Going to rank my favourite 20 Reality TV shows of 2022. Spoiler alert: I didn't watch The Traitors, lmao.

Plenty of Real Housewives to come, plenty of Drag Race and plenty competition shows. I've kept what I've watched quite close to the chest this year so there may be some surprises.

I'm gonna start of with some (dis)honourable mentions for some shows that just missed out, so stay tuned! There will be spoilers so skip over any shows you've not seen and intend to watch.

Recap:
01. RuPaul’s Drag Race (AS7)
02. The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip (S2)
03. Canada’s Drag Race (S3)
04. The Real Housewives of Atlanta (S14)
05. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (S12)
06. The Real Housewives of Dubai
07. The Apprentice (S16)
08. RuPaul’s Drag Race (S14)
09. The Great British Pottery Throwdown (S5)
10. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (S4)
11. The Great British Sewing Bee (S8)
12. Geordie Shore (S23)
13. Interior Design Masters (S3)
14. The Circle USA (S4)
15. Drag Race Down Under (S2)
16. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (S3)
17. The Kardashians (S1 & S2)
18. RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World
19. Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World
20. Drag Race España (S2)

Edited January 4, 20232 yr by Josh!

Just missed out...



The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans (Shudder)
Series 1

I do always appreciate Dragula for giving us a totally different take on Drag which often seems exciting and refreshing in comparison to RuPaul’s Drag Race. I love how invested The Boulets are too which is vastly in contrast to RuPaul as well, lmao.

I do find my excitement tends to wane though after a while because every week is so heavily based on the floor show. They try and put different challenges in like acting/lip-syncing but it all just ends up with a floor show anyway and that’s what gets judged. I do find Dragula as a concept does lack a bit of variety in that sense which can get a bit tedious.

All of the workroom stuff is soooo juicy though and I was hooked on the love triangle, especially at the beginning. As soon as that got stale, it was juicy watching all the other competitors fuming about it and starting to kick off hahaha. The environment on Dragula seems so toxic, lmao, but it’s brilliant to watch as a viewer.

I was super impressed by Victoria Elizabeth Black even though I’d never seen her on a season before and I can safely say that the right queen won for once this year. I do think Evah was done a bit dirty though because she was the second best all-rounder in my opinion but her critiques were so hot and cold, and the Boulets were quick to say she hadn’t improved when eliminating her. Koco Caine was the definition of comedic relief and made the season worth watching even when it had started to become a bit dull, she earned her final position for that alone.

A quick comment on the finale which was a total mess and certainly left things on a downer. To not even get a crowning for the first Dragula titan was a joke and completely missed what the audience loves about the show. We love the camp production value and investment in talent, and then we get a winner crowned by flashing a picture in a hallway?! Terrible.



Love Island (ITV)
Series 8

Who doesn't love a bit of Love Island? It's one of few shows I'll give one whole hour of my time to night after night for two months. It's been a memorable one as largely all the boys have been complete trash and the girls have had to deal with them the entire time. Poor Gemma and Indiyah deserve far better than the men they walked out with.
 
Certainly some juicy moments that had me salivating for more in the 'tomorrow night' segments. Andrew licking Coco has to be the total highlight. There was, of course, Adam Collard's unexpected return and Danica always doing the most (I looooved her, sksksksks). Nathalia vs Ekin-Su was also a female icon battle for the ages. I love seeing the islanders let loose and take the mickey out of themselves too. I reckon Indiyah's flute talent show performance was one of my favourite moments of the season, lmao.
 
Moving house and having no Wi-Fi for a week meant that I missed out on the very end of the series but I managed to keep on things via Twitter. Chuffed that Ekin-Su and Davide won as they won me over in the same way they did with the rest of the general public. I hope we see more of them on our televisions soon, as they're both great reality telly personalities.



Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star (BBC)
Series 4

Normally I love a bit of Glow Up as the show feels quite similar in theme to Drag Race at times. However, this year was pretty weak in my opinion. I don’t mean to act like I know loads about make-up but it seemed like the judges were pretty unimpressed with the talent on show this year and I’d be inclined to agree. I thought there was only one really strong contender the whole way through and she ended up not even winning even though she was the obvious choice, what!?!
 
There were a few good make-up looks as the season went on, and I like the industry challenge where we get little insights on shows like Doctor Who, but nothing really wowed me like it has on seasons in the past. It felt like they were awarding who was least bad some weeks rather than being impressed with people, woops. Some of the people in the quarter/semi-final had constant critique and didn’t really seem to improve on the feedback either, lmao.
 
Not a classic year for Glow-Up but hopefully it’ll be back on form next year. I think it just didn’t shine alongside Sewing Bee on a Wednesday evening and felt like a chore to sit through after the wholesome-ness and immense talent of its competitor.




The Masked Singer UK (ITV)
Series 3

Ah, The Masked Singer - I have such a love/hate relationship with this show. On the good side, I love seeing the unmasking and being surprised by the genuinely good line-up that they manage to get year after year. On the other hand, the show becomes such a chore to watch after week 1 when the clues become more generic and harder to actually decrypt. And then the rest of the runtime is just padded out with nonsensical judges guesses and ad break after ad break.

So yeah, you know what you’re getting with The Masked Singer and there’s nothing really wrong with that. Season three was as good as any other season but it’s just not a show that I really love, although I know I’ll never stop watching. There were some brill stars in the line-up this year including Natalie Imbruglia & Michelle Williams but equally there were some I’d barely even heard of including Jaime Winstone and Gloria Hunniford, lmao.

20. Drag Race España (Wow Presents+)
Series 2

This was a series of two halves for me. It had all the right ingredients to be an elite-tier season of Drag Race but I think by the end, I preferred it less than the first Spanish season. I was certainly more enthused with the winner of the first season, that much is a given.

By a couple of episodes in, I was wowing at the talent on display. We had a talent show where there could’ve easily been nine different queens in the top. Then we had the Almodóvar runway which was everything for a movie buff like myself. The runway looks were consistently top quality too between Onyx’s creativity, Estrella’s humour on the runway and Venedita’s gender-bending concepts.

For me though, it was the season of Sharonne and that’s the main reason I began to really dislike the season as the girls got whittled down. We knew she was going to do a professional job, the judges would cream themselves over it, and she’d be high or get another win. Where was the excitement? I was never wowed by her or even impressed… it was just satisfactory professionalism on repeat. It was so dull. Even in the final lip-sync, Venedita and Estrella ate her up in my eyes but there was never going to be another outcome. Boo. Venedita deserved that win! She served so much versatility and a bearded queen would be an exciting addition to the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

Saying that, although I didn’t agree with all of the judging. This edition of Drag Race continues to have the most likeable judges panel of all-time and they continue to make it such a joy to watch. You can tell how much Supremme cares for the girls in comparison to Ru, Ana Locking looks like she’s having a whale of a time and is always serving lewks, and then the Javis are just the most gorgeous couple both inside and out. Not to mention bringing back Choriza May and Alexis Mateo to our screens!! I hoped at the time that this would pave the way for more contestant royalty to return as judges and it seems it has.

I will say finally that this season gave us Juriji Der Klee and I’ll be forever grateful for that. She served absolute c*nt on the runway and in her confessionals, and especially in Untucked. Can’t wait to follow her career post-Drag Race because she oozes star potential. A future ‘vs. The World’ winner? We can only hope.



19. Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. The World (BBC)
Series 2

People seemed to prefer this to UK vs The World but I’d disagree to be honest. The cast were so weak that the whole thing just felt like a non-starter. The first three eliminees were all various levels of terrible and showed absolutely nothing that they didn’t already show on their original season. Feels like a waste of three episodes when your season is only six episodes long, lol.

It’s hard to get excited when there are so many All Stars now and it feels like we’re scraping the barrel for talent. I was watching the finale thinking that nobody felt like a winner or deserved an actual Drag Race crown. I do even quite like Ra’Jah but I feel like she’d still be lucky to come 4th in an ordinary season of the show (her runways especially were cheap looking and crafty in a bad way). If Monique Heart couldn’t win on personality alone then it seems odd that Ra’Jah can, but then that just shows how weak her competition was.

I was glad to see Vanity Milan shine and find some confidence that she didn’t have on the UK version of the show. I’ve always found her incredibly likeable so I was happy to see her gain a few new worldwide fans. She might not be the funniest queen on the spot but she does what she does better than anyone else in my opinion and she does make me laugh in her own way with her facial expressions and attitude. I hope she can continue with post-season success after her showing here. I’d love to see her up in Newcastle for a show in the future, I’d definitely go.

Icesis absolutely killed every episode and completely won me over. I was always a Pythia fan on her first run in the show but I can see how massively deserving Icesis is now. She’s such a hard worker and ate every runway up. I appreciate the reasons she left but the show massively lost steam after her departure and it didn’t recover. It no longer felt like the best of the best competing and seemed more like a loser’s trophy. We all know she’d have walked it if she didn’t self-eliminate.



18. RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World (BBC)
Series 1

Ah, I remember seeing the rumour line-up for this a year ago and being so beyond hyped for an international All Stars season but it turned out to be quite the disappointment. I think perhaps the queens eliminating other queens format was an exciting little twist to begin with but is a bit tired now when we just lose frontrunner after frontrunner. As viewers, we want to see good drag!! Not a top four who have one top 2 finish each across the entire season lol (or an average of 0.5 badges between them…). By the time the lip sync for the crown rolled around, all the contenders were just half-assing it, lmao. The less said about Jujubee the better.
 
There were some highlights so lets not pretend its all bad. Seeing some more of my favourite international queens who would normally get less attention on live BBC was exciting stuff. I was chuffed for Janey Jacke especially who managed to get pretty damn far. She was my favourite from DRH Season 1 and I remember rooting for her to win back then too (I do think Envy Peru is a bit overrated).
 
I did mention the lack of wins being disappointing but I was super happy for Blu winning the whole damn thing too. I thought she was pretty much consistently top 3 in every challenge so she stormed it more than it appears she did on paper. I’ve been to a few of her shows since S1 too and she has a real great sense of humour so I was glad to see she got to show off more of that side in the talent show and in Snatch Game.  I hope this isn’t her only opportunity to return though now she’s a winner because she’d have been fab on a UK All Stars too. It’d be a shame if her only shot at a comeback was this poorly reviewed mess of a season.
 
The Vs the World franchise has to begin to include more queens! There’s so many that deserve another chance to shine and six episodes really isn’t enough to show off what you’ve got either. Give us a 12 queen season with 10 episodes or something!!



17. The Kardashians (Disney+)
Series 1 & 2

I always used to watch KUWTK when repeats would air on 4Music when I was growing up but I’ve not watched any of the later seasons. I guess as their lives are so publicised on social media anyway, I didn’t feel the need to watch the show week on week anymore. However, making it more accessible on Disney+ and giving it a glossy makeover in this brand new reinvention of the show made me all excited again so I decided to dive back in deep and follow the lives of our favourite Calabasas family.
 
One thing I will say is that I ended up being gutted by just how short each season was! I wasn’t sure if I’d fall straight back into the show like I did but then only 10 episodes felt like such an abrupt ending to a season that I was really enjoying. The three older sisters just vibe off each other so well and there’s plenty fun to be had with the others too whether it’s watching Twitter rinse how Kendall cuts a cucumber or see Kylie try out a car wash for the first time.
 
Kourtney used to be a favourite of mine but she was a bit of a chore nowadays with the excessive displays of affection with Travis. There’s PDA and then there’s that! And I don’t think we have a word yet for how much that all was, lmao. She shined way more in her solo scenes like when she was doing the Poosh promo with the Kourtney parody TikToker. Kim was my real highlight though and I’ve really enjoyed following her online again since the show, I’ve re-followed her on all my social medias. I think her work ethic to both being a mum and a global superstar showed and watching her have a bit of a playful side when Pete was mentioned was endearing too.
 
I think the slick Disney+ makeover has sparked a re-found love in the Kardashians for me so I can’t wait for it to return each time. I just hope we continue to get more than one season per year because they’re so short that I can really get my teeth stuck into like the good old days. I could watch these girls bounce off each other forever, they’re the biggest reality TV family for a reason.

Sometimes it does feel like a glorified advert for their brands but I almost don’t mind because I like seeing stuff like the prep for the Met Gala and SNL.



16. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (Hayu)
Series 3

This is still airing so I'm including it based on the fact we've seen most of the season and only have a couple episodes and the reunion left. Maybe it'll have an explosive reunion and I'll regret not putting it higher but for now, it's been my least favourite of the RH franchises I watched this year. I think with just five main girls, the solo storylines get boring because there's just not enough juicy stuff to pad out the runtime.

I started off loving Heather at the beginning of the season with her much-needed comedic relief but she's become a bit hard to defend recently and I hate this whole black eye debacle she's dragging on. Lisa Barlow has become the unintentional hilarity that keeps me returning week after week.

Can't stand Jen! Evil woman, but she's made for decent TV this season. Her vs. Angie K on the trip was iconic and it was fun to root for the 'friend of' for once because she was soooo in the right. I'm looking forward to see how this franchise can manoeuvre the transition away from their big villain. It's been embarrassing to see Meredith and Heather stick up for her when she's so clearly horrid though, lmao.

Recap:
16. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (S3)
17. The Kardashians (S1 & S2)
18. RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World
19. Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World
20. Drag Race España (S2)

Edited January 1, 20232 yr by Josh!

The Vs the world's have really tarnished the whole franchise for me, such a disappointment! Maybe id feel different had Icesis and Pangina won lmao, but it all just felt "eh, this'll do" ....like even the queen's themselves didn't seem arsed? (Well the US ones anyway) The challenges didn't feel like a huge deal too.

 

Love Salt Lake, everyone says it's boring this series but it's the trash and chaoticness I love. Completely agree about Heather, she's really.let herself down this series whilst I continue to love Lisa more. Jen is utterly vile too, I agree.

The Vs the world's have really tarnished the whole franchise for me, such a disappointment! Maybe id feel different had Icesis and Pangina won lmao, but it all just felt "eh, this'll do" ....like even the queen's themselves didn't seem arsed? (Well the US ones anyway) The challenges didn't feel like a huge deal too.

 

Love Salt Lake, everyone says it's boring this series but it's the trash and chaoticness I love. Completely agree about Heather, she's really.let herself down this series whilst I continue to love Lisa more. Jen is utterly vile too, I agree.

You're right about 'Vs the World' and it's such a shame because there's so much potential in an international All Stars. They need more than six episodes to fully showcase themselves again and we need to stop scraping the barrel with queens. I don't need to see the US ones reach the finale each and every time either. I'd probably feel different if the frontrunners had won too but it just feels like watching amateurs compete on an international scale, lmao.

 

I was a bit bored with RHOSLC to begin with but it has really ramped up with the cast trips. Glad to see another Lisa lover though, she makes the show with her insanity even though she might not realise it hahahaha. More Real Housewives to come!!

 

Thanks Jack :heart:

15. Drag Race Down Under (BBC)
Series 2

This iteration of the franchise doesn't exactly have the best reputation but I didn't hate Season 1 (mainly thanks to Anita and Art) and I didn't hate this either. I will say though that the calibre of drag queen just doesn't seem to compare to the US/UK/Canada etc. editions. I don't know whether that's just a casting issue but I feel like only Hannah Conda from this entire line-up would even be a top 8 queen on a US season, lmao.
 
One thing these girls did do is bring the drama and I must admit to being quite invested in Minnie Cooper vs the world. Then once she left, it became Beverly Kills vs everyone so there was plenty to keep me entertained. I felt kind of bad for Beverly because I quite liked what she was serving but didn't seem to ever impress the judges or her fellow queens, aw.
 
I wasn't that impressed with Kween Kong for the first half of the season and felt like she was being unfairly carried along but she certainly showed some growth by the end. If the finale was based on that one episode alone then I'd have happily given her the win.
 
I can't say the same for Spankie Jackzon though who I just can’t fathom the hype for. Hideous styling, likeable enough but not all that funny either and would be annihilated in a stronger crowd of contestants. Is she really any better than say, Mrs Kasha Davis?! I wouldn't say so. Hannah was the undeniable talent of the season in my opinion so I'd be pretty miffed if I were her.
 
Some awful episodes and challenges but there were some good moments too, a mixed bag if I ever did see one. That prison acting challenge has to be one of the worst things on Drag Race in recent years. On the other hand, the hometown advert challenge was super fun and something I'd love to see brought to Drag Race UK. I think the final two episodes being held back took the wind out of the sails but I know that can't be helped, RIP Queen Liz. I'll watch a Season 3 though! There's just something about Australian accents that makes everything better.



14. The Circle USA (Netflix)
Series 4

I’d stopped watching The Circle UK & US a couple of seasons ago but I was brought back in by the premise of Emma Bunton and Mel B catfishing. I loved the Spice Girls twist and seeing them bounce off each other was one of the highlights from the first drop of episodes. Mel B especially was getting properly into it which was a laugh. I would say it’s a shame they were pretty much never mentioned again after elimination though… even if they’d film a little video for the finale or something?

Once I was hooked though, I was hooked. And I had some huge favourites. I was rooting for Yu Ling the entire way and she came across so brilliantly in the Circle. Of course you’d play yourself if you’re genuinely that effortlessly cool and funny. She really had me cackling when she took the flirting with Nathan to the next level, lmao. We’ve had casual flirting before in the Circle but that was almost full-on sexting, ahaha!!

Bru was another fave of mine and it was gutting to see such a nice guy fall at the last hurdle. It helps that he was nice to look at too, lol. I guess Frank just had the Mr Nice Guy down perfectly and there was only room for one of those types. The latter made for a good winner too even if I was rooting for Yu Ling. I was worried for a hot minute that Imani/Trevor would win and that’d ruin the entire season in one moment.

Overall, a decent season of the Circle and I’m glad I stuck with it after the Spice Girls left. I do wish they’d be a bit more broad in their casting choices because then you know someone like Carol is a catfish when they only seem to cast 20-something year-old influencer types. I did enjoy some of the twists too, namely the cyber attack which lead to some seemingly strong alliances being broken.



13. Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr (BBC)
Series 3

I’ve never seen this before but my boyfriend roped me into watching this season and I kind of loved it, haha. I love a good talent competition anyway but there were some gorgeous creations here - it makes me want to put my own house in the hands of an interior designer, lmao. I’m a huge Alan Carr fan too so his little jokes and camp as tits moments made it such an enjoyable watch. Michelle Ogundehin is a total queen too. I love that she makes the bottoms just sit on a sofa and attempt to defend their poor decisions as she judges them disapprovingly. Ain’t no lip sync for your life here as one last chance, haha.

I like that they got the designers to work in pairs so often too because it often added to the drama. Fran vs. Amy when they were arguing who did the most work on the shared space was low-key some of the most thrilling reality TV this year. Dean’s love for black walls and everyone else thinking 'oh no’ was also a highlight.

I’m happy that Banjo won as he probably was the strongest contender all in all. The canoe light feature in the cabin was one of my favourite ideas from the whole show. I was rooting for Amy though really because I thought her prints were stunning and she came into her own massively throughout the show. I’m half tempted to follow her on socials so I can see how her unique designs are used off the show too.



12. Geordie Shore (MTV)
Series 23

I've not watched this show properly in a few years now but the premise of a reunion season had me crawling back. I surprisingly really enjoyed it though (even some of the newer cast) and I'd even probably continue watching it if they did continue on. This does feel pretty final though so maybe not.
 
It was nice to see my OGs back and they still brought some drama despite being a bit older and wiser and holding back on the drinking antics. Holly finding out about Kyle and Chloe was one of the juicier things I've seen on telly this year. I love Holly though, she'll always be my fave, and I'm happy to see her thriving as she is - Queen!
 
It's mad to see how far the likes of Charlotte and Holly have come and then it cuts to Ricci and Jay trying to get with women a decade younger than them. Cringe!
 
The holiday away was fun too and the newbies got their time to shine a bit more here. Louis, Bethan and Abbie were all pretty entertaining here. Amelia Lily - dull as dishwater though, bless her. They should bring back Chantelle too if they do continue it on though because she provides some proper scary spice to things, hahahah.
 
And then finally, it was nice to see them return to the house and have a final little party. It's a shame a few faces were missing (namely Gaz and Vicky) but it was dripping enough nostalgia to make me happy. I don't follow many of them on socials now so it was nice to dip into their lives once again.



11. The Great British Sewing Bee (BBC)
Series 8

Ah, one of the most wholesome shows on TV. I always enjoy this more than most other competition shows too because I feel like you can get invested and judge for yourself as the creations are so visual. It’s not like you can taste the cake that Paul Hollywood is judging on Bake Off. Plus, Esme and Patrick are just total delights and clearly know their stuff. I was really happy the irritating Joe Lycett was replaced this season with the far more humours Sara Pascoe. This is a line-up I’d happily watch year after year!
 
I loved this season, perhaps more than I ever have before. The challenges were so challenging and all of the contestants were so likeable. I can’t believe they got them to make actual trainers in one of the technical challenges, most casual sewers surely wouldn’t have a clue how to make actual shoes, lol! I must admit to shedding a tear in the run-up to the finale when they announced they’d have a four person finale as they all deserved it so much. Man-Yee and Brogan were my two favourites as well up to that point so tensions were naturally high too until the relief that nobody would be going home.
 
Although she wasn’t my absolute favourite, Annie proved an excellent winner and it’s always nice to see happy stories about their post-show lives as the final credits roll as well. I really thought Marni had the whole season in the bag at first but she ended up being a surprise early-out. I’m sure she’d murder a Sewing Bee All Stars :lol:

Recap:
11. The Great British Sewing Bee (S8)
12. Geordie Shore (S23)
13. Interior Design Masters (S3)
14. The Circle USA (S4)
15. Drag Race Down Under (S2)
16. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (S3)
17. The Kardashians (S1 & S2)
18. RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World
19. Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World
20. Drag Race España (S2)

10. RuPaul's Drag Race UK (BBC)
Series 4

This did start off very strong but it ultimately went the way of S3 which is a shame. Getting rid of all of your fan favourites far too early and then unnecessarily pushing others. It's so frustrating now because Drag Race UK has such potential to be special but the judging (and Ru pushing American-isms on the queens) is massively bringing it down. For shame!
 
Speaking of queens gone too soon... that run from Sminty's elimination to Dakota's elimination was where things really nosedived. Dakota has to instantly be one of my favourite queens of all-time and her elimination was so unjust. In a way, I'm glad because your career as a 'robbed' queen often benefits from that but what was that judging in the makeover challenge???
 
I was losing interest by that point already with the Cheddar favouritism in these episodes who I just never ever warmed to, she came across so pretentious to me. Meanwhile, Peppa was not giving either but was being miraculously saved week after week. Just have the guts to eliminate queens even if you've pre-planned them to be finalists!!
 
Anyway, we had some fun challenges and guest judges. Challenge wise, I enjoyed the Yasstonbury festival and Lairy Poppins. I thought Aisling Bea was a great comedy mentor and I love me some FKA Twigs too. Cute to see Olly Alexander in his element, bless.
 
Overall, a mixed bag though. Some challenges were terrible (The Squirrel Games) and I'll say it again but the judging in the makeover challenges is always season-ruining levels of bad. There wasn't really one super strong lipsync that stands out. It was all just Peppa flailing about the stage willy nilly.



09. The Great British Pottery Throwdown (Channel 4)
Series 5

I had shamefully never seen this show before season 5 aired as I’d always assumed it was just another Bake Off knock-off and this was just one too many. However, the show has gained a new fan in me after watching this year’s edition. I’ll gladly tune into this year after year as long as they keep making them. It’s just so wholesome!! I even want to sign up for a little pottery masterclass now after watching this.
 
I think one of the highlights has to be that one judge who cries every episode at the pottery. Even when it’s not particularly impressive it moves him to tears, haha. Saying that, I certainly wasn’t above shedding a tear or two at some of the creations if I’m being completely honest. Two of Christine’s creations had me crying (those being the Black fairy and the breast cancer self-portrait model). I’d never considered pottery such an art form before now but a lump of clay can really be turned into something so special.
 
The cast were all just such lovely people to watch which made it that extra bit heart-warming too much. I fell a lot bit in love with Cellan and was gutted when he was sent home on a bad week.  I think Jenny was so strong too and perhaps unfairly was eliminated when she should’ve been a strong contender for the crown! In the end though, nobody could challenge AJ and their personality-filled creations. Awesome to see a non-binary competition winner on mainstream TV too.
 
Bit of a side note but the only thing I was a bit miffed about was them replacing Ellie mid-season with the old host again. I thought Ellie had been with them since week 1 and you could tell she had a bond with them when she returned in the finale and saw how far they’d come since. Just seems a bit odd to have booted her off mid-season just because Siobhan could now limp about.



08. RuPaul's Drag Race (Wow Presents+)
Series 14

Season 14 was a bit of a mixed bag for me but I think the super-strong cast made it all worth it in the end. There were plenty of things I disliked about the season but somehow the queens just made it work and that is testament to how great they all were. Once the filler had gone (June, Orion) had gone, I didn’t want anyone to go home at all so I almost didn’t even mind the multiple episodes with no eliminations. Saying that, it’s frustrating to not have objective judging week after week and knowing the reason for no eliminations is just so they don’t have to get rid of Jorgeous, Angeria etc. Keep them in because they’re fab not because you have to twist things to avoid putting them in the bottom.

On the bad side, the chocolate bar twist was silly. It feels like the show fails to realise that it has such an important role in forging careers for LGBTQ+ celebrities now and therefore putting things like that in the hands of a chocolate bar just feels so cheap and silly. Also, eliminating queens in episode one when you have no intention of actually sending them home. Do you know what that would do to someone’s psyche?!?! Also, are we even sure they kept the same chocolate bar throughout and it wasn’t just the producers choosing to save Bosco. On top of that, I liked Bosco and she was one of my faves but the top four really wouldn’t have missed her that much so she could’ve gone when she was going to really. Also, some of the challenges were a pile of w***. Aren’t we above fart jokes being the centrepiece of an entire television episode?

However, by the end I was rooting for them all and seeing them all come back in the reunion/finale months later was a lovely moment. Jasmine came on leaps and bounds throughout. Kerri Colby was absolutely servinggggg. Lady Camden had that amazing underdog storyline and was just such a fun character. Daya gave us villainy at its absolute campest, whilst showcasing some massively creative drag. When it came down to Camden vs. Willow, it was like Bimini vs. Lawrence for me and I’d have been happy regardless of who won. Props to the show for giving them both a grand prize because they deserved it.



07. The Apprentice (BBC)
Series 16

We all know the format of The Apprentice now so a season can only be judged on the strength of its cast and judges decision-making. The rest is our usual challenges and mistake after mistake by the contestants, lmao (they always deliver on this front). The one thing I would say is it’s a shame that this season missed out on a shopping/buying challenge as that’s always a highlight and it was odd that we never got one here.

In terms of judges decision-making, there were a few questionable firings at the very beginning of the season that felt a bit like they’d gone too soon. Conor, Alex and Francesca come to mind as one’s that weren’t really the worst on their final week. Akeem outlasting so many contestants when he failed to make a single decision was a bit of a joke too. Saying that, we ended up with a final four for the ages and the female showdown was the perfect outcome for this season. Poor Brittany coming all that way to hand in a paper thin business idea :’)

Harpreet will go down as one of my favourite Apprentice winners, I think. She showed a softer side when necessary but her just barking orders throughout the competition made her a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully we can go visit a branch of ‘Oh So Yum’ in years to come if they ever do get to branch out nationwide.

Another fun season in the bag. Plenty of iconic moments (First Time Dies, ‘Artic’ saviour, Stephanie swearing under her breath live on TV). A pleasing winner. And Alan is still on top form with his boardroom banter. What’s more to ask for from an Apprentice season?



06. The Real Housewives of Dubai (Hayu)
Series 1

I was hyped to see this iteration of the Real Housewives for the sheer opulence we come to expect from the city. There were some gorgeous locations that the women visited from restaurants, to hotels, to holiday destinations, to deserts. I think this being set in the Middle East certainly provides a different outlook on being rich elsewhere in the world, which I enjoyed.

This show cannot be talked about with the mention of Chanel Ayan. Instant favourite for many viewers, Ayan is one of the best personalities we’ve seen in Housewives this year. She’s hilarious and knows it, but she also wears some incredible clothes and shows complete vulnerability at times too. Her talking about the mutilation surgeries she suffered through as a child were some of the toughest moments to get through but are very important to talk about.

Lesa and Caroline Stanbury were my other favourites on the cast. Lesa has the bubbling under potential to be a top-tier housewife too and I love the insights in to her family life. I’m worried the cast will turn on my favourite duo in Season 2 though. Caroline was just funny to watch as she was so cold in contrast to her loving husband Sergio. In fact, he was probably my second favourite personality from the whole season including all housewives, lol. Unintentionally hilarious in his soppiness, haha.

Brooks needs a bit more time to settle for me. Nina was a total bore (get rid!). Sara is kind of iconic in her preachy insanity so I’m looking forward to more of her craziness in Season 2 but it’s going to be frustrating to watch eventually when she thinks she’s constantly in the right. We’ve not heard anything about a second season just yet but I hope we get one. And if it's cancelled then they need to move Lesa and Ayan to the US immediately and get them in another franchise, lol.


Recap:
06. The Real Housewives of Dubai
07. The Apprentice (S16)
08. RuPaul’s Drag Race (S14)
09. The Great British Pottery Throwdown (S5)
10. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (S4)
11. The Great British Sewing Bee (S8)
12. Geordie Shore (S23)
13. Interior Design Masters (S3)
14. The Circle USA (S4)
15. Drag Race Down Under (S2)
16. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (S3)
17. The Kardashians (S1 & S2)
18. RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World
19. Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World
20. Drag Race España (S2)

05. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Hayu)
Series 12

I don't even know where to begin with this series. It was wall-to-wall drama and had very little breathing room from the serious overarching conflicts between the women. At times, the friendship between the longest-serving girls is tiresome and makes it difficult to watch (I thought Dorit especially came across dreadfully in the reunion, owning up to none of her mistakes and mindlessly jumping in to foolishly defend her friend's mistakes). At other times, they do shine at bringing the drama and it is fun to see unhinged Rinna scream or Erika drunkenly blabber about her lawsuits.
 
The real future of this show stands with Sutton and Garcelle though and I hope the producers begin to notice this. Sutton frustrates me at times with the way she speaks without thinking but Garcelle is heads and shoulders above the rest of these girls in terms of emotional intelligence. She stirs the pot when necessary but always respectfully and adds some much needed light and humour to the serious situations. It was heart-breaking to see no-one stand up for her in the reunion when she's always the first to stand up for others when she believes they're in the right. Crystal is a fun presence at times too when her youthful POV freshens things up although she's hard to root for at times with the whole 'dark' debacle though.
 
There was so much that happened in this season yet it's all overshadowed by the Kathy vs Lisa drama of the final few episodes. And what a drama! It was delicious to see people turn on Rinna, and also break up the main four girlies. I hope we get to see more of that going forward in the next season too if they keep all the girls around. I'm sure something went on and Kathy is hardly innocent (her deleting the texts from her phone in the reunion was so embarrassing, lmao).



04. The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Hayu)
Series 14

My first full season of RHOA and count me in for more because this was a whole load of fun. The thing I like about these ladies is they're not afraid to have a laugh as much as they argue which adds some levity compared to other Housewives franchises. Of course Marlo could say some of the worst things to Kandi and yet they'll make up over chicken the next night.
 
I was enjoying Marlo the most at the very beginning but things soon went downhill with her. Hopefully some of her remorse and backtracking in the reunion is something she will take forward but I'm not expecting personal growth to be in her character set, lol. In the end, Kandi was my MVP of the season and you can just see why she keeps being brought back by the show. She's just a legend doing legend things. Bitch, I'm worldwide!
 
Not so sure on Monyetta. They should be gutsy and bring in Fatum as a friend because her vs. Drew so messy goodness and I want more. It'd be fun to bring Sheree in to the mix of that too because she's so private about other things that I can't see where her storyline will go in the future. Her avoiding questions in the reunion was slightly embarrassing for her but you can tell she thinks she's clever, ffs. Love her though and she has some brilliant confessional moments (That Elvira look aside).
 
I had a great time though and there were plenty of fun arguments. Marlo vs. Kenya was a hoot. Drew vs. Sanya was juicy. Drew vs. Sheree with their whisper argument in the reunion, loool. Bring back these girls next season please.



03. Canada's Drag Race (BBC)
Series 3

There's just something special about the Canada's Drag Race casts that have made all three seasons some of the most enjoyable seasons that Drag Race has had to offer in recent years. Vivian Vanderpuss is already an instant all-time favourite (robbed!). Kimmy Couture's attitude made for some hilarious confessionals. Irma Gerd was a quirky and fun one. Gisele was such a powerhouse contender. These are all brilliant queens that it's sad to see them go one by one.
 
Even more frustrating when certain queens are carried through inexplicably (cough, Jada, cough). I hate when judges think that someone will be popular and just give them excuse after excuse with a guaranteed spot in the finale and it turns out the audience aren't impressed at all. Jada has to be one of the all-time worst offenders for that. I know she can't help it but it ruins an otherwise brilliant season when we get judging like that forced on us.
 
Judges wise, Brooke Lynn had another brilliant season and served look after look after look. She's really come into her own humour wise too and it's nice to see her having such a ball. It feels like Canada's Drag Race hasn't had much online chatter since S1 which is gutting when you see the talent/looks on display so I'd hate for it to be cancelled.
 
I'd say my challenge highlights were the design challenge where everyone got the same materials, and the Rusical where Vivian finally won a challenge. She should've had about four challenge wins and been the undeniable frontrunner but I've decided not to be bitter and move on from this (as long as she wins Canada's All Stars 1, hehe).



02. The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip (Hayu)
Series 2

I was unfamiliar with most of these girls as I've only been majorly familiar with early seasons of RHOC and then the very recent seasons of other Housewives franchises and of course, these have all been fired (or "paused"). What a line up of ladies though. I can see why fans were calling for another season with just the line-up because it was wall-to-wall drama.
 
You can't talk about this season without mentioning Dorinda. She ran a tight ship and managed to make just about every guest cry. At times it was even uncomfortable to watch knowing just how nasty a drunken Dorinda could be. That 'what if your son died' moment will live on in Housewives memory for years.
 
Dorinda was nowhere near my faves though. That would be Eva who you could tell was having such a fun time being on holiday with some girl friends. Her moment discussing domestic abuse with Taylor was really touching too. Tamra is a total legend and I loved her losing it at Dorinda nitpicking first thing in the morning. I can't imagine how much you'd feel like stepping on egg shells in that house, lmao. 
 
Aside from the drama, there were plenty of laughs too to keep it light. Brandi's lesbian eyebrows comment was a highlight as well as Phaedra's facial expressions. I'm chuffed that this has turned into a return for Tamra already and I hope the same can go for some of the other ladies. I'd love to see Eva on RHOA and I'd say yes to more Taylor/Brandi on my screen too (yay for Taylor).



01. RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (Wow Presents+)
Series 7

We've all been salivating at the idea of an All Winners season of Drag Race for years now so what an excitement for this to become a reality. And it totally did deliver! Producer shenanigans aside, the cast gave us some insanely good drag and they all proved why they were crowned the best of the best. It was a bit overkill on the positive critiques but to be honest, everyone did pretty great in pretty much every challenge so there wasn't too much negative to focus on anyway. I would've just rather not watched 15 minutes of praise each episode, lmao.
 
The level of drag on show was just immense and for that it will go down as a great season. I had my favourites going in but that completely flipped on its head when the challenges went on. Raja was never a favourite of mine but she showcased why she is that girl. Constantly fashion forward, intelligently comedic and just a bright presence to have around. I'm somewhat pleased she won that runner-up prize even though Yvie ate her up with that wig reveal gag.
 
Jaida Essence Hall was such a bright spark of the season too. Arguably the least celebrated queen in the line-up so I was delighted to see her get those design challenge wins and win over the other queens in the workroom with her infectious personality. I'd have given her a couple of wins for her verses/rapping skills too... so I was disappointed they tossed aside her chances at getting a finale spot with some random 3 star twist and then throwing the decision in Monet's hand who is known to have an alliance with another queen. LOL, Drag Race will never learn.
 
I must say I'm in the small minority who was disappointed with the winner. I do agree Jinkx is funny and does her schtick well but she's hardly versatile and then clearly lost the lip-sync for the crown so that left a sour taste on the season for me. To me, The Vivienne and Monet are equally funny but do fashion, lip-syncing, design, dancing, (singing in Monet's case) a whole lot better than Jinkx does.
 
Side note, I did think they'd go all out on the A-list judges for an All Winners season too but I wasn't that impressed with any. I think Ben Platt actually ended up being my favourite guest judge, lol.

Recap:
01. RuPaul’s Drag Race (AS7)
02. The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip (S2)
03. Canada’s Drag Race (S3)
04. The Real Housewives of Atlanta (S14)
05. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (S12)
06. The Real Housewives of Dubai
07. The Apprentice (S16)
08. RuPaul’s Drag Race (S14)
09. The Great British Pottery Throwdown (S5)
10. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (S4)
11. The Great British Sewing Bee (S8)
12. Geordie Shore (S23)
13. Interior Design Masters (S3)
14. The Circle USA (S4)
15. Drag Race Down Under (S2)
16. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (S3)
17. The Kardashians (S1 & S2)
18. RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World
19. Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World
20. Drag Race España (S2)

Great Top 2!