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For millions, these questions will immediately conjure up the past year in reality television. Buoyed by years’ worth of steadily won viewers, and thanks in large part to a recent spate of headline-generating scandals, 2026 has been a banner year for audiences dedicated to the unscripted arts.

With Peak TV having, well, peaked, and the monoculture being a quaint vestige of pre-COVID nostalgia, there has been a decided vacuum at the watercooler.

Enter Peak Reality TV.

“It’s been building for a few years, but it really does feel like unscripted is getting its flowers,” says Frances Berwick, chairman of Bravo and Peacock unscripted. “What the industry is now aware of is that you can create these cultural moments, and the viewing benefit of some of these unscripted shows is that people are coming together and watching it, collectively.”

In the interest of expediency and sanity, here are a few SparkNotes on the year thus far in reality TV:

Bravo’s Summer House offered a scandal that involved a love quadrangle where two longtime castmembers announced a divorce, after which one half of that couple started dating another castmember, who just so happened to be the ex-boyfriend of her very close friend and (you guessed it!) a fellow castmember.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Hulu’s stickiest unscripted offering, had to suspend filming after domestic assault investigations involving Taylor Frankie Paul, the biggest star of that show. These allegations also led ABC to cancel the newest season of The Bachelorette that centered on Paul.

Elsewhere, Peacock’s The Traitors offered the kind of backstabbing that Machiavelli would be proud of and enough onscreen chemistry to power a mid-aughts theatrical rom-com, while Love Island USA whipped up amounts of online discourse that would inspire both awe and fear in the hearts of any social media manager.

While Netflix scripted series are having trouble holding on to audiences for the second seasons of even top-performing shows, the tenth season of Summer House and The Traitors‘ fourth outing have begotten series-high ratings this year. The most recent season of Love Island USA earned 6.79 billion minutes of watch time through week four of its nearly six-week run, which is the most up-to-date data available from Nielsen. This is up 33 percent from last year’s then-record-breaking season, making the show the first- or second-most-viewed project across all streamers.

In the way that entertainment websites used to dedicate manpower to recaps of Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, bloggers are now committed to the happenings of Below Deck and Real Housewives. Even The New York Times has dedicated dozens of headlines to this year’s reality TV tumults. Viewing parties for highly anticipated finales and blowout reunions have taken over bars from West Hollywood to Brooklyn. Earlier this summer, Peacock and AMC Theatres partnered for a nationwide screening series of episodes of Love Island USA.

All of this is the kind of success story that gets touted in quarterly earnings reports and leads to talent getting trotted out in front of advertisers in drafty event halls.

Long the redheaded stepchild of the larger Hollywood ecosystem, unscripted TV has lately gained an undeniable air of credibility. Steven Soderbergh has professed his love for Below Deck, while Jennifer Lawrence is an avowed Bravo fan. Now, stars broken in the reality trenches are crossing over into more traditional Hollywood offerings, with everyone from Netflix to A24 putting scripts into their hands.

When signing reality talent a couple of years ago, representatives across digital, endorsement and branding departments were handling the signing meetings. Now, it’s the full-court press, with top talent and literary agents in the room. In March, Rob Rausch, who broke out on Love Island USA, then parlayed that into a winning run on the latest season of The Traitors, signed with UTA and now shares an agent with James McAvoy and Theo James.

All reps who spoke to THR for this story note that branding and endorsements are still the biggest paychecks for unscripted stars. Anecdotally, one agent observes that breakout reality stars and White Lotus castmembers are the most sought out for endorsement deals.

In the wake of the latest season of Summer House, Ciara Miller, who emerged as the reigning hero from 2026’s biggest reality TV scandal, rising from the ashes of a double betrayal by not only an ex (expected) but a friend (less expected), has done social posts for brands such as Celsius and Sonic. Unsurprisingly, Miller, who is set for the next season of Dancing with the Stars, is a target for top agencies but has yet to land somewhere.

But for those committed to pursuing careers in traditional film and television, acting classes are quickly procured, and the path is becoming far less arduous. Executives and casting directors are happy to meet with the stars of their favorite guilty pleasures. “Getting a general meeting for a reality star is the easiest job I’ve ever had,” says one rep, who adds that putting their Emmy-nominated television actor in front of film executives is a far more difficult task.

Gabby Windey started her reality television tenure on The Bachelor, then The Bachelorette, before sashaying onto Dancing With the Stars and finally doing a stint in Scotland on The Traitors. This year, she was cast in the ensembles for the Netflix drama series The Body and the A24 comedy Peaked, set to share the screen with Laura Dern and Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie. (Multiple sources note that A24, in particular, is always on the lookout for “nontraditional” talent.)

Mormon Wives breakout Whitney Leavitt proved her audience appeal offscreen during her run as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway. While the decades-running musical has been known to stunt-cast that role to maintain ticket sales (past Roxies have included Pamela Anderson and Ariana Madix, formerly of Vanderpump Rules), Leavitt’s run proved particularly successful, earning some of the show’s biggest weekly grosses in its nearly three-decade history. When Mark Ballas, who was partnered with Leavitt on the latest season of Dancing With the Stars, joined her for a limited run, the average ticket price jumped to $171, then on par with the cost of attending Proof, starring award winners Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle.

Leavitt, who announced that the upcoming fifth season of Mormon Wives would be her last, stars in an independently produced holiday rom-com set for release later this year on streaming. Elsewhere, Craig Conover, the longtime lead on the Bravo series Southern Charm, was recently cast in the indie dramedy Caroline Fletcher.

“You take somebody who has a trusted traveling audience, who will go wherever the platform and no matter the medium, and it’s not a risk,” says Gaby Cohen, a talent and crossover agent at Gersh, who represents Leavitt and Madix.

“Audiences aren’t thinking in terms of platforms anymore,” adds WME partner and scripted TV agent Allysa Mahler, who represents Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner, former Summer House stars who parlayed reality TV into red carpet hosting gigs (DeSorbo), multiple stand-up specials (Berner) and a top podcast (both). This year they had cameos in The Devil Wears Prada 2 and the Mindy Kaling-scripted show Not Suitable for Work. Earlier this year, it was announced that the duo will write and star in a Netflix half-hour scripted comedy with Amy Poehler producing and Kay Cannon set to showrun.

“Their following really trusts them; they’ve built that trust over time,” says Mahler. “Every time that they have entered into a new space, they have exceeded expectations, and that’s what gives streamers and the studios confidence in what’s to come.”

The current reality television moment is coinciding with a time when traditional celebrities have ever more control over their image. “It’s really smart and interesting how celebrities now are protecting their personal lives,” says journalist and author Anna Peele, whose recent book is Enter the Villa: The (Unauthorized) Reality Behind Love Island. But it can leave audiences wanting.

For unscripted talent, not only do they reveal their lives onscreen, it is explicitly their job. The performance and person are one and the same. Audiences are watching these talents endure new relationships, breakups, partners cheating and divorces. Stars, as they say, are just like us!

And while they may not be healthy, parasocial connections can be lucrative. Peele adds, “With [reality stars], we get to see everything. Ariana [Madix] figured out a way to go from giving us everything and using that to make us fall in love with her to then having her own very mainstream successes, going from hosting to acting.”

And unlike digital creators or influencers — and, to be clear, the line between unscripted star and influencer is a porous one — audiences are often encountering unscripted talent weekly on their television screens. “The talent who are going on these shows have the runway to do 13 weeks onscreen, and that’s where they’re getting all the buy-in for mainstream media,” says UTA partner and unscripted TV agent Andrew Lear.

This year, the traditional media coverage combined with the audience buy-in has proved a potent combination for reality stars looking to pursue other avenues in Hollywood.

Still, warns an agent, unscripted talent needs to be cautious: “You don’t want to alienate your fan base. You also don’t want to show the acting community that you think you’re ready if you’re not.” Typically, the talent is going to be cast in roles and projects that are close to their established own public persona to trade on the audience interest.

“We’re always very selective,” says UTA unscripted agent Jamie Youngentob of signing new unscripted clients (hers include Windey). And while social media may have its preferences, fan favorites may not be the ones with the skills needed to cross over. Adds Youngentob, “If you’re not watching these shows in real time and forming your own opinions, you’re going to be too late.”

An undercurrent of concern for executives, reps and audiences alike is the improbability of repeating 2026’s relentless success. From Traitors to Summer House to Love Island USA, the past year in reality TV begat a near-nonstop stream of drama and character arcs to obsess over, analyze and generally opine on. These kinds of theatrics can make careers, but they are hard to replicate, year-over-year.

After all, you just can’t write this stuff.

This story appeared in the Aug. 5 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe. %!s()

I want to know what car immediately makes you think, "Oh, that guy knows absolutely nothing about cars." What car is so breathtakingly heinous that anyone with even a modicum of car knowledge would know not to touch it with a 10-foot pole? In other words, what car is only driven by people who don't know anything about cars? It's rather unfortunate that we're blessed with so much knowledge, and so many people just don't want to listen to it. I should also mention that this car can be from any era, new or used. I'm not picky. Let your imagination run wild.

My choice

Dodge

I thought long and hard about what my pick for the most "this dude doesn't know anything about cars" car of all time would be. Sometimes, it's tough going first, because you've got to set the mood, and there's no other inspiration to pull from, but I think I've got a really good pick here. To me, the most obvious answer to a car that telegraphs the driver knows nothing about cars is the Dodge Nitro.

Top to bottom, it's just a horrible thing. Horrible styling, horrible engine, horrible build quality, horrible performance, horrible materials and horrible tech — even for the time. It feels like such an emblem of pre-bankruptcy Chrysler that I'm honestly shocked it lasted into the 2010s. Add on the fact that its sibling, the Jeep Liberty, was a slightly better version of it, and you've got a recipe for a car that someone would only drive if they knew absolutely nothing about cars.

If you see someone driving a Nitro today, there's really no excuse for it other than they didn't know any better. It's not even a matter of not having enough money to afford anything else, because the goddamn maintenance costs on the thing are probably going to be astronomical at this point. The owners would be far better off in quite literally anything else. The only reason you'd have a Nitro in the Big 26 is because of a traumatic brain injury, or you literally didn't know any better. There's no other explanation.

That's enough out of me, though. Why don't you head on down below and tell your fellow Jalops what car is only driven by people who don't know anything about cars. As always, I'll be giving away hugs and kisses to those who explain their answers. %!s()

Speaking during a Q&A with analysts following the company’s Q1 2027 financial release, Zelnick declined to speak specifically about Sony’s controversial decision to kill physical disc production for PlayStation games from 2028, but did say that when it comes to GTA 6, a physical disc version simply doesn’t make sense.

“Our business is well over 90% digitally distributed,” Zelnick said. “It's already a digital business. So in certain instances, especially if it's a big game, discs just — and note I said discs — don't really make sense for the consumer.

“Also, most instances you have to register online to play anyhow. So if you're already connected, who cares if you download digitally? It's all the same and it's much more convenient.

“So that's where the world is going in our opinion and I think Sony understands that. We certainly understand that. It doesn't mean that we won't have physical additions now and then, I'm sure we will in the same way that there’s still vinyl in the recorded music business. But in other instances, it just won't make sense.”

Last week, Sony finally broke its silence on its decision to discontinue PlayStation discs to say it is not having any impact on its business now, and it doesn’t see any negative impact in the future. Executives have insisted Sony will not change its mind, while acknowledging “strong views” from the video game community.

The online backlash has seen gamers continue to call on Sony to U-turn on its decision, signing online petitions and swarming over PlayStation social media posts to express concern about video game preservation and ownership — even overshadowing the release of new games that have nothing to do with what’s going on at Sony. Meanwhile, backers of physical media have called on gamers to boycott PlayStation for a week in August to send a message to Sony that its decision to kill discs from 2028 is unacceptable.

Complaints have also come from other groups. The UK’s Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA), for example, called Sony’s decision “a triumph of corporate convenience over consumer choice.”

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected]. %!s()

While the styling of most of BMW's present automotive lineup could best be described as polarizing (or maybe even wackadoodle), the company should be praised for still offering sedans and coupes in this crossover and SUV-crazy market. The 1985 BMW 635CSi that we looked at yesterday hailed from an era when the Bavarians had a handle on how to make coupes both grand and elegant. That model's timeless style still impresses today. 

Unfortunately, our car's massive 236,000-mile history and some possible shenanigans with its registration tags being out of date sullied our interest at the seller's $8,000 asking price. When all was said and done, that fell to the tune of a 64% 'No Dice' loss in our voting.

Celica similarities

Here's a fun fact: the Celicas of the late '80s and '90s shared a lot of under-the-skirt componentry with the model's sister sedan, the Camry. That egalitarian practice led to today's car, a 1989 Toyota Camry All-Trac, which shares the AWD system but not the hot motor of the rally-racing Celica. Instead, the Camry received the non-turbo 2.0-liter 115-horsepower 3S-FE four and, at least in this car's case, a four-speed automatic. This would be the only version of the Camry to feature AWD until Toyota reinstated the option in 2021.

The CHP Connection

Here's the good bit, though: all of the Celica All-Trac Turbo parts should bolt easily into the Camry. That was proven back when these cars were new, as Toyota's performance branch, TRD, did just that on one car sold to the California Highway Patrol for evaluation. According to lore, that car had a bigger turbo and a higher boost blow-off, so it made somewhere in the neighborhood of 290 horsepower.

The seller of this Camry claims to have bought the car "as a project," and includes a picture of one of the CHP Camrys in the ad as inspiration for the next owner, should they have a similar desire.

According to the ad, there are a modest 119,000 miles on the All-Trac, and–this being a 1980s Toyota product–that means it's likely just barely getting broken in. It's a two-owner car, and while the seller touts that the original paint is in "excellent" condition, we can see significant peppering on the nose and several chunks taken out on the base of the trunk lid. This era of Camry also has those black rubber bumpers that age poorly and leave scuffs on pant legs when brushed against.

All original

Overall, however, this car looks to be in solid condition, with a gloriously red interior featuring cloth upholstery. Oddly, though, the seller only offers a single shot of the cabin, and it's of the back seat. Another consideration in the cabin is that this model year has the motorized mouse shoulder belts in the front, which are a major pain in the butt. Another issue, albeit a repairable one, is some work needed under the hood to fix what are described as "minor leaks" from the transmission and power steering. Or, just park over a sheet of cardboard in the driveway.

On the plus side of the coin, the car is claimed to be all-original, wears handsome factory alloy wheels, and has maintenance records going back to 2001. It's also extremely rare, as the All-Trac was only sold between 1988 and 1991. Today, you seldom see any second-generation Camrys on the road, much less AWD ones.

An All-Trac for not all that much cash?

That all makes this a weird and weirdly intriguing opportunity. And at $3,000, it won't break the bank to pull the trigger, either. But is this car interesting enough to command even that paltry amount of cash? After all, what would someone do with it? Daily drive it? Unless living in an area with frequently wet, muddy, or icy roads, the added complexity and weight of the AWD doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense over a two-wheel-drive version. Alternatively, this could be a suitably weird hang at a Radwood or Japanese-only car event.

What do you think? Is this Camry All-Trac a solid contender at that $3,000 asking price? Or is it just too out of left field to spend even that much?

You decide! 

Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

Help me out with Nice Price or No Dice. Hit me up at [email protected] and send a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle. %!s()

Infantino continues to face fierce backlash over a now-abandoned proposal to sell off a number of commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA events.

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Following a meeting in Rabat this week, FIFA said it had apologised to its members for mistakes around the proposal. It also pledged to review the processes that led to the controversy, but backed its president.

Infantino’s biggest opponent remains UEFA, the sport’s governing body in Europe, which confirmed on Thursday that it stands by its vote to boycott FIFA. One of its members, Norway, has now called for the Swiss Italian’s resignation.

Al Jazeera takes a look at the growing standoff, which is pushing countries and entire continents in different directions.

Why is Argentina and Mexico’s backing of Infantino so significant?

Although only football associations, not continental confederations, the move by Mexico and Argentina will come as a significant boost to Infantino, but is also a prime example of the civil war brewing in the so-called “people’s game”.

In supporting Infantino, the Mexican ⁠Football Federation (FMF), cohosts of the recently concluded 2026 World Cup, have crucially broken ranks with their own regional confederation by backing Infantino after CONCACAF called for a “comprehensive reckoning” with his presidency.

“The FMF will neither recognise nor ‌approve any process convened outside of that institutional framework, and it joins the call made … by President Infantino to collectively continue developing football for the benefit of the 211 member associations,” it said in a statement.

“The FMF supports President Infantino’s leadership in continuing to promote the development of football through institutional strengthening.”

South America’s CONMEBOL issued a statement on Thursday rejecting any attempt to oust Infantino that did not involve a vote of all 211 members – a move that seems to counter the stance taken by UEFA.

In a letter to Infantino, Argentina’s football association (AFA), whose team failed to defend their Qatar 2022 title in the final of the 2026 edition, moved beyond the statement from its confederation by expressing its outright support of Infantino.

The AFA cited FIFA’s work over ⁠the last 10 years, saying it had “centred on the development of football worldwide and institutional strength based on a clear, stable, and transparent governance model”.

While the AFA acknowledged that the proposal generated far ⁠more uncertainties than certainties and that errors had been made, it said the ⁠way forward was to continue working under FIFA’s leadership before next year’s Congress.

That will be staged in Morocco in March, where Infantino is expected to be challenged for the presidency, having been unopposed in his two re-elections.

CONMEBOL’s earlier statement had expressed concerns over the “repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue”, stressing the importance of institutional reforms FIFA introduced more than a decade ago to promote transparency.

Why is Africa’s backing so key for Infantino after CAF vote?

On Thursday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) unanimously backed Infantino’s leadership.

Africa’s body is the second-largest on football’s global stage with 54 members, only one less than UEFA.

That is a significant number for Infantino to call upon to counter UEFA’s threat, if he can continue to draw upon the support he has so far been given from parts of Asia.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe is a longtime ally of Infantino, but to have secured the backing of the entire membership on the continent strengthens Infantino’s hand against any short-term challenges – as well as before his bid for a fourth presidential term.

What has the Norway federation said about their Infantino resignation call?

Norwegian Football ⁠Federation (NFF) ⁠President Lise Klaveness called for the resignation of Infantino on Friday, saying he no longer ⁠had the confidence of the football community.

“He does not have the institutional trust required to govern ‌FIFA stably in the times we are in,” Klaveness ⁠told reporters following the ⁠NFF’s monthly board meeting.

“There is no going back for Gianni Infantino. The international football cooperation is very much in ⁠trouble, and we must ⁠have a reason to get together now, and we want to ask the ⁠FIFA president to resign now.”

What is the AFC’s stance and what Asian members support FIFA?

Asia’s confederation said it “stood in solidarity” with UEFA and CONCACAF, which runs football in North and Central America as well as the Caribbean.

Asian Football Confederation ‌(AFC) President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa issued his own statement, before his organisation’s public stance, to brand FIFA’s lack of consultation over its plan ⁠to sell stakes in ⁠the World Cup to private investors “totally unacceptable”, saying the move undermined the sport’s existing continental structure.

The AFC did not threaten a boycott in its backing of UEFA and CONCACAF, but has since welcomed the withdrawal of Infantino’s proposal.

An interesting twist is Sheikh Salman’s failed presidential bid in 2016 when he was defeated by Infantino, and the speculation that he is set to stand again in the upcoming election.

Indonesia, Qatar, Kuwait, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, who are all part of the AFC bloc, have come out in support of Infantino.

What other voices have joined the great debate on FIFA’s Infantino?

The Croatian Football Federation on Thursday were among the individual national associations to withdraw support ‌for Infantino, following similar moves from England and Albania.

“This decision followed a thorough reassessment within the federation in light of recent developments surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2026 and discussions within our governing bodies,” Croatia’s federation said.

Also on Thursday, players’ union FIFPRO said Infantino’s proposal ‌was ‌not just a governance failure but a “profound abuse of presidential power”.

FIFA has said that all actions taken over the commercial rights proposal complied with its regulations and stressed that mistakes related to process and communication rather than breaches of governance rules. %!s()