Reality Bites

How Austin Became "Austin" is a Wild 'n Weird Tale

Countdown to Armageddon: Your Trump Inauguration Drinking Game

I support

Local

Community

Journalism

Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of the Houston Press free.

Support Us

Woman Who Went On 31 Dates in 31 Days Responds To Her Critics At Reveal Party

By Meagan Flynn
Jun 13, 2016

She went on 29 first dates and two second dates in 31 days in May, nicknamed herself "Extra Cash Cathy Chapman," and called her dating experiment "Operation: No Pay May." "I may or may not be doing it for the free food," her Twitter bio notes. Yes, Cathy Smith has...
Donald and Melania: Welcome to the Bling House

By Susie Tommaney
Jun 6, 2016

With Donald Trump clinching the GOP nod, it's time to stop the ostrich-ing and face up to the fact that Melania Trump might be First Lady and the man who inspired 100 descriptions of his hair, The Donald himself, could become POTUS. Politics and foreign relations aside, it sounds like...
"Operation: No Pay May": A Houston Woman Attempts 31 Dates in 31 Days

By Meagan Flynn
May 31, 2016

At first, when Cathy Smith told a guy over dinner that their date was one of 31 she planned to go on that month—yes, that’s literally every single day—he was a little pissed off. He was the only guy Smith told about her “Operation: No Pay May,” which, after dating...
Got Questions? Ask Making a Murderer Attorneys in "A Conversation On Justice" Lecture Tour at UH

By Susie Tommaney
May 10, 2016

America loves its conspiracy theories – and there seems to be no shortage of those (alien abductions, chupacabra, government-engineered Zika virus) – but perhaps the most-discussed water cooler chatter these days involves the very strange ten-part Netflix documentary, Making a Murderer, about Steven Avery, the Manitowoc County man and auto-salvage...
A Night at 13 Celsius: Houston's Unofficial Tinder Bar

By Meagan Flynn
Apr 28, 2016

The bartenders at 13 Celsius call him “The Terroirizer.” Every few weeks, the guy brings a new Tinder date for some wine and cheese at one of the few cozy Midtown bars that isn’t full of sweaty 22-year-olds, and every time, he orders a bottle of the same red, earthy...
Navigating Social Media's Bittersweet Presence

By Kristy Loye
Jan 13, 2016

Remember when Facebook (and MySpace) were new? Like an unexpected high school reunion, we all started making connections that seemed unreachable just a few years before. The sudden joy of reconnecting with a long lost friend or the ease at starting an instantaneous conversation with friends around the globe seemed...
Reality Bites: Branson Famous and a Farewell to "Reality Bites"

By Pete Vonder Haar
Feb 4, 2015

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. Nelson: What is this place? Bart: Branson, Missouri. My dad says it's like Vegas, if it were run by Ned Flanders. I've passed through Branson, MO and if anything, Bart...
Reality Bites: Vanderbilt MDs

By Pete Vonder Haar
Jan 28, 2015

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. Reality shows based on the various medical professions always end up concentrating on the actual work performed. This makes sense, as doctors, nurses, and EMTs and the like have jobs...
Reality Bites: Forensic Files

By Pete Vonder Haar
Jan 21, 2015

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. My first thought, when I sat down to take in the first episode of Forensic Files I've watched in -- well -- forever, was "This show is still on?" It...
Reality Bites: Kate Plus 8

By Pete Vonder Haar
Jan 15, 2015

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. After all the tabloid unpleasantness surrounding serial breeders Jon and Kate Gosselin, they did an admirable job dropping out of the public eye. True, the first season of Kate Plus...
Reality Bites: Impractical Jokers

By Pete Vonder Haar
Jan 7, 2015

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. Hidden-camera humor dates all the way back to the early days of photography, when Matthew Brady famously encouraged Union officials to "bomb" his portrait sittings of Ulysses S. Grant. Tragically,...
Reality Bites: Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve

By Pete Vonder Haar
Dec 31, 2014

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. It's New Year's Eve. Many of you are doubtless girding your loins and hardening your livers for a night on the town, while others may opt for parties hosted at...
Reality Bites: Chug

By Pete Vonder Haar
Dec 17, 2014

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. Who doesn't like to drink? Recovering alcoholics, I guess. Also people who are allergic to it. Oh, and those of you who don't like the way it makes you feel,...
Reality Bites: Eaten Alive

By Pete Vonder Haar
Dec 10, 2014

Fool me once, shame on you... There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. I didn't actually watch Eaten Alive when it aired last weekend, though I understand quite a few people did. How do I know this?...
Reality Bites: Antiques Roadshow

By Pete Vonder Haar
Dec 3, 2014

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. When thinking of reality shows, one generally doesn't consider PBS. That might not make a a lot of sense at first; after all, the network airs programs which certainly qualify...
Reality Bites: Hungry Games

By Pete Vonder Haar
Nov 19, 2014

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. The first Mockingjay -- which is the penultimate entry in the Hunger Games movie franchise -- comes out this week. Normally I'd have reviewed it, but I was unable to...
Reality Bites: Wealth On The Water

By Pete Vonder Haar
Nov 12, 2014

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. We recently had our AT&T U-verse receivers replaced (we'd had the old ones since 2008, au revoir 15 hours of Doc McStuffins). Naturally, I had to create a new "favorites"...
Reality Bites: Naked and Afraid

By Pete Vonder Haar
Oct 29, 2014

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. Forget Ebola, America is in the midst of a nudity epidemic. Having already worked the black seam of wine-soaked, furniture-tossing housewives and twentysomething mooks on the make to exhaustion, reality...
Reality Bites: Living Alaska

By Pete Vonder Haar
Oct 22, 2014

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. Alaska, not space, is the final (okay, last) frontier. But don't take it from me, that's both the state's official motto as well as the corporate stance of Home and...
Reality Bites: 4th And Loud

By Pete Vonder Haar
Oct 8, 2014

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. I've been asked by unrelated people on at least three unconnected occasions when I was planning on covering 4th and Loud for the continuing exercise in converting what remains of...

More Reality Bites

Reality Bites

How Austin Became "Austin" is a Wild 'n Weird Tale

Countdown to Armageddon: Your Trump Inauguration Drinking Game

I support

Keep the Houston Press Free.