimes it's like I do like the perform like like the performance kind of base reality shows.
The performance stuff is very fun, but sometimes it's hard because you'll see someone that's like especially early on, it was like you'd see someone that was so talented, so great, but like maybe wasn't good at sewing, and there'd be a sewing challenge and it was like, well, well shit, like now what, or like someone there was like a like a special costume whatever challenge and like you can tell like maybe that queen doesn't quite have as much
expendable income, and that felt unfair. It feels like they should give them a budget or something like here's your they should not be paying for their.
Own Well, yeah, I mean.
I never watched The Voice or X Factor or anything like that.
Did you, Oh? I did. I was big into American
Idol in the beginning. I remember when Kelly Clarkson won, I was, and then I was very into the Voice, and I loved the Voice because at that point, I think, which is why why it succeeded and why many people went from American Idol to that was American Idol eventually started to feel like it was about like the look and the package and the whole thing, and that's why they were picking some people over other people, like especially I don't know, and like some of the women sometimes
I don't know. It just started to feel like that, like who's got the star power? Not like more then the Voice. When the Voice first started, it was like, Oh, this feels very pure because I'm getting at them at all. That's why they call it the Voice. Yeah, they're all turned around, and that's why the turned around literally never want they like and yeah, and if they're like, oh shit, this person's good, they hit their button and turn around
and then they get to see what they look like. Interesting. There's some voices that like completely don't match like what a person like, or yeah, you know, somebody with a huge voice will be like kind of scrawny and small or you know cool, Okay, yeah, and so I got Yeah, David and I used to watch that religiously, like in the beginning, Oh that's cute. What about Amazing Race? Did you ever watch that? I wanted to be on a race?
Remember when they were like I feel like celebrities were doing or like actors were doing Amazing Race at one point and I was like, fuck, yeah, I would fucking do that.
You and David actually would make a really good Amazing Race team.
I know you would, we would. Brad made it.
I think Brad made it to like a couple like close to the Amazing Race. He wasn't on it, but I think he got like really close to the end like that show.
Just I mean, you're traveling, you're seeing different things, like and then yeah, but you're running. You have to run, but you're running. I don't want to run. I'm not a good run. Yeah, but it's I could take three polities classes back to back, but put me on a track. M M. Yeah. Those shows had fun, though, those like competition kind of shows I can get into the physical competition is. I also loved watching I did like watching
The Conflict on America. Amazing race between Like that's the best part too, That's the best, the best when they're there like in the middle of like yes and you're like screaming from your couch. You're like, shut up, she is obviously smarter than you. Listen to her.
Or they're like in the middle of Amsterdam screaming at each other on the street.
People are like, what is going on? The best, the best? What about?
I never watched hold On, I have he's got this, I have dog hair in my mouth. Fear Factor, Actually, don't cut it, fear Factor.
Did you ever watch that when they had to like eat weird shit and stuff? Oh god, I can't. I feel like I did watch it in the very beginning and I quickly was like I cannot again. That was one of those shows where I was just like, now we're just like manipulating and torturing people for fun, like like this, this feels very uh Gladiator The Rate of Days, Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's it. That's it. Coliseum, The Twitch Great British Bakeoff,
one of the most calming shows. I freaking love that show. I haven't gotten into this show because I was a huge top chef person and I love is It Cake? If I could please be a guest on is It Cake? A Cake? Just I keep I I think I've as my manager like three times? Can you can you please book me on music? Can't book me on? Is it Carol? British Bakoff is so sweet? But I just for some
reason just haven't gotten into British Bakoff. But it was and I feel like I should a lot of people some joy and calm and yeah, there is something about bakers right that is so I'm like the equal parts uh soothed by them and also just like so fucking impressed by them because I'm such a like exacting scientific process.
You would love every every episode of British big Off. There's like challenges. There's like three challenges, and one of them is the I can't remember what they call it, but basically they get a bunch of ingredients at their at their table and then they get the directions but there's no measurements, so they just have to use their like brain of like, okay, well I've made all these things before, or I know how to make this and I think.
It'll go kind of use it a palm of their hand or like they I mean, they can use me shrink spoons, but there's no like you just have everything in your station, so you have to like science it out. It's crazy, don't. I don't know how they do it. I don't know how they do amazing. I would be into that. The Real Housewives. I know, you haven't really
explored this world. I have not. I found The Real Housewives of New Jersey very triggering for me because people, you know what, the accents, what is it, the hairline, all of it was my entire adolescence growing up. Somebody always had a mom like that somebody or you were at somebody's house that you didn't know that well and all their relatives were there and they were screaming, and you were just like, I don't know what to do right now. Oh my god, this is amazing. That's amazing.
I like the the you know, yeah, I don't. I mean, I think I think most people from Jersey are like this. I feel like you've even said it about me to a degree. It's just like an in your face ness and a brashness, and it's like and I feel like I'm a I'm a lesser version of what I grew up around. You know. It's just like closed face talking and telling you what to do all the time. And I get it, I hear you. I don't. I don't think I would want to watch Real Housewives of Dallas
or Real Houses of Houston. Yeah, of Beverly Hills. Yes. Absolutely. My husband went through a fee is where he was got really into Atlanta and it was amazing as I would come home and he'd just be on the couch in the middle of the day watching Real Housewives of Atlanta. Oh my god. I love him. So I think I've seen probably the most of that Okay show and that cast from Proximity. I don't even know how it started or how he got into it, but heah sucked in.
That is so charm hilarious. Manny would do it. I think there was like a little bit of like not shame or like, but like it kind of felt like he would do it when I wasn't home. He started a little secret. Yeah that's really cute. That's really cute. I mean I think people felt that way about vander Pump I never watched vander Pump until all that stuff with the cheating scandal went down, and then it was
actually know it was Peacock. Peacock put out a thing on social media that was like, if you haven't watched all thirteen seasons of this show, you can watch these twelve episodes and know what's going on. And I was like, wow, that's what That's smart marketing and they and it was true. Like we started, my sister and my husband and I all started watching it and we were like, all right, well, so let's see what's going on here. You know, three episodes in we were already like on season five, we
were like, this is grazy. I mean, it was crazy. It was crazy. What about like sixteen and Pregnant? Did you ever watch that? Absolutely not know. My sister loved that. Honey Boo Boo Nope. That was a spin off of Toddlers and.
Tiara's Breadzella's Nope, Duck Dynasty, Uh.
Hell no, Jersey Short. I love to watch The Jersey Shore the first season and when I say I hate watched, I hate I hated it. Yeah, And then I was like that annoying person constantly walking around being like you know they're not actually from Jersey, right, they just go on a shore in Jersey. They're all from Daden Island. They're New Yorkers, New York come and get your girl. Like one of the things that I found out taking credit for these people they're from York.
That show only because I really only loved the first season when they were all pure and like ridiculous and so their alcohol use though, was alarming.
But I loved when they would get ready and be like cabs he cabsy.
We used to do that all the time. Okay, uh, I want to mention. And I don't think you've uh wait before we finish. You've watched Queer Eye, You've watched you've watched What Not to Wear? Right, yes, yes, what.
About America's Next Top Model? I want to be on America's Next Top Model. In the early season, it was so toxic. Oh my god, it was the worst. I hated it. And then and then I yeah, and then I fell off really started like screaming at them and like I was, I was, what is it is rooting for you? Rooting for you? Oh my god? And they used to like the way they used to scrutinize their
bodies off. It was awful, like awful, It was disturbing and like it was disturbing and I and I think, I feel like that might have even been the show that made me like really turn away from that? Was it? That was it? That was the one that broke me. I was like, we haven't all We also haven't really, I mean we did a little, we talked in the beginning. I was like, not documentaries, but there is a genre of reality TV that is like more like documentary style,
like like the what we all watched Tiger King. Remember when that came out and everybody and we watched it.
It felt like, yeah, there was a bunch of stuff that I watched when I my sister actually turned me on to all this stuff. There was one called it was on PBS, was called Frontier House, and it was three families in the late eighteen hundreds.
That all had to live.
I thought it was a for a few weeks and then we looked it up and it was, oh, I.
Were living like they were in the late eighteen hundreds.
They were living they had no electricity, no running water, no bathrooms. They had to plant their own food and grow their own food. They had to there was a family with like six kids, and by the end of the show, by the end of the five months, like they were like starving basically, and then meanwhile their neighbors had like all of this jarred food that they had saved and they weren't sharing.
The drama was crazy. There was also a show called That Feels Icky, though it was kid starting.
The kid's part was first of all, I don't know how they got away with stuff like that in the beginning, because now I'm sure that there's all sorts of There was another show called kid Nation.
Have you heard of the show? No? Kid Nation was like Lord of the Flies meet Steakcare. Like it was they had all they were all these little kids and like I don't know how for for how long, but they were by themselves. There were no parents, and what they separated themselves into groups of I think it was like the girls and the boys. The boys were running wild. There was nobody was cleaning an everything was a disea.
The girls had like an organized system of like are you clean on this day? You clean on? This is who's gonna cook, and this is who's gonna eat like it, but it was children mostly, it was little children like and I don't think anything bad happened to any of them, but like it.
Was not okay, but it's fascinating to us.
There's a bunch of them that I really love.
Like there's a bunch of other ones that I love.
They're like I can't remember the names of them, but they'll be like Elizabethan Christmas or like a Dwardian house or late you know. And there are all these scientists that they're like scientists and writers that go and like they they'll talk to camera, but then they'll like be like butchering a calf and like making candles out of tallow and stuff.
I love that shit. I would watch it. I'm surprised, well, maybe it's coming. I'm surprised we're there's not an onslaught of like homestead trad wise type they're coming. There is, but they're on TikTok. They're on TikTok. I do love speaking of homesteading, though I haven't watched all the seasons because they're a little hard to find because I guess maybe it's not a US show. But Alone, have you ever watched Alone? No? What's that? Oh my god, it's
so good. It's like it's maybe seven or eight s vivalists. Oh my god, it's a hard word to say survivals, vible survival that's like anyway, anyway, we know what you're talking about. People that try to survive professional and like they fucking know what they are doing. So they drop them in the wilderness in all different places, but more or less in the same area, so they're dealing with the same climate and the same weather and the same resources. I think they get to bring like like two tools
with them because it's like that book Hatchet. Did you ever read Hatchet when you were a kid? Oh fucking lom Hatchet? Oh my god. And so maybe they also there's some things like like ten items that like the show gives them and they get to pick like one or two tools that you know, they specifically like these people. And then it's like whoever lasts the longest and they, oh my god, they get up to like ninety days in the wilderness. They build freaking houses what and little
like clay ovens. It's like fascinating. It's also so impressive all the things they can do. And then I think I also enjoy it because I'm like, well, if the apocalypse ever happens. I'm also kind of learning some things. I now know how to use moss to insulate a house. If I can figure out how to assemble a bunch of sticks together to they don't. Here's the thing though, the steaks feel very high in that one. I want my steaks like Christmas high, you know what I mean?
Like I don't want are really high. They are really high. There's like, yeah, there's there's dangerous animal encounters, but then there's also like if they fall and get cut or like you know, eat something bad, don't cook their thing right, Like no, yeah, so the producers just let them like shit their pants on the camera and they cap out.
They like they have a they have a walkie, And then there's that whole like debate they do with themselves where they sometimes they're trying different things, do I tap in it? And then when they grab that walkie, they're so defeated and they're so and sometimes they're like proud of themselves or how far they got, and then sometimes they are just failed. Like yeah, it's really interesting to that part of it to go like how would I, like,
how would I handle that? It's psychologically, I feel like psychology I did and I made it to this point, or would I be like, I'm fucking And they also say and like the reason it's called alone is like that part too. Eventually, the loneliness of them, you know, it's weird. Some there's always like one or two that have the personality of like thriving in that, like truly being alone in the wilderness, and then there are some that are like I need to see a person, Like,
oh my god, I can't do this anymore. How long? How long do you think you would last? Oh my god, like alone in the wilderness. If I knew what I was doing, maybe I feel like I would start to crack after like two weeks. I was literally I'm like, hold like six hours, six hours, maybe a week. I mean, I'm yeah, I feel like that's even you could do six ambitious six hours. I couldn't do overnight. Are you
giving me no? No? I know, right? Yeah? Probably realistically, after like like three days, I would I would be like, fuck, I need to see so, I need to talk to somebody. I need person, I need someone's energy. I would just be like laying on the floor staring at the sky. Oh my god, I would get really depressed. I could do it, if I if I could be in like, wasn't there were you telling me about a reality show like where you had to be the person was in a room by themselves or was it isis? Was it? Yeah?
Some Japanese reality show where it was kind of like Big Brother, but it was just one person and they were naked. I see, I could do it. I could do it. I don't want to be naked. I don't want to be naked alone in a room. Just in a way, I can't do it.
If I had if I had books, if I had paints, if I could sing, I'm fine, I could do it.
I mean I would miss my family for how long. I don't even like being in my trailer, like you know, when we're having to wait, like, oh my god, yeah wait we're still waiting, you know, No, no, no, I don't want to be I don't want to. I know. I start wandering sometimes looking for people knocking on doors when you guys do it. Yeah, yeah, don't you remember me knocking on your door? Yes? I do. I do
remember that. I do remember that more better. I feel like, in general, this is a genre that's not going anywhere. I think the thing that I am realizing from this conversation is that I might be skewing a little bit more toward the stuff that is lately, at least like that allows me to sit back and judge, and I think maybe I want to look at I mean that I'll love show sounds crazy good, Like I would never have it.
I would never have even thought about that because the stakes feel so high that it makes me nervous.
But maybe that's something that I actually would like. I mean obviously, like I like my I like my Real Housewives, and I like but the stakes get high on that too, So I don't know. I mean, it's not like bad like yeah, drama, I mean yeah, and I yeah, I'm
just making you want to watch anything. Like maybe I feel like I like, no, I could be a little no. No, I do, I you know, because I do feel like left out of the You do feel left out of the conversation when there's shows like Traders and Love Island that you feel like everybody's talking about and you can't connect with them because you don't watch it right. And so I feel like I could be a little better
at like not being so fucking cynical. I really want you to look up Kidnation and watch it with and SOO and acts like I'll try to find a link to it because I mean it just just to see, like what do you think about this? How how look at how these kids are behaving? Do you think that's okay? We're not okay?
You know, yeah, you might have to clear it with your husband first.
Or like watch one first and then yeah, but I think it's like valuable to watch just because I don't know better than you know. They're also like like all kids want to watch too is like, you know, like little YouTube videos that are basically reality TV. Yeah. I mean luckily my kids love shows and movies, and they'll go through phases where that's all they watched. And so just binged every like nine seasons of the Flash from
the CW. That's really sweet. That's really sweet. But then in between, you know, when he doesn't have a show to watch, it's you know, yeah, it's like and I'm like, oh, well that's reality TV, like right, Like somebody somebody's like, why do kids love to watch videos of like other kids like opening presents? And then I heard the response from someone else, go, why do we like to watch people shop for houses on house Hunter and tell me about it International house Hunter. Oh I love that show,
Oh my god. And I was like, oh my god, it is the same thing, Like that is the appeal, Like it's it's the same I do I did you judge them on International Househunters? Though?
When they're like, oh, we only want to spend like six hundred and fifty dollars a month and we want four bedrooms a backyard, I'm like, get out of here.
We want to be able to walk to the sand. Suck off. Yeah, get the fuck out of here, Get out of here. I can't relate. I can't relate. I cannot relate. Wait, before we go, our producers did a fun thing for us that I don't want to forget to fude. They asked, chat GBT, where is it? Oh my god, that's right. Our reality TV show taglines would be okay, wait, I wrote my own, Oh what would yours be? Yes? But I want to hear my chat GPT one. Okay, Well read me yours while I find it. Okay.
I may play a Disney heroine, but if you cross me, I'll kick your fucking ass.
That's so good, stupid, so stupid. Oh my god, that's okay. I want to hear the chat GPT one though. All right, I'm gonna read you yours first. Okay. My voice is my weapon, and I'll use it to stand up for what's right. Okay, Oh okay. Well I liked the beginning part of it, but I wanted the end. I thought it was and I'll use it to crush you or something. Yeah. The end felt a little like I don't have to use chat GBT so far yours is a thousand times bad.
Thank you. Oh I like this one. I'm like a cup of espresso, strong, dark and probably a little too much for you. Oh that's yours, that's yours, that's mine. That's oh because I have a similar one, which I don't know if what this says about you and me. So one of mine is I might be a little extra, but that's what makes me unforgettable. That's a little like wait, that's a little wait bland. I feel like that could
be anybody. Wait here's uh? I feel like actually some of these are see this is I think people think I'm Amy Santiago in real life. These are Amy Santiago ones. I may love a good planner, but I'm not afraid to throw out the schedule when needed. I'm a Type A with a side of stass and a whole lot of coffee. I'm a Type A, but I'm a sea cup. That would be better. Sorry, I'm not here a sea cover or not I am, But I'm a sea cup. That's better. I like that one. That's better. That's better?
See my god? Should I be writer? Should I start writing? You are stupid jokes? Yes, you're a writer. Oh my god. Okay, I don't think we're going to get better than I'm a Type A, but I'm a sea cup. So thanks for joining us this week. You guys, see you next time, Baye More Better.
Do you have something you'd like to be more better at that you want us to talk about in a future episode?
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Shoot us your thoughts and ideas at Morebetter pod at gmail dot com and include a voice note if you want to be featured on the pod. Ooh More Better with Stephanie Melissa is a production from WV Sound and iHeartMedia's Mikutura podcast network, hosted by me, Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa FUMERA More Better is produced by Isis Madrid and Sophie Spencer zabos.
Our executive producers.
Are Wilmer Valderrama and Leo Klem at WV Sound. This episode was edited by Isis Madrid and engineered by Sean Tracy and features original music by Madison Davenport and Helo Boy. Our cover art is by Vincent Remis and photography by David Avolos. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever.
You listen to your favorite shows. See you next week's suckers. Bye,