Stay In and Stay Warm

 It’s colder than usual in California, which means now is the perfect time to stay in and catch up on your favorite reality TV shows. Here’s a list of popular binge-worthy Netflix favorites that’s sure to keep you entertained till the sun comes back out. 

1. Is It Cake? 

Netflix took reality baking shows to a whole new level with Is it Cake? If you’re into baking competition shows, this may be your new obsession. In the show, 9 bakers compete to win $10,000 each episode. To win, you have to disguise your cake so it can’t be deciphered by 3 celebrity judges. As of now there are 8 episodes, about 40 minutes long streaming on Netflix, and a new season on the way. 

2. Selling Sunset 

Let’s talk about Los Angeles real estate. Selling Sunset is a reality show that highlights The Oppenheim Group located right on Sunset boulevard. Though the brokerage is owned by Jason and Brett Oppenheim, the women of the office steal the show. They bring the drama, well known buyers, and the high fashion on camera and make the show worth watching. Running 5 seasons strong, with season 6 on the way, Selling Sunset is definitely worth your while. 

3. The Mole 

If you like a good mystery, The Mole may be your new obsession. The Mole is a competition show that invites  individuals to Australia to complete a series of missions. But there is  a catch: During each mission,someone in the group is sabotaging the group as a whole. Their job is to find out just who that someone is. The Mole is a 10 episode saga that are about 40 minutes long each. 

4. Love is Blind 

A Netflix original turned Netflix classic, Love is Blind is one of the streaming services best shows yet. Nick and Vanessa Lachey host the hit show that calls singles to fall in love without ever seeing each other. It calls individuals to see if they can fall in love and commit to marriage with nothing but a strong emotional connection. Being that there are 3 seasons streaming now on Netflix, this is sure to keep you bundled up and entertained as cold passes. 

5. Twenty Something’s : Austin 

The description is in the show name. Twenty Something’s: Austin welcomes a group of 8 twenty something’s to Austin, Texas that have never been on their own to see if they’re ready to spread their wings. They live in a house together for free but have to navigate their own problems and drama. By the end of the stay they have to make the decision if they’re going to leave where they came from and relocate to Austin for good, or go back home. The 12 episode series is sure to keep you hooked all the way through.

6. Perfect Match 

Now if you finish all of these, and want to see a few familiar faces from your favorites off the list, the Perfect Match is for you. Netflix created a dating show with singles that failed the other love show experiences, or that just wanted to have a shot at finding their perfect match. Netflix pulled people from Love is Blind, The Circle, The Mole, Too Hot Too Handle, and a couple of their other original series. It motivates singles to get to know each other and win challenges to be deemed compatible and be declared the perfect match. The series released its first half of episodes already, but the last 4 are getting released on Netflix February 28th. 

Whether your interest is baking, real estate, love, lifestyle, or all of the above, this list is sure to keep you inside. 

Happy Binging! 

Fantasy v. Reality

Your favorite football team needs to get a stop in the final two minutes in order to win the game. You’ve been sitting on the edge of you seat for almost three hours trying to will your team to a victory. Which is exactly what I was doing earlier this season during the Steelers, Ravens game. Cheering my heart out for the Steelers so they could beat up on the rival Ravens. When the Steelers took a late fourth quarter lead I jumped with joy, knowing that the Steelers defense wouldn’t let me down. Taking a break from the action I took a peak at my fantasy football team, and my heart sunk.

It’s every football fans biggest nightmare. When you need your team to lose in order for your fantasy team to win. There used to be two types of NFL fans. Those who are die-hard and bleed their team’s colors and those who are bandwagon fans or who only watch the Super Bowl (usually just for the commercials). When fantasy football started to become popular it introduced a new breed of NFL fan, the fantasy football junkie. These junkies root for one team, “Fantasy Champ 3000” (or enter in any cliché fantasy football team name you want). These so called fans only care about their fantasy team and some of the most extreme junkies wish for their opponents star players to get hurt. Die-hard fans can also become junkies and sometimes they are forced to make a choice in which team they want to win this weekend, fantasy or reality.

My choice was forced upon me during the Steeler’s game. My opponent had Steelers defense and if they allowed a touchdown to the Ravens in the final drive, I would most likely win my fantasy game. I had always told myself I would pick reality over fantasy if it every came down to it, but it can be a little different when it actually happens to you. I stayed in the real world and wanted my Steelers to win, but they didn’t.

It was rough, but at least I could have a decent football weekend with my fantasy team winning, but they didn’t either. I call it a black weekend, when your fantasy team and your favorite team lose in the same weekend.

Fantasy football has made countless people huge fans of the NFL, but has it somewhat tarnished the game. Junkies only care about how many points their team has and all the fundamentals of fandom are thrown out the window. Fantasy owners need to be reminded that there is more to the game of football than fantasy.