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Andy Dehnart

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Andy Dehnart (born August 26, 1977) is an American journalist and television critic. He may be best known as reality television's "longest-standing critic"[1] for his online journalism, as he is the creator of the genre's first tracking website, realityblurred.com.[2] He is a member of the Television Critics Association.

Currently a contributor of television criticism and cultural journalism to NPR, The Daily Beast and msnbc.com, Dehnart has also written for Salon.com, Wired.com, The Boston Globe, Metro, the Chicago Tribune and Playboy.[3] He regularly appears on television and the radio to discuss reality TV and popular culture.

USA Today named Dehnart one of the Top 100 People in Pop Culture in 2001.[4]

Dehnart earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Bennington College,[5] where his non-fiction studies included a lecture which explored the cultural impact of blogging, then a relatively unknown phenomenon in popular culture.

Dehnart now teaches writing, journalism, and communication studies at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where he advises the student newspaper.[5] He has also taught for Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth.

Earlier, Dehnart moved to Chicago in 1999 to work as managing editor of a non-profit website, and later he worked as a producer for thepavement.com, a site for recent college graduates, and BrassRing, a recruiting solutions company. A native of Naples, Florida, Dehnart received his BS from Stetson, where he majored in journalism and earned minors in political science and religious studies. While an undergraduate, he edited the weekly campus newspaper, The Reporter, for two years; both years, it was named the best private college newspaper in the state of Florida.[6][7]

Dehnart is openly gay.[8]

Reality Blurred

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Reality Blurred
Type of site
Blog
Available inEnglish
OwnerReality Blurred LLC
Created byAndy Dehnart
URLwww.realityblurred.com
AdvertisingYes
CommercialYes
Launched2000; 24 years ago (2000)

Reality Blurred is an American entertainment news website Dehnart created in July 2000,[9][2][10] and the daily-updated site quickly became a primary source for devotees of the reality TV explosion. It was the first website to cover reality television.[11]

It tracks reality TV shows[12] and includes reporting, analysis, commentary, interviews, and show reviews.[11][13]

History

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Reality Blurred launched July 2000 as an entertainment blog modeled after Jim Romenesko's MediaNews[11] but focused on early reality television shows such as Survivor and Making the Band. Media coverage of the website said it "analyzes the reality TV genre"[14] and "tracks daily press coverage of all the currently running unscripted TV series."[15]

In 2010, the website published the Survivor contract and rule book.[16]

Reality Blurred was first to report news such as CBS's plans for a season of Big Brother on CBS All Access, which became Big Brother: Over the Top.,[17][18] and Netflix casting journalist Alex Wagner to host The Mole.[19]

Dehnart still writes for the website.[20] Other contributors to Reality Blurred have included Stephen Fishbach, The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies contestant Corey Lay and Jane McGonigal.[21][22]

Reception

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Two months after its launch, Entertainment Weekly graded Reality Blurred an "A," calling the website "a Virgil to guide you through television’s latest ring of hell" and a "smartly dressed compendium of so-real-it’s-real links."[23] Slate named Reality Blurred the best culture blog about television[24] in 2003.

Reality Blurred won the 2021 Los Angeles Press Club’s award for Entertainment Blog by an Individual Not Tied to an Organization in the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards.[25]

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References

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  1. ^ Reality Bytes, Daytona Beach News-Journal
  2. ^ a b Rhodes, Joe (2004-11-16). "An Audience Finally Catches Up to 'The Amazing Race'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  3. ^ "writing by Andy Dehnart | journalist, TV critic, blogger". Andy Dehnart.
  4. ^ "USATODAY.com - Pop Candy's People of the Year 2001".
  5. ^ a b "Andy Dehnart | about me". Andy Dehnart.
  6. ^ "Best of Florida Schools 1998 Issue - Page 3". Archived from the original on 2006-10-27. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
  7. ^ "Best of Florida Schools 1999 Issue - Best Newspaper". Archived from the original on 2006-10-27. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
  8. ^ "Best. Gay. Week. Ever! The Full Frontal Edition! Plus, Too Much Pressure on Neil and David?". Archived from the original on 2011-10-26. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  9. ^ Steve, Reality (2018-05-17). "Podcast #78 – Interview with "Reality Blurred's" Andy Dehnart & Info on Last Night's Tweet – Reality Steve". Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  10. ^ Stelter, Brian (2009-08-22). "Killing Raises New Reality TV Concerns". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  11. ^ a b c Burns, Kelli S. (2009). Celeb 2.0: how social media foster our fascination with popular culture. New directions in media series. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-313-35688-9.
  12. ^ Tribune, Neal Justin Star. ""Big Brother" sinks to a new low with disgusting cast". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  13. ^ Harper, Mark (2004-12-16). "Reality Bytes: Stetson Instructor Talks TV". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. pp. E1–E2.
  14. ^ Barovick, Harriet (2008-09-19). "A BRIEF HISTORY OF Reality TV". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  15. ^ Liner, Elaine (2 March 2001). "When reality TV becomes 'alternative reality TV'". The Ledger. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  16. ^ Poniewozik, James (2010-06-01). "Survivor's Rulebook Leaks Out". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  17. ^ Owen, Rob (2016-08-02). "Tuned In: NBC's 'This Is Us' set in Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  18. ^ Porreca, Brian (2016-08-02). "'Big Brother' Moves to Fall on CBS All Access". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  19. ^ Anderson, Jenna (2023-06-23). "Netflix Announces Host of The Mole Reboot". ComicBook.com.
  20. ^ "Do Reality Shows Affect How Viewers See Real-Life Relationships?". Scripps News. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  21. ^ McGonigal, Jane (21 April 2017). "article I wrote on realityTV/game design". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  22. ^ McGonigal, Jane (2017-04-21). "How to change MTV Stranded's game so players are heroes, not monsters". reality blurred. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  23. ^ Podolsky, Erin (8 September 2000). "Website Review: 'Reality Blurred'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  24. ^ Williams, Ben (2003-12-31). "The Critics Critiqued". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  25. ^ "National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards 2021Winners" (PDF). Los Angeles Press Club. February 2022.
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