Reality Roundup: Oct. 6

“The Kardashians” Season 4 Episode 1

The Kardashians are back, but I am not sure how beneficial to society they are this season. After all the drama from last season, the Kardashians have decided to throw that all behind them and focus on personal issues this season.

The first episode of the season begins with the rehashing of the Kim and Kourtney drama, and the conclusion that Kourtney is happier away from the family. It’s obvious to the audience that Kourtney is not going to be present much in this season, as she’s still in the honeymoon phase with Travis Barker.

The girls and Corey Gamble are immediately off to Cabo to celebrate some family time! We are blessed with Kendall and Kylie Jenner's presence (thank goodness, we needed the younger demographic). We are also blessed to witness Khloe Kardashian’s first drink of beer!

The star of this episode truly is Khloe Kardashian, as we also discover she has a huge fear of whales. Tragically, for Khloe, it's mating season for the whales in Cabo, therefore they are extremely close to the shore.

It should be noted that all of the major events from this episode have not changed the world at all, and have just plainly embarrassed the Kardashian family. It’s so obvious there was a struggle to get content for this episode, and the producers were pulling at nothing. Hopefully, episode 2 has more interesting content, maybe something dramatic instead of a whale. – Grace Bowman

"The Voice” Season 24 Week 1

Season 24 of 'The Voice' made its eagerly anticipated debut last week, gracing NBC screens on Monday and Tuesday evenings at 8/7c.

This season signifies a major shift as it's the first without country superstar Blake Shelton as a coach. After an impressive 12-year tenure, Shelton decided to step back following Season 23, citing the need to devote more time to family and his cherished Oklahoma ranch. His departure leaves a void, given his deep connection to the show.

In an intriguing twist, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton's wife, continues her role as a judge, adding a unique dimension to this season's lineup. She's no stranger to the show, having judged in seasons 7, 9, 12, 17, 19, and 22.

Season's past champion Niall Horan, who captured hearts in his inaugural season, is back, promising an exciting season for fans. The talented John Legend, a fixture on the show since Season 16, is also back in the judge's seat.

The newest addition to the coaching panel is the queen of country music herself, Reba McEntire. With her extensive experience and undeniable talent, McEntire brings a fresh perspective to the competition.

During the first episode, the stage was filled with talent, leaving the coaches captivated. Audiences witnessed not one but two four-chair turns! Before their live performances, each singer shared their personal stories, forging connections beyond their musical prowess.

As the episode wrapped up, it left us on the edge of our seats with anticipation. One standout performer was Mara Justine, whose electrifying performance led to a heartwarming duet with John Legend on "All of Me." Ultimately, Mara faced the challenging decision of choosing her coach, leaving the show on a cliffhanger.

The second episode opened with Mara's choice of coach, and unsurprisingly, she chose John after their remarkable performance. This episode unveiled even more incredible talent. One standout was Ruby Leigh, whose yodeling skills left a lasting impression on viewers.

Another notable performance came from Juliette Ojeda, who brought bilingual singing to the stage. A humorous moment occurred when Howie Mandel emerged from the audience, requesting Reba's autograph. Though this episode was brief, it was packed with beautiful talent. – Alexa Spilotras

“Big Brother” Season 25 Week 8

This week on “Big Brother,” the Scary Verse realm took over and threw the game completely out of whack.

There was no HOH, no Veto, and no eviction.

What’s the point of watching the show if nobody goes home?

The only thing that kept viewers semi-engaged in this Thursday’s episode was the Zombie competition between the two most recently evicted houseguests, Cameron and Jared.

As soon as Cameron won part one of the competition, it seemed impossible that Jared had any chance of returning over him.

Cameron has won almost a third of the competitions this season, and there hasn’t been a week thus far where he wasn’t HOH, a veto winner or a nominee.

After Cameron won, Jared was officially evicted from the game and had his interview with Julie Chen.

She asked him about playing with his mother, Cirie Fields, and it brought Jared to tears thinking about how she was now in the house without his protection.

Since Cirie can’t seem to secure a competition win this season, she’ll likely be following her son out in the coming weeks. – Kaitlyn Murphy

“Dancing With the Stars” Season 32 Episode 1

Season 32 of Dancing with the Stars is setting screens ablaze, capturing the undivided attention of the audience everywhere. DWTS has made its triumphant return, promising to entertain like never before.

This season sizzles with excitement, especially thanks to the introduction of the new professional dancer, Rylee Arnold, and the welcomed return of the beloved host, Julianne Hough.

The selection of celebrities for this season has raised eyebrows with some delightful surprises, ensuring that this season will undoubtedly be nothing short of extraordinary.

With each passing season, Dancing with the Stars consistently surpasses its high standards, a testament to its enduring appeal and ability to continually raise the bar for entertainment.

The anticipation for what’s to come is palpable, and it is clear that this season is poised to set new standards of excellence.

Regrettably, this season marks the first season of DWTS without the cherished presence of Len Goodman, who had been with the show since Season 1. Tragically, he passed away after his final season last April. Len’s absence leaves a void that will be deeply felt, as he was a truly exceptional judge.

To honor his memory and contributions, the remarkable Dancing with the Stars team dedicated a heartfelt tribute to Len during the premiere of the show.

However, Len Goodman has not been replaced as a judge, including Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

In a less surprising development, Tyra Banks did not return as the host this year. Her departure was anticipated due to many previous name mix-ups last season that had social media buzzing.

Adding an unexpected twist to the premiere night, the show announced a surprising elimination at the end of the premiere that had viewers on the edge of their seats already.

Despite these changes, viewers can look forward to an exciting season filled with captivating content, making it a must-watch as the competition unfolds. Stay tuned for more thrilling moments every Tuesday on Disney+ and ABC. – Olivia Anderson

Survivor Season 45 Episode 1

The 45th edition of "Survivor" premiered last Wednesday, and this season kicked off with a… whimper?

There seems to be consensus disappointment among "Survivor" fans on social media, with many of them saying that this season has the worst cast in the long history of "Survivor."

Many fans were thrilled at the preseason announcement that the episode length for this season would be increased to 90 minutes. However, the extra 30 minutes of air time appeared to be wasted after focusing on Brandon Donlon’s inability to climb a ladder and Hannah Rose’s desire to quit after three days on the island.

Speaking about Donlon, he might be the biggest physical liability ever cast on the show that survived the first vote. He somehow wasn’t even the primary target of his tribe, as Emily Flippen was trying to get the numbers to vote out Kaleb Gebrewold for unknown reasons since he seemed to be the only physically competent person in his tribe.

Flippen was very disliked on "Survivor" social media but she was also the only cast member to display any sort of strategy. Very poor strategy at that, but strategy nonetheless. She could be a rare villain in the new era of "Survivor."

She appears to be trying to make merge moves during the first vote, which is way too early to be looking that far ahead.

Voting out the strongest and most athletic member of your tribe after the first challenge would mean the Lulu tribe will be seeing Jeff Probst at tribal councils quite often.

Luckily for the Lulu tribe, they did not even have to worry about a vote after Rose quit.

Probst has gone in on quitters in past seasons but seemed fairly calm after Rose requested the whole tribe vote for her. That is not a good look for Survivor as a whole since it makes quitting seem acceptable.

It was nice to see Bruce Perreault back after he was medically evacuated during the season 44 premiere. It was also wild for Flippen to paint a target on his back as a returning player when he was only on the island for around 12 hours.

Flippen is not even on the same tribe as Perreault and still affecting his pre-merge gameplay. Villainous activities.

With all the discombobulation surrounding the Lulu tribe, the Belo and Reba tribes barely got any coverage in the first episode. Austin Li Coon found the Reba tribe's beware advantage after Nicholas “Sifu” Alsup got outed for searching for the aforementioned advantage.

It was only the first episode and the audience should not be too quick to judge the cast and season as a whole.

However, the first episode did not give much of the fanbase a good first impression of the cast. The fact that a proper vote did not even occur added to the disappointment that was the season 45 premiere.

Player of the Week- Austin Li Coon, Reba Tribe. In an episode that didn’t showcase any good strategy, physical dominance or social game, Li Coon finding the advantage when everyone else in his tribe is suspicious of Sifu could be huge.

The lack of attention on him could allow him to slip through the cracks until he gets his vote back as well as the accommodating idol. – Alex Perez

Grace Bowman is a third-year majoring in biology and minoring in psychological sciences. To contact her, email gab5585@psu.edu

Alexa Spilotras is a fourth-year student majoring in journalism. To contact her, email ams10012@psu.edu.

Kaitlyn Murphy is a second-year majoring in journalism. To contact her, email kvm6255@psu.edu.

Olivia Anderson is a fourth-year majoring in communications. To contact her, email oqa5131@psu.edu

Alex Perez is a second-year majoring in sports broadcasting. To contact him, please email app5877@psu.edu.