The Popcast with Knox and Jamie · Knox McCoy and Jamie Golden

652: The NOs of Reality TV Preview

March 25, 2026·14 min·1 clip

The Bachelorette was canceled after filming, leaving recappers with useless previews and a contestant who paralyzed a congressman.

Episode 652 of The Popcast opens with a comedic cold open in which producer Aaron reveals she has been mourning the cancellation of The Amazing Race, only to learn the show is still airing on CBS. Knox and Jamie use this as a warm entry point into the episode's theme: the yeses and nos of reality TV as a genre. The hosts first address listener survey season, noting over 1,000 responses have already come in and offering a free archive bundle of snake draft episodes as a thank-you for participation. Humorous survey feedback is read aloud, including a request for more profanity and a suggestion that Jamie wear her hair in a ponytail. A Four Seasons hotel employee named Sarah offers Knox and Jamie a discounted stay, though Aaron's well-known feelings about Houston make the offer complicated. The original plan for the episode was to preview the new Bachelorette season, but that plan was scrapped after ABC canceled the already-filmed season. Jamie briefly explains the cancellation involved Taylor Frankie Paul and notes that full details, including profiles of unusual contestants — one of whom allegedly paralyzed a sitting House of Representatives member — are available to Patreon subscribers using the code 'not here to make friends' for 90% off. Pivoting to the main topic, Jamie pushes back on an anonymous DM claiming she does not watch reality TV by listing a comprehensive viewing history: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous at age six, Cops as a family in 1989, The Real World, The Simple Life, Laguna Beach, The Hills, The Osbournes, Newlyweds, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, America's Next Top Model, Say Yes to the Dress, The Biggest Loser, Jon and Kate Plus Eight, Little People Big World, Cupcake Wars, Cake Boss, Ace of Cakes, 13 seasons of American Idol, Project Runway, Shark Tank, and all Bachelor franchises including the Winter Olympics spinoff. Jamie explains her current viewing is limited to The Great British Baking Show and RuPaul's Drag Race, partly because monetizing reality TV coverage reduced her personal enjoyment of the genre. She reflects on the challenge of watching reality TV both as a fan and as a content creator, noting that long-running shows with 20-plus hour-long episodes are difficult to keep up with professionally. Knox agrees, citing The Traitors as an example where he sometimes wants to skip to the next elimination. Aaron shares that her current favorites are Dancing with the Stars and The Traitors, and the Amazing Race revelation prompts a brief discussion about CBS and Paramount Plus. Knox then delivers his personal 'yes' for reality TV: Wife Swap Season 5, Episode 18, featuring a child known as King Curtis. Knox describes King Curtis as a distillation of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee into one person, famous for refusing to eat healthy food and delivering lines like 'chicken nuggets is like my family' and 'bacon is good for me.' Knox credits this episode with expanding his imagination for what reality TV could achieve. He places King Curtis on his Mount Rushmore of reality TV characters alongside Gary from Teen Mom and Corinne from The Bachelor. Knox then praises Corinne's strategy of napping through Bachelor challenges, comparing her innovation to Steph Curry's three-point revolution in basketball. The free-feed episode ends with a prompt directing listeners to Patreon for the full conversation, which covers reality TV 'incest,' why virgins go on dating shows, and whether Real Housewives cast members need to be wealthier.

As heard by us

A funny reality TV preview built on Jamie's receipts, host chemistry, and pop culture as shared memory.

Knox McCoy and Jamie Golden frame reality TV as the kind of pop culture that should not matter, then prove how much of it still lives in people's heads. The funniest early turn comes when Jamie answers a listener who doubts her reality TV credentials.

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Why you'd press play

An anonymous DM accused Jamie Golden of not watching reality TV. She had receipts going back to 1989.

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