Steve Pond's Blog, page 71

Samantha Bee Says She’s ‘Shocked, Not Surprised’ That Colbert Was Canceled: ‘Definitely Was Hemorrhaging Money’ | Video

Stephen Colbert’s friend and former “The Daily Show” colleague Samantha Bee says she’s “shocked, not surprised” that CBS canceled Colbert’s “The Late Show.”

Not only because of the show’s reported financial problems, but because CBS parent company Paramount Global needed to curry favor with Donald Trump in order to win approval for the upcoming merger with Skydance Media.

Bee’s comments came Tuesday while appearing on the “Breaking Bread With Tom Papa” podcast. Asked by Papa about whether money, or Trump was to blame, Bee said, “I think both things are just true and real. Like it definitely was hemorrhaging money… You know, these legacy shows, they are hemorrhaging, their money with no real end to that,” Bee said in part.

The former “Full Frontal” host argued that part of this is the changing nature of how people consume media, and how that has in turn changed what they’re seeking from entertainment. “People are literally on their phones all the time, for one thing. So they actually don’t necessarily need a recap of the day’s events. Yeah, [they’re] very well versed in what has happened. They’d really rather watch people just absolutely murder each other in a South Korean game show, watching people fall off cliffs to relax at night, before nodding off,” she said, referencing Netflix’s global hit “Squid Game.”

She also argued that paying close attention to politics isn’t “a national sport” like it might once have been. But, she added, “it is also true that when the President of the United States has to give his sign off on a corporate merger, the thing you can’t do is make jokes about him. He’s a thin skinned idiot, and we know he’s like a pernicious cancer, and he cares about that stuff.”

Bee then explained to Papa how when she was hosting “Full Frontal” on TBS, she frequently faced pressure from the business side of the show’s corporate parent due to the multiple mergers that happened during the show’s 7-year run.

“Nobody wants to cause trouble. You can’t, business trumps everything. It doesn’t matter what your values are. It doesn’t matter how important you think legacy media is, none of that f—ing matters. You’re talking about people, hundreds of millionaires and billionaires, literally making their business transactions. Everything you think that is important is absolutely impotent, not even a consideration.”

Bee also speculated that Paramount Global executives “had many agonizing conversations about what they were going to do to turn the ship around, what they were going to do to make the show profitable again. And that’s true probably of all the shows, you know, how do we make this profitable? But the extra element of it is that it’s so much easier for them to cut it loose with this merger coming down the pike. It makes the decision such a no brainer. And probably the most agonizing decisions they were having were about, ‘how do we float this? Like, how do we not get a lot of blowback?’ Sure they knew it was happening a long time ago, right? And the considerations were, like, ‘how can we position it so that the story can be not as bad as it could be?”

“It’s awful,” Bee added. “I know so many people who work there, I love Stephen. I consider him to be a friend. I think he’s amazing. So I’m shocked, not surprised.”

Watch the full conversation below:

The post Samantha Bee Says She’s ‘Shocked, Not Surprised’ That Colbert Was Canceled: ‘Definitely Was Hemorrhaging Money’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

FCC Investigating Comcast and NBCUniversal’s Treatment of Broadcast Affiliates

The FCC has opened an inquiry into Comcast and NBCUniversal’s treatment of broadcast affiliates, an investigation the company said in a statement Tuesday night it will “cooperate” with and “answer their questions.”

“We have received an inquiry from the FCC and will cooperate with them to answer their questions. We are proud that for many decades we have supported local broadcast TV stations with world-class sports and entertainment, enabling them to drive viewership in a media environment that has grown increasingly competitive. Local stations are a critical part of Americans’ lives as a trusted source for news and life-saving weather information, and we will continue to invest heavily in this partnership to keep the broadcast business strong,” the company said in a statement provided to TheWrap.

According to Newsmax, which first reported the investigation, Carr sent a letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts earlier Tuesday informing him that the FCC Media Bureau is investigating the company’s relationship with affiliates.

The letter is not as of this writing posted on the FCC’s website and has not been made public; representatives for the FCC didn’t immediately respond to inquiries from TheWrap. Newsmax reports that the investigation seeks to determine if Comcast business practices undermine local stations’ public service obligations or independence.

“For years, the FCC has stepped away from enforcing critical regulations designed to protect localism,” Carr wrote in a portion of the letter excerpted by Newsmax. “This retreat has encouraged large national programmers like Comcast to exert more control over licensed local broadcast stations, eroding the ability of local media to serve their communities.”

It’s not clear what — if anything — prompted the investigation. But it comes amid the larger context of the Trump administration’s larger attacks on independent media, which Carr has doggedly championed. It’s also not the first investigation of NBCU or Comcast under Carr’s FCC. He opened an investigation of the company in February for what he termed “promotion of DEI.”

Lucas Manfredi contributed to this report.

The post FCC Investigating Comcast and NBCUniversal’s Treatment of Broadcast Affiliates appeared first on TheWrap.

Epstein Expert Slams ‘Absurd’ MAGA Effort to Make Ghislaine Maxwell a Victim: ‘She Was a Pedophile’ | Video

Independent journalist and Jeffrey Epstein expert Tara Palmeri told MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace that Trump supporters let Epstein’s partner-in-crime Ghislaine Maxwell off too easily.

“Any sort of idea that Ghislaine was some sort of victim as they are saying on NewsMax and other places is absurd,” Palmeri said on MSNBC’s Deadline White House. “She was a pedophile. She did the exact same thing.”

Maxwell is currently serving currently a 20-year prison sentence for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse minors. She was convicted in 2021 and sentenced in June 2022.

Palmeri said that she was responsible for luring young girls to Epstein. She referenced several examples from victims she has spoken to on her podcast “BROKEN: Jeffrey Epstein.” The podcaster said Maxwell called one victim Annie Farmer’s mother to convince her it was okay for her daughter to join the couple at Zorro ranch because they would pay for her tuition.

“They preyed on children,” she said.

She added that the houseman Juan Alessi, who worked for Epstein since the 1990s, told her that the couple’s “ritual” was to drive around south Florida to look for three girls per day to “satisfy his needs.”

Maxwell did not just groom the young girls and send them to Epstein to be sexually abused. Palmeri said that she participated in sexual acts with them, and that Trump supporters are ignoring that fact.

“Once she got them in the door, she was involved in the sexual acts,” she added. “I don’t think they want to hear this. They want to create the impression that she is somehow absolved from all of this.”

Watch the exchange here:

Virgina Giuffre, who was pursued by Maxwell and Epstein at Mar-a-Lago, told the podcaster that she met Trump through Epstein. Giuffre was a “sex slave” to Epstein and his friends from the age of 16 to 18. The woman was only with Epstein from 2000 to 2002, Palmeri said, but Trump and Epstein remained friends at that time. The pair have several pictures together from after the president claims they had a friendship falling out.

Tuesday the president said he and Epstein ended their friendship because Epstein “stole people that worked for me” – including after he had warned Epstein not to do it again. He also acknowledged that one of those employees may have been Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most outspoken accusers, who died by suicide earlier this year, but Trump did not specify that the employees were young women. However last week the White House said Trump barred Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club “for being a creep.”

“This whole idea that President Trump was upset about it at the time is absurd,” Palmeri said.

Those slightly different stories of the pair’s falling out also differ from a 2019 Washington Post report that claimed the two men’s friendship ended over a 2004 property dispute over a bankrupted oceanfront property called Maison de l’Amitié. Palmeri agreed with that timeline.

The Wall Street Journal published a series of articles alleging Trump appeared in the Epstein files “multiple times,” and that his Attorney General Pam Bondi warned him of this. The president sued the Wall Street Journal for $10 billion for defamation for publishing a suggestive birthday note that Trump wrote for Epstein’s 50th.

The post Epstein Expert Slams ‘Absurd’ MAGA Effort to Make Ghislaine Maxwell a Victim: ‘She Was a Pedophile’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

FireAid Hires Law Firm to Review How It Distributed $100 Million as Trump Calls for Investigation

FireAid has hired law firm Latham & Watkins to review how it distributed the $100 million it’s raised in wildfire relief, TheWrap has learned, amid heightened scrutiny from Republican lawmakers and calls from President Donald Trump for a federal investigation.

Following the devastating L.A. wildfires in the Palisades and Altadena in January, FireAid hosted a mammoth five-hour concert – featuring performances from Stevie Nicks, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish and the Red Hot Chili Peppers – that raised $100 million for fire victims and wildfire relief. The organization received guidance from longstanding L.A. philanthropic arm the Annenberg Foundation to help distribute the funds in a manner that made the most impact on those affected by the fires and the communities that needed rebuilding. 

How those grants were handled is now being called in question, as California Rep. Kevin Kiley requested a Department of Justice investigation from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi last week, claiming “the money has been misallocated.”

The Republican representative for Rocklin, Calif. earned support from Trump, who blasted Gov. Gavin Newsom and FireAid on his Truth Social platform, saying “LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER DEMOCRAT INSPIRED SCAM. 100 MILLION DOLLARS IS MISSING.” 

FireAid brought on Latham & Watkins to directly address concerns that the organization was not transparent with where the $100 million was going. Former assistant attorney general and partner at the firm Makan Delrahim wrote a letter to Kiley, outlining his plan to review the organization and clarifying how the funds in the first two phases have been distributed thus far. 

“Your letter suggests that FireAid funds were improperly ‘diverted’ and that ‘donor intent’ was somehow disregarded because certain charities received a grant. We respectfully submit that this is not the case,” Delrahim said in the letter obtained and reviewed by TheWrap. “FireAid has disbursed grants to nonprofits and organizations which are able to provide direct relief, across a broad spectrum of services, to survivors of the fires and their communities.”

FireAid also addressed the allegations on social media Saturday with a “statement on misinformation about FireAid.” The statement pointed to a Los Angeles Times story published July 23 that contacted over 100 organizations that received FireAid funds to assess the impact its efforts have had on impacted communities. 

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So far, FireAid has distributed two rounds of grants, totaling $75 million. In Phase 1, $50 million was distributed to over 120 nonprofit organizations that reached over 150,000 community members affected by the fires. In Phase 2, the organization targeted specific recovery efforts, giving $17 million to wildfire recovery at large, $6 million to continued relief for fire survivors with food and emergency supplies, $500,000 to “symbols of hope” for the community and $1 million for a project with the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation to provide brush vehicles for Altadena and the Palisades. 

Delrahim also refuted claims that FireAid has not been transparent about the recipients of its grantmaking process, citing the organization’s interactive grant site, which documents every organization that has received funding and the purpose of each grant.

The grants were vetted by Goldman Sachs. The year-end results of the grant distributions will be audited by KPMG and are due by December.

Another prominent figure alleging mismanagement within FireAid’s grant-making process is former “The Hills” star Spencer Pratt, who has been vocal on his social media about his distrust in the handling of its funds. The reality star and his wife Heidi Montag lost their home in the Palisades fire and have been outspoken about their need for aid in the months since. On July 21, he accused Gov. Newsom, his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom and their California Volunteers organization as being a recipient of the Phase 2 funds from FireAid.

The official X account of California Volunteers released a statement later that evening: “California Volunteers, Office of the Governor, is not a recipient of FireAid. The nonprofit, California Volunteers Fund, has been publicly identified as a potential grantee. While we’re independent of them, they financially support volunteer efforts in CA, including our programs.”

California Volunteers, Office of the Governor, is not a recipient of FireAid. The nonprofit, California Volunteers Fund, has been publicly identified as a potential grantee. While we’re independent of them, they financially support volunteer efforts in CA, including our programs https://t.co/sEDv5Yao8Y

— California Volunteers (@CalVolunteers) July 22, 2025

While FireAid’s $100 million has the potential to make an impact, it is just a portion of the estimated $250 billion in damage inflicted on Altadena and the Palisades. Applications for the final round of small nonprofit grants are still open.

The post FireAid Hires Law Firm to Review How It Distributed $100 Million as Trump Calls for Investigation appeared first on TheWrap.

Trump Says He Actually Wasn’t Responsible for CBS Canceling Stephen Colbert, Despite Hoping He Was

Donald Trump is walking back week-old claims that he hoped he “played a major part” in CBS’ cancellation of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” instead arguing Tuesday that the suggestion he was responsible “is not true!”

On Tuesday, the president took to his Truth Social account to clear up what had been said — in part from his own social media accounts — about how involved he was in CBS’ decision to end “The Late Show” in May 2026 as the network settled his “60 Minutes” lawsuit for $16 million and its parent company Paramount sought to close its merger deal with Skydance.

“Everybody is saying that I was solely responsible for the firing of Stephen Colbert from CBS, Late Night,” Trump wrote. “That is not true! The reason he was fired was a pure lack of TALENT, and the fact that this deficiency was costing CBS $50 Million Dollars a year in losses — And it was only going to get WORSE!”

He continued: “Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel, and then, a weak, and very insecure, Jimmy Fallon. The only real question is, who will go first? Show Biz and Television is a very simple business. If you get Ratings, you can say or do anything. If you don’t, you always become a victim. Colbert became a victim to himself, the other two will follow.”

CBS explained the choice to cancel the long-running late night program was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop” and had nothing to do with Colbert’s frequent criticism of the president — or his network’s lawsuit settlement with him. The host’s fans wondered loudly how truthful that was as news of “The Late Show” ending came days after Colbert derided Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump, calling it a “big fat bribe” to ensure the FCC’s approval of the company’s merger with Skydance.

Trump added fuel to that fire himself last week when an initial Truth Social post said he hoped he played “a major part in it.”

“The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes, and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone,” Trump wrote July 22. “These are people with absolutely NO TALENT, who were paid Millions of Dollars for, in all cases, destroying what used to be GREAT Television. It’s really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!”

The post Trump Says He Actually Wasn’t Responsible for CBS Canceling Stephen Colbert, Despite Hoping He Was appeared first on TheWrap.

5 Movies to Watch Before They Leave Netflix in August

Some seriously good movies are about to leave Netflix at the beginning of August.

Don’t fret, we’ve rounded up the best of the best that deserve to be watched or rewatched before they head to a new streaming home – or demand to be rented to be seen. Maybe you’re feeling Zack Snyder’s great horror remake of “Dawn of the Dead” or feeling like joining a heist team led by Ben Affleck in “The Town.” A number of great options are right around the corner from being unavailable.

These are the five films you need to check out before they are removed from Netflix on August 1.

(Universal Pictures)Dawn of the Dead

Let the Snyder Cut fans wail from the rooftops, Zack Snyder’s 2004 “Dawn of the Dead” remake is the best movie he has made, and it isn’t particularly close. Based on a script by James Gunn, the film modernizes the George Romero classic about a group of zombie apocalypse survivors who take shelter in a mall. The film juggles brutality, hilarity and heartfelt moments in a way that remains baffling.

And that opening scene remains one of Snyder’s greatest directorial flexes.

“Dunkirk” (Warner Bros. Pictures)Dunkirk

When it comes to Christopher Nolan films, “Dunkirk” may not get the love of some of his other works, but it’s a technical marvel even if you have to watch it via Netflix instead of on the big screen. Although the story is told in a chopped up format that Nolan likely felt added an extra zip to the story, when it all comes together, “Dunkirk” stands as one of the modern icons’ best.

“The Lego Movie” (Warner Bros.)The LEGO Movie

Although “The LEGO Movie” did give rise to Hollywood’s urge to cast Chris Pratt in every major voice role for seemingly at least a decade, the heart of the story will likely land with all ages. For the younger crowd just beginning a Lego obsession, the movie works by juggling franchises and IP in a way “Ready Player One” only dreamed of doing. For the older crowd, the film is a heartfelt reminder to never grow up so much that you lose some of your childlike qualities. Get everyone around the TV for this one before it’s off Netflix.

“The Town” (Credit: Warner Bros.)The Town

There really have not been enough solid heist movies in the last decade. Maybe that’s why “The Town” stands as such a fun, gritty crime movie. It boasts a stacked cast including Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Blake Lively, and Jon Hamm, and follows a band of robbers who find themselves in a particularly murky part of the deep end when the loose cannon of the group takes a bank employee hostage and slowly, Affleck’s Doug MacRay begins to fall for her. For every person singing praises for “The Town,” there are dozens more who should be. Join the masses and start spreading the film’s good word.

“Uncle Buck” (Credit: Universal Pictures)Uncle Buck

What is not to love about “Uncle Buck?” John Candy turns in one of his all-time great performances as a lazy bum asked by his brother to watch his nephew and two nieces when a family emergency calls away the parents. Buck manages the kids in his own charming fish-out-of-water way and Candy manages instant chemistry with all three – particularly Macaulay Culkin. “Uncle Buck” can truly turn any bad day around.

The post 5 Movies to Watch Before They Leave Netflix in August appeared first on TheWrap.

Shohei Ohtani Gambling Scandal Drama Nears Series Order at Starz

Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter’s gambling scandal may grace television screens sometime soon but this time at Starz, where it is nearing a series order.

The untitled series was previously in the works at Lionsgate Television but could be headed to Starz after the studios’ split this spring. Lionsgate and Starz were previously one larger companies but the two were separated in May 2025.

Starz declined to comment about the series’ pickup to TheWrap.

The Lionsgate TV series was set to be produced by Scott Delman (“Station Eleven”) and “Billion Dollar Fantasy” author Albert Chen. The series would chronicle the Japanese baseball player’s meteoric rise into American Major League Baseball — including his mammoth 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers — which was abruptly disrupted when his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, allegedly stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to gamble and pay his own gambling debts. He was fired shortly thereafter.

Ohtani’s former interpreter pled guilty to bank fraud and tax fraud in June 2024 after admitting to stealing more than $16 million from the Dodgers star player. From December 2021 to January 2024, the interpreter allegedly losst more than $40 million across 19,000 illegal sports bets.

Mizuhara was sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for embezzlement in February, but he may also face deportation back to his home country of Japan after serving his time. The courts ordered him to pay more than $18 million in restitution, with the bulk of the money going to Ohtani and the rest to the Internal Revenue Service.

“This is Major League Baseball’s biggest sports gambling scandal since Pete Rose — and at its center is its biggest star, one that MLB has hitched its wagon on,” “Billion Dollar Fantasy” author Chen said in 2024 when the series was initially announced. “We’ll get to the heart of the story — a story of trust, betrayal and the trappings of wealth and fame.”

Chen’s financial thriller tells the true story behind the clash of billion dollar companies FanDuel and DraftKings that upended American sports viewing.

The post Shohei Ohtani Gambling Scandal Drama Nears Series Order at Starz appeared first on TheWrap.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer’s Fiscal 2025 Pay Falls 46% to $9.8 Million

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer saw his total compensation for the studio’s fiscal year 2025 fall 46% to $9.8 million, compared to $18.2 million a year ago, per an amended 10-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission released on Tuesday.

The package included a $1.5 million salary, $1.2 million bonus, $6.73 million in stock awards and $396,200 in “other” compensation, including $13,800 in 401(k) matching contributions, $835 in term life insurance premiums and $380,547 in miscellaneous costs, including $14,050 in club membership dues, $46,881 in security service costs, and $319,616 in incremental costs for the personal use of the company-leased aircraft of which Feltheimer reimbursed approximately $71,700.

In August 2024, the studio extended Feltheimer’s contract through the company’s fiscal year 2029. Per the terms of the extension, he will be eligible to receive annual equity awards for the company’s fiscal years 2026 through 2029 with a target annual grant date value of $10 million, with the actual value determined based on Lionsgate’s financial performance for the prior fiscal year against performance targets agreed upon by himself and the compensation committee.

The median Lionsgate employee’s total compensation for fiscal 2025 was $131,000 putting the CEO pay ratio at 75 to 1.

The executive pay disclosure follows Lionsgate’s separation from Starz earlier this year.

In its first quarter post Starz split, the company reported a $21.9 million profit and $1.07 billion in revenue. Losses for the full year widened to $128.5 million, while revenue grew to $3.2 billion.

Shares of Lionsgate Studios Corp., which went public via a SPAC deal with Screaming Eagle Acquisition Corp. in May 2024, have fallen 16.8% in the past year, 20.6% year to date and 14.7% in the past six months.

The post Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer’s Fiscal 2025 Pay Falls 46% to $9.8 Million appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Destination X’ Boss Shares Just How Hard It Was to Keep Those Contestants in the Dark

If you are a longtime fan of reality TV competitions who is looking for a new format to enjoy, then “Destination X” marks the spot. The social strategy show combines geography skills, pop culture knowledge and classic manipulation tactics to give viewers a cross-continent trek that is unlike any other.

Each week, the contestants must battle it out to earn clues about their bus’ whereabouts, culminating with the farthest-off guess being eliminated. Ahead of the Season 1 finale on Tuesday, showrunner Andy Cadman opened up to TheWrap about the logistics of keeping the 12 contestants in the dark as they made their way across Europe, revealed what changes he’d make if given another season and even shared an update on “Love Island Games” Season 2.

“I’m going to be honest, it was really hard. Them knowing where the sun was rising and setting, and knowing which direction they were going in, some things were just really, really difficult to avoid,” he said of the NBC show’s central premise. “But we drove in circles, we turned the bus around, we did everything we could to discombobulate them, to distract them, but stopping them from knowing where they were was just a massive challenge. Like, at some point, obviously, they have to get off the bus. We had to let them get off the bus to eat dinner, so we created safe zones where they could get off the bus but couldn’t see where they were and could only see sky.”

“There were so many logistical, off-screen issues to deal with, so, yeah, it was incredibly challenging. And there was a lot of time they spent in blindfolds and goggles,” Cadman added. “It’s so odd these days. It’s so difficult to get anything to land and to launch on linear, it’s just a hard landscape. So I was just really, really pleased and relieved, of course, just really gratified that everybody’s hard work paid off in the end.”

Indeed, “Destination X” scored some impressive ratings when it first premiered back in May. Now, the Final 3 — Biggy Bailey, Rick Szabo and “The Bachelor’s” pilot Peter Weber — must race across London to win the grand finale’s $250,000 prize.

“The cast was great. When we put the show together in post, we felt like we found something,” the EP shared. “We were all just so excited by the prospect when we started out on the journey, and then it was unbelievably difficult to make. It was a lot of fun in the end and now to see that people like it is wonderful.”

Jeffrey Dean Morgan in “Destination X.” (Sean Gleason/NBC)

While Weber entered the game as a midseason twist with “Love Island USA” star JaNa Craig, Bailey and Szabo have been two of the top contenders all season long. In fact, the Episode 4 twist that forced Bailey to actively trick one of his fellow competitors into guessing an entirely incorrect country wound up being a highlight for Cadman.

“That was probably my favorite moment of the season, being able to pull a twist like that and completely turn the game on its head. Really nerve-wracking as a team to embark on something like that,” he explained. “We thought Biggy was great, he was just the perfect person to entrust with that mission, as it were. Very scary. But it’s the sort of thing that in a Season 2, I think you do again, more of those sorts of things. I think it really transformed the show from being just about geography to being about, well, ‘How do I interact with the other people on the bus? How do I make sure that they know less than me? How do I mislead them in a way that’s going to benefit me?’ And all of that stuff is super fun.”

“I had no idea how much people would study before they came to the show. The contestants were so smart and they were so competitive that I just hadn’t seen that coming, they were amazing. I think in Season 2, we would definitely want to up the ante. We would want to make it harder, because the contestants come into it ready to go, they know a lot. We would want to do more twists and turns,” Cadman continued. “I think Jeffrey [Dean Morgan] is such an incredible games master, and he did such a great job of owning the way the show twists and turns. Just flipping the script on the contestants is one of my favorite things to do when I’m making shows; put people in a situation where whatever they do, they’re kind of damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Putting people into those situations is what I enjoy doing the most, and I think I found a kindred spirit in Jeffrey, who was always willing to jump into that with us and run with it.”

So where in the world could a potential second season take place?

“I haven’t started on Season 2 yet, so it can’t possibly be a spoiler … but I kind of love the creepy,” the showrunner teased. “I was obsessed with Venice because it was so creepy. I loved that episode because it was dark and moody and scary in a way. I loved the castle, the haunted castle, so more haunted places. I’ve got a bunch of places in mind, not just my holiday destinations.”

And while we await a renewal for this show, another of Cadman’s series has already been greenlit for a sophomore season on Peacock: “Love Island Games.”

“I was literally just planning, plotting the first week. I’m here sat in London on my own, just going, ‘How are we going to throw everything up in the air for ‘Games’ Season 2?’ It’s going to be wild. Like, ‘Games’ Season 1 was pretty wild. How do we really mess with them? Season 2 is going to be more of the same,” Cadman concluded. “Ben [Thursby] is the other showrunner with me, and between us, we’ve got some great stuff coming up. Obviously, the last two years for ‘Love Island USA’ have just been massive. So, we’re hoping to be able to get some familiar faces, hopefully some recent familiar faces on there that people are going to be excited to see.”

“Destination X” airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.

The post ‘Destination X’ Boss Shares Just How Hard It Was to Keep Those Contestants in the Dark appeared first on TheWrap.

‘WWE: Unreal’ Review: Netflix Docuseries Is Too Polished, Skips WrestleMania Drama

“We’re going to lift the curtain. We are going to show you things you’ve never seen in this show,” WWE Hall of Famer and Chief Content Officer Triple H said in announcing its docuseries collaboration with Netflix. The question is, do we really need to see this?

“WWE: Unreal” gives the audience unprecedented access, going backstage with WWE Superstars and staff as they bring the company’s biggest spectacles to life from the Royal Rumble to WrestleMania.

When I was younger, I believed that The Undertaker was a dead man walking, Umaga was a tribal chief and Vince McMahon was an egomaniacal billionaire… Maybe that last one was true. There was a real magic in keeping kayfabe alive as audiences get lost in the compelling storylines that make the matches and rivalries more believable.

The upcoming Netflix sports documentary is controversial within the wrestling fan community as it’s the most obvious example of WWE directly breaking kayfabe — the illusion that wrestling and its storylines are real.

In the McMahon era, breaking kayfabe and lifting the curtain to this extent was a big taboo and something out of the question. But times have changed, and the demand for more wrestling content is greater than ever in the WWE’s Netflix era. With that in mind, there was a fear that “WWE: Unreal” would break that illusion. But the slow-burning documentary doesn’t reveal too much to wrestling fans that they didn’t already know.

However, it was a good opportunity to introduce a new audience to the personalities that make the WWE the global powerhouse that it is. From CM Punk to Rhea Ripley to Cody Rhodes to Bianca Belair, the industry is in great hands with its stacked roster of beloved talent.

CM Punk in “WWE: Unreal.” (Netflix)

It was compelling viewing to see the nerves and fears the WWE superstars have before stepping into the ring as they show their vulnerability and human sides, especially with CM Punk. CM Punk had dreamed about main-eventing WrestleMania from the moment he stepped into the ring. Therefore, seeing the culmination of this hard-fought journey was a powerful segment of the documentary, which shows the Chicago WWE legend break down in tears after his match with Roman Reigns and Seth Freakin’ Rollins as Triple H consoles him. These are the moments that elevate the documentary as we rarely get this access and insight into their lives.

The highlight of the documentary was Episode 4 as the audience were given a detailed breakdown of John Cena’s heel turn. The WWE icon turned ‘heel’ — bad guy — at Elimination Chamber on March 1 after Cody Rhodes refused to “sell his soul” to the Final Boss, A.K.A The Rock. In a moment that shocked the world, Cena viciously beat Rhodes alongside The Rock and Travis Scott.

The captivating segment of the documentary was led by Triple H as he discussed the inception of the heel turn and alternative ideas that the creative team had considered before this historic moment. One idea even suggested that after Cody Rhodes refused to sell his soul, The Rock was supposed to call an impromptu title match against Kevin Owens and Cody would lose his title before WrestleMania.
“WWE: Unreal” felt like the perfect opportunity to lift the curtain on some of the controversial moments in recent months, especially the ending of Cody Rhodes vs John Cena at WrestleMania. Many WWE fans questioned why Travis Scott needed to be involved in the main event of WrestleMania and despite being an integral part of the storyline in Elimination Chamber, The Rock was nowhere to be seen.

John Cena in “WWE: Unreal.” (Netflix)

The anti-climactic moment at WrestleMania led to speculation and fan theories about a power struggle within the industry, which could have easily been put to bed with this documentary. However, despite going into meticulous step-by-step detail for Cena’s heel turn, there was no explanation or discussion of the WrestleMania main event, which was quite disappointing.

In answer to the question at the beginning of the piece, “Do we need to see this?” Well, yes and no. In theory, “WWE: Unreal” is a promising concept as the audience gets unprecedented access into the writers’ room during one of the most exciting times in wrestling history. However, this only works if there’s real drama, jeopardy or suspense, but instead, it felt too polished and edited. The charm and intrigue of the show came from getting to know the real personalities behind the larger-than-life characters, as this insight into their lives and ambitions will build a strong connection with fans around the world.

“WWE: Unreal” is now streaming on Netflix.

The post ‘WWE: Unreal’ Review: Netflix Docuseries Is Too Polished, Skips WrestleMania Drama appeared first on TheWrap.