I went on a reality TV cruise and came home reminded of how much a shared love of a show can mean –

I went on a reality TV cruise, and I now have 88 new best friends

Which feels very on brand for me. Some people bring home a souvenir. I bring home an emotional attachment to an entire group of people.

But seriously, this trip touched me in a way I’m still thinking about now that I’m home.

We all showed up with something in common: we love reality TV, specifically Big Brother. We love watching it, talking about it, playing the games, and discussing the decisions we absolutely, definitely would have made differently from our couches or if we had to play again.

And yes, I know. I’ve been the person on the screen making the decision everyone on the couch has an opinion about. Trust me, I get it. But we can also always just talk about how production should have done something different haha.

But being on this cruise reminded me how much happens because of these shows that never makes it onto television.

From chat rooms to cabins

One of the things that stayed with me most was hearing about people who met in reality TV chat rooms, became best friends, and were now, 10/15 years later, on a cruise together. Sharing a cabin, still best friends, still chatting about their shared love for these shows.

TEN YEARS.

Can we take a second for that?

You go online because you want to talk about a show. You find someone who loves it as much as you do. You keep talking. And a decade later, you’re traveling together. As a matter of a fact some of the friends I made through these events, went on the Traitors cruise last year and then invited Brendon and I to their wedding and we of course went, and so did the group chat named Team Rachel A.

I love that so much.

We spend a lot of time talking about what happens to the people who go on reality TV. Who won. Who fell in love. Who got another opportunity. Who said something they will be hearing about for the rest of their natural life.

Hi. It’s me.

But what about the people who meet because they watched?

Their friendships have a whole story, too. Hearing about those friendships made me think about how far a show can reach beyond the season when it airs. The episodes end, everyone moves on to another cast, and meanwhile, people who found each other in a chat room are still choosing to spend their lives together.

From chat rooms to cabins. That is a story I want to talk about.

Karaoke, games, and a little accidental therapy

There was so much to do together on this cruise: games, activities, the podcast, casting seminars, and karaoke every night.

And you know I love a group activity. Give me a game and suddenly I have a strategy, an alliance, and possibly too much enthusiasm. Well enthusiasm and a awkward smile and high pitch that comes when I lie or when I’m trying to hide something :-/ whoops theres always a tell haha

The casting seminars even started to feel a little like therapy. There’s something about talking about who you are and what your story is that can take a conversation somewhere deeper than you expected.

We came together because of reality TV, but we had time to actually spend with each other. To participate. To laugh. To keep showing up for the next thing.

There’s also something very bonding about nightly karaoke. At some point, we have all agreed to support one another’s musical choices, and that is a level of trust.

Between all those moments, I started feeling that connection myself. I wasn’t coming home just thinking about what a fun event it had been. I was coming home thinking about the people.

My 88 new besties. The ones who I actually got off the boat and text and Im not just talking about the reality stars.

Sixteen years later, this still means something to me

Reality TV has been part of my life for sixteen years. It has given me a career, challenges, opportunities, and a husband. So yes, I already know it can change your life.

And yet this trip gave me another reason to appreciate it.

When you’ve worked in something for a long time, it’s easy to get caught up in whatever comes next. The next project. The next opportunity. The next thing you’re trying to build.

Being on this cruise gave me a chance to enjoy what’s already here: people who care enough about this world to come together and make memories around it.

I felt included in that community. I felt touched by it. And I came home grateful.

There is something really special about being around people who understand your enthusiasm without needing you to explain it. You can love the show. You can know the references. You can be excited to be there.

I hope everyone has somewhere they get to feel that way.

The friendships deserve some airtime

I know reality TV gets called a guilty pleasure.

Personally, I have never been especially good at feeling guilty about something I enjoy this much.

But after this cruise, I keep thinking about those friends who met online ten years ago. I keep thinking about how a shared interest gave them a place to start, and how they kept building a friendship from there.

That matters.

So if you were on this cruise with me, thank you. For showing up, for joining in, for the games, the karaoke, and the reminder of why I love being part of this world.

I went on a reality TV cruise.

I came home with 88 new best friends.

And honestly? I’m already emotionally invested in the reunion!!!

Has reality TV brought a real friendship into your life? Tell me how you met—in a chat room, a watch party, a fan event, or somewhere completely unexpected. I’d love to hear your story.

Love,
Rachel