Reality Test
by Dr. Kay and Dr. Ray
Love Island Reunion: Simultaneous Sexualizing & Sex Shaming | Season…
About this podcast
Two Psych Doctors Spill the Tea on Mental Health Concepts & Presentations Shown in your Fave RealiTV Shows!
Ever find yourself wanting to debrief that reality tv episode with your therapist? Or maybe you've wanted to ask them questions about something you've learned from the reality tv interactions, castmates, or news cycle?
Come debrief with two licensed psychologists as they explore what we can all learn about ourselves, our relationships, and our society from our fave reality television shows on Netflix, Peacock, Bachelor Nation, Bravo, and beyond! Dr.s Kay & Ray inspire discussion about psychological and sociopolitical aspects of reality TV, offering rough draft thoughts and ideas for us to continue thinking about, while highlighting the power dynamics, sociohistorical context, and intersecting forms of oppression and privilege that are present. After all, reality television ultimately provides an engaging format for learning about our behavior, mental health, and sociopolitical systems—let’s learn together!
Why REALITY TEST? We ALL reality test when testing a given thought, emotion, or interaction against "objective" (or shared) reality--did I see that right? Was that really sexist? Dr.s Kay & Ray spill all the tea on how the producer antics and castmate claims about mental health stack up against "objective" reality off-screen and the field of clinical psychology that they have learned about as practicing psychotherapists and research psychologists.
What are you talking ABOUT? Reality Test has a general focus on relationships, social privilege, and mental health. Dr.s Kay & Ray also acknowledge their sociopolitical identities and lenses through which they view reality television, as feminist, bi+, white allies. So, if you've been itching to discuss how that episode was brimming with misogyny, heterosexism, &/or white privilege (from a white, ever-dedicated-to-developing-their-antiracism, perspective), or to critically assess how the producers portrayed a given scenario or interaction, while celebrating the hope & empowerment that can be found, you've come to the right place!
DISCLAIMER: In the context of this podcast, Dr.s Kay & Ray are not acting as therapists, neither for you nor for the reality castmates they discuss. They are, instead, bringing in their whole human selves, supplemented by mental health and psychology knowledge. They cannot ethically diagnose castmates or speak with certainty about their dynamics without conducting formal psychological assessments. Thus, their opinions will be merely (easily erroneous) opinions, informed by their biased perspectives, and while they may discuss diagnoses, they will avoid assigning them to castmates.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 134 episodes
- Love Island Reunion: Simultaneous Sexualizing & Sex Shaming | Season 8 ::} 141 · 1 h 14 min · Season 4 Episode 141Dr. Kay and Dr. Ray return after a break to psychologically examine the Love Island season 8 reunion. They discuss internalized racism, the sexualization of reality television…
- Childhood influences on Interpersonal Relationships, Media Portrayals, and Posttraumatic Growth | House of Stassi ::} 140 · 1 h 6 min · Season 4 Episode 140Although there is some overlap with episode 139, this episode engages more deeply with Stassi's childhood history and its effects on her interpersonal relationships. In this…
- Exploring Cancellation, Trauma, and Ethics in Reality TV | House of Stassi ::} 139 · 1 h 15 min · Season 4 Episode 139Given Stassi’s cancellation–well-founded on her racist treatment of co-worker Faith Stowers–should Stassi have gotten a new platform like House of Stassi? In this episode, Dr…
- Psychologists React to Love Island People Pleasing, Lusting, Image Managing, & (Un)Consenting--US S8 ::} 138 · 1 h 12 min · Season 4 Episode 138Doctor Kay and Doctor Ray bring their psychological segments to Fiji! They discuss the standard 6 segments applied to castmates & moments from the entire season 8–all but the…
- Ready Recruits, Racism Resurgence, & Revealing Testimonials | Awards Show | Spring 2026 ::} 137 · 1 h 23 min · Season 4 Episode 137Doctor Kay and Doctor Ray return to awards! They each designated the 8 standard awards to moments and castmates from ALL of the reality television they had watched over the past…
- Scamanda V: BPD, Racism, & Why Amanda Stayed | Summer House Bonus Ep | ::} 136 · 56 min · Season 4 Episode 136Doctor Kay is joined again by Doctor Ray at long last! They get to discuss their personal theories about Scamanda timelines and relationships, before dipping into the topic areas…
- Scamanda Timeline, Betrayal, & Mom Issues | Scamanda Update IV | Reunion ::} 135 · 1 h 33 minThe audio is Fixed! All sorts of issues have been resolved, including a BIG ol' missing chunk towards the end :) Doctor Kay returns to her Scamanda timeline theory, now firmer as…
- When West & Amanda First Hooked Up | Scamanda Update III | Ep.s 13-15 ::} 134 · 57 min · Season 4 Episode 134Doctor Kay is back to solo while Doctor Ray is away (for pleasure this time!) and is eager to share her theory for when West and Amanda first hooked up. If you’ve been following…
- Breadwinning Betties, Care Competitors, & a Defensive Debutante | RHOBH Reunion Part 1 ::} 133 · 1 h 0 min · Season 4 Episode 133Doctors Kay and Ray discuss part 1 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion, starting with the fissure between the two groups of women. They recap the opening argument…
- Scamanda Update II! + Marital Sexual Coercion & Post-Partum Body Image | Surprise Mid-Week Drop ::} 132 · 1 h 18 min · Season 4 Episode 132Dr. Ray is away for a couple weeks, and after a break, Dr. Kay is back to drop a surprise mid-week pod! First, Dr. Kay updates us on Scamanda, with use of examples from the…
- Psychologists' Relationship Advice from Southern Charm Reunion: 6 “Do” + “Don’t”s! ::} 131 · 44 min · Season 4 Episode 131The doctors return to Southern Charm’s recently-concluded season to discuss the 6 remaining pieces of relationship advice mined from both episodes of the reunion! Whether…
- Scamanda Joint Post! Cast, Community + Psych Doctor Reactions | Summer House Scandal Emergency Pod ::} 130 · 43 min · Season 4 Episode 130Carl’s a Mess! The Doctors share their immediate reactions, before reading the joint post Amanda + West, from Summer House, hard launched their relationship with! Then, they go…
- Mental Health, Abusive Relationships, & Substance Abuse | TFP & The Bachelor Franchise ::} 129 · 34 min · Season 129 Episode 4The Doctors, now having done their research on Taylor Frankie Paul’s removal from heading up the no-longer-forthcoming season of The Bachelorette, no longer wonder if there is…
- Psychologists React to Southern Charm Relationship Disasters | Do & Don't ::} 128 · 52 min · Season 4 Episode 128The Doctors head down to Charleston to assess Southern Charm’s relationships for the “do”s and “don’t”s that jumped off the screen in the season finale! Come listen to whether…
- Ciara’s & Dara's Love Triangles! | Summer House Themes | Season 10 ::} 127 · 1 h 3 min · Season 4 Episode 127The Doctors return to The Hamptons for more Summer House Themes, as season 10 continues. Don’t watch Summer House or aren’t caught up on this season? Don’t fret: Dr. Kay includes…
- Case Study Part II: Amanda Frances Deep Dive! RHOBH ::} 122 · 54 min · Season 4 Episode 122While Dr. Ray is away again for work, Dr. Kay finishes up her first effort towards a new possible style of episode: the case study! She finishes discussing Amanda Frances, from…
- It’s always Award Season at Reality Test! | February Awards ::} 126 · 1 h 11 min · Season 4 Episode 126What an embarrassment of riches the reality TV shows are offering right now? Whether you’re into Southern Charm, Summer House, Real Housewives, The Traitors, or Love is Blind…
- The Amanda-Kyle & Ciara-Boys of it All | Summer House Themes | Season 10 ::} 125 · 50 min · Season 4 Episode 125We’re talking all the Summer House couples & relationship tea this week, as season 10 takes off–from Amanda & Kyle’s contemptuous, painful-to-watch relationship downfall to the…
- Mental Health Themes from the Salt Lake Housewives! | Reunion Part 3 | RHOSLC ::} 124 · 48 min · Season 4 Episode 124If you're following along on the Amanda Frances deep dive, more bonus episodes will continue dropping with the rest of the deep dive case study, including Dr. Kay's final…
- Case Study: Deep Dive into Amanda from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! Part 1 ::} 121 · 1 h 8 min · Season 4 Episode 121Volume issues fixed :) <3333 While Dr. Ray is away for work, Dr. Kay makes a first effort towards a new possible style of episode: the case study! She explores a specific cast…







