For the Shortland Street 25th anniversary week, we’re reissuing David Farrier’s phenomenal 2014 ‘Real Talk’ interview series with two of the soaps’s biggest stars and thinkers – Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones. Today, the trio discuss women and gender. “The feminist movement…sometimes it takes a bit of that feminine radiance of out them” Click here … Read more
Alex Casey watches The Bachelor NZ’s ‘Women Tell All’ special, and finds a fittingly tame end to the season. Will we ever forget the moment that Naz stomped onto The Bachelor NZ’s Women Tell All stage last year, brandishing her manicured fingers like knives and effing and jeffing up a storm? It was better than … Read more
In our video series Kiwis of Snapchat, comedian Tom Sainsbury sources exclusive Snapchat footage of Kiwi citizens making the news. Today, Ed Sheeran fan Fantasia tries her best to win tickets from The Edge.
Superfan Joseph Harper tackles the second week of Survivor NZ, including pelican eating, Lou’s evacuation and Barb’s cuppa. Click here for last week. Big episode eh. This week we saw two of the ways in which people can get mercilessly rekt by the Survivor gods. First we had poor old Lou who may have legitimately … Read more
Serious production issues – ‘not enough food, no running water’ – have been alleged by season two bachelorette Ceri McVinnie in a blog post we have republished with permission below. MediaWorks have been approached for comment, and we will update as soon as we receive a response. The below is an updated and amended version … Read more
For the Shortland Street 25th anniversary week, we’re reissuing David Farrier’s phenomenal 2014 ‘Real Talk’ interview series with two of the soaps’s biggest stars – Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones. Today, the trio discuss the origins of life. “The pyramids: how the f- did they get there? Who put them there?” This content, like all … Read more
Jane Yee, Duncan Greive and Alex Casey gather with an audience in The Christchurch Art Gallery to talk about the dramatic season finale of The Bachelor NZ – and so much more. ‘Twas a brisk Christchurch evening when The Real Pod team assembled with 70 of their best mates* in the city art gallery to talk about … Read more
Alex Casey delivers her final rankings for The Bachelor NZ season three, including old croissants, a winner and drone shots for days. So many days. Look, I’m tired. I’m more tired than Lily huffing her way up a hilly driveway to meet Zac halfway because the Suzuki Swift probably ran out of gas. I’m more … Read more
Alex Casey, Duncan Greive and Jane Yee are in Christchurch to record a live #realpod at the city Art Gallery. But they stole ten minutes to try and process the most emotional end to a Bachelor NZ season yet. Jane Yee says: Sort it out, art department Viarni had it in the bag from night one. … Read more
Alex Casey explains why you should make Top of the Lake your gloomy weekend binge-watch. Here’s the truth: we should all be screaming about Jane Campion’s masterpiece Top of the Lake all day everyday, because it’s some of the best television to come out of New Zealand ever (apart from this and maybe also this). Filmed … Read more
Longtime America’s Next Top Model fan Kelly Ana Morey tracks the various nips and tucks the series has had in its 23 seasons. I’ve been watching America’s Next Top Model since it first began screening on New Zealand television in 2004. Pretty girls, combustible personalities, amazing photo shoots and the extraordinary Tyra Banks. What wasn’t … Read more
With Dance Moms supervillian Abby Lee Miller heading to the slammer for income fraud, Tara Ward puts her on trial for a few more crimes. Abby Lee Miller reckons “when a parent opens their mouth, they are ruining their child”. It’s advice to live by, and the reason why all parents should be locked in a … Read more
The New Zealand showrunners behind Filthy Rich jump the ditch to make Hyde & Seek, a show which seeks to blend a sprawling Homeland-style mystery with the breakneck pace of CSI/SVU. “You’re on your own,” says Nick, a boyishly handsome homicide cop to his partner, heading off toward a murder victim’s van. Which promptly explodes. … Read more
Jane Yee, Duncan Greive and Alex Casey gather around the oval table to talk about the latest happenings in New Zealand television and real life in New Zealand. ‘Twas the night before The Champagne Lady’s party and The Real Pod gang are preloading with disgusting flavoured jellybeans and unfounded claims about Avril Lavigne being dead. Before tackling the … Read more
Alex Casey tackles the ninth week of The Bachelor NZ, including paddle boards, rejection and some gnarly dads. Just like Zac, I too have a pain in my heart and a pain in my stomach – and not just because I’ve been eating at least a tube of Colgate Optic White a day to try … Read more
Superfan Joseph Harper tackles the second week of Survivor NZ, including charcoal teeth, eye rolls and Sala’s new Mallowpuff range. Click here for week one. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK Buzzy that after all these years, I think this is the first time I’ve seen Survivors wearing jandals! Truly game changing stuff. Almost as good as … Read more
Calum Henderson reviews Gutsful, the new factual series from the brains behind Neighbours at War. When Neighbours at War wrapped up last year after eight seasons it left an unexpectedly big gap in the local television landscape. Where else on telly were we going to find the real, unfiltered version of New Zealand the show’s … Read more
Midway into season three, says Simon Wilson, the Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul is cruising in its own greatness. Gus is back. Take a moment to digest. Gustavo Fring, so polite, so self-effacing in the short-sleeved shirt and the beige tie, Gus, the fried chicken guy aka vengeful drug lord. It’s so good to … Read more
In the lead-up to Mother’s Day, Aaron Yap collates the best moments of his favourite TV Mum, Norma Bates of Bates Motel. Unless you’re totally fine with showing your mum a modern Gothic soap with Oedipus complex themes, Bates Motel wouldn’t be my first recommendation to binge over tea and cake on Mother’s Day. But … Read more
Jack Tame reflects on his reaction to a very stupid email on Breakfast – which has now had over one million views on Facebook – and explains why we still need our bubbles burst. I think it’s time to lay off Janice. She cannot have expected this response: Multiple Janice-from-Friends memes, ‘Living Next Door to Alice’ … Read more
Breaking news: All Star Family Feud just proved that romance is not dead. Nay, it is alive and kicking its way through a warm trans-Tasman current of love while wearing a new pair of Orewa Life Saving Club budgie smugglers. Praise be to Eros or whatever TV god decided to throw The Bachelor NZ and Married at … Read more
The unmistakable voice of Neighbours at War, Bill Kerton tells Calum Henderson about making his new show Gutsful and how he cut his TV teeth directing Havoc and Newsboy at the height of their infamy. “I’ve sort of only really got one setting,” Bill Kerton admits. He is talking about Gutsful, the new TV show … Read more
Jane Yee, Duncan Greive, Alex Casey and Anne Bloody Batley Burton from The Real Housewives of Auckland gather around the oval table to talk about the latest happenings in New Zealand television and real life in New Zealand. This week we drain some delicious bottles of Champagne Jacquart with New Zealand’s greatest reality television star, Anne … Read more
Alex Casey tackles the eighth week of The Bachelor NZ, including some extra feedback from Real Pod special guest Anne ‘The Champagne Lady’ Batley Burton. Off we went this week to the beautiful islands of Khao Lak where the waters were pristine, the sand was sizzling and Dom was a beach goth dressed entirely in … Read more
Superfan Joseph Harper tackles the first week of Survivor NZ, including a dead Barb, a rogue price tag and the worst papaya ever. It’s finally here! Aotearoa has Survivor now and they even use stock footage from the real Survivor! Week one gave us the requisite bug eating and shelter building, it gave some definitely … Read more
Our superfan think tank weighs in following the premiere of Survivor New Zealand on TVNZ 2 last night. Luke Harries on the voting paper scandal We need to talk about the paper. During the inaugural tribal council of Survivor New Zealand, I noticed something seemed off – and it wasn’t the rotten papaya. I realised … Read more
Ahead of the premiere of Survivor New Zealand tonight, Holly Hunter rounds up 10 of the most groundbreaking moments in the history of the reality franchise. In April this year, after 34 seasons and 17 years of Survivor, the show met its most hated contestant. Jeff Varner broke the unspoken rule of Survivor – don’t … Read more
Survivor superfan Joseph Harper shares some well-informed* predictions for the coming season of TVNZ 2’s Survivor New Zealand. Reality TV juggernaut Survivor, has been rolling along in the United States for 17 years. Last year, Australia finally had a crack at the beautiful game, and now at last we get a shot. It’s huge news for … Read more
Before there was Survivor, there was New Zealand’s own reality juggernaut Treasure Island. Calum Henderson revisits the first episode of 2001’s Celebrity Treasure Island and finds out what the contestants are doing with themselves now. There were nine whole seasons of Treasure Island and all anyone remembers is the time Lana Coc-Kroft nearly died from … Read more