Soothe the seven-year-itch

Watching reality TV shows about couples looking to reignite their passion through questionable methods is my number-one guilty pleasure. If you can relate—this one is for you. Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg, authors of How to Be Fine: What We Learned from Living by the Rules of 50 Self-Help Books, take on relationship advice—some sensical, some zany—in their new Audible Original podcast, Romance Road Test. Over the course of 15 episodes, Meinzer and Greenberg put their marriages to the test as they re-create their first dates, clip their husbands’ toenails (no thanks), and ✨add a little bit of spice✨ to their daily routines. Having been with my partner for more than seven wonderful years, I’m always looking for new ways to strengthen our connection—and am grateful to Meinzer and Greenberg for trying out bad advice so I don't have to. —Editor Rachael

Life after reality TV

If you’re anything like me and couldn’t get enough of Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton, the couple who famously fell in love sight unseen and tied the knot on the first season of Netflix’s Love Is Blind, you’re in luck. The reality TV sweethearts have shared their story with us in Leap of Faith. Lauren and Cameron take turns narrating, and it’s so much fun hearing what they’ve been up to since they left their pods and how they navigated married life in quarantine. I’m not-so-secretly hoping that we’ll also be hearing from Iyanna McNeely and Jarrette Jones, my favorite couple from the second season of Love Is Blind. —Editor Margaret

Going inside the house

'll never forget the formative experience of being utterly immersed in British Big Brother the summer I spent studying abroad in London, dutifully calling in to vote when prompted, devotedly watching the daily updates to see what was afoot in the house—truly it's another level beyond watching, say, The Bachelor. It was heady, and until discovering Love Island years later, it was a tough itch to scratch. Elinor Cook's Love Island-esque story, which subverts everything we think we know about reality TV, is the perfect companion listen for the real-time reality obsessed. One reviewer noted that it "seeks a difficult audience: one that has simultaneously spent the requisite hundreds of hours it takes to slavishly obsess over Love Island, and enjoys the slightly experimental aspects of this literary-dramatic crossover." It turns out, as someone who bounces between very literary works and extremely popcorn genre fiction—without a lot in between—I fall squarely into this non-overlapping Venn diagram. Islanders, fantastically performed by Daisy Ridley, took me inside those purpose-built spaces in a way that only great fiction can, unveiling the humanity of the contestants, which ironically gets completely lost behind the veneer of reality TV. It's a complex listen, but one I recommend to everyone hungry to get swept up in reality drama. —Editor Emily

What do you know about love?

My husband and I are drawn to reality television that combines competition and talent since it allows us to imagine ourselves under pressure and how we'd either succeed or fail if given the chance. Whether couples are competing against others while they traverse the globe or individuals are creating fashionable garments or fancy cakes, we dissect their decisions from the comfort of the couch. Getting to be a fly on the wall while Esther Perel analyzes couples' relationship issues is a different version of that same dynamic, since I still get to imagine: I wouldn't make those mistakes. I'd prefer to hear more queer relationship stories rather than husband-wife binaries, but at the same time, it allows me to feel a level of superiority. As these men and women grapple with the swirl of emotional, economic, and erotic forces, I think about how I've navigated similar (but different) terrain in my nontraditional marriage without the luxury (or burden) of societal expectations. All the while, I'm also picking up pointers from Perel and the couples willing to let us snoop, which will hopefully help me continue to figure out what love means so I can stay one step ahead. —Editor Jerry

The reality of dating, revealed

Growing up, I sought dating advice from matchmaking contests on MTV. As a result, I learned long before my first romantic rendezvous that most blind dates end in a list of pros and cons. On the other hand, I now see why I used to believe that rejecting a suitor could be as simple as yelling a catchphrase, and that scary stories belong to crime thrillers only. So, for these reasons and more, I’ve fallen head over heels for Am I Dating a Serial Killer? This genre-defying podcast, hosted by comedian and writer Gabi Conti, questions whether or not we can truly know who’s waiting behind closed doors to wine and dine us before it’s too late, and asks how we can prevent dangerous experiences for singles in the future. The pitfalls of dating remain an ongoing reality, which is why I believe this binge-worthy series has the potential to save lives. Truly, I feel safer for having given it my heart. —Editor Haley

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

If you immediately understood my headline, then this listen is for you. I’m a huge fan of Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey’s podcast Office Ladies, and this audiobook is really an expansion of their show. Jenna and Angela—a.k.a. Pam and Angela from The Office—have a great rapport, and the back and forth of the besties makes you feel like you’re in the room with them, laughing along as they reminisce. The audiobook goes deeper into behind-the-scenes tales from the show, more about their friendship and their lives, and includes humorous chapters like how to walk a red carpet! It’s joyful, it’s entertaining, and nowhere near as cringe-worthy as the show that inspired it. —Editor Katie

The Housewives, Bravo, and Andy —Oh My!

By nature, my bookish personality usually sends me toward an audiobook over most forms of entertainment, including TV. However, even the most bookish parts of me cannot resist the allure of Sunday night reality TV. The more drama, the better. So, it shouldn’t be a shocker that I am a huge fan of The Real Housewives series. With several seasons spanning across nine states, the franchise has also led to numerous spinoffs, many of which are also on my Sunday night watchlist. The Housewives is the “real story” of the hit Bravo series, giving us some very nostalgic behind-the-scenes insights and historical background on the network—and answering some of the questions on the minds of every true Bravo-head. Author and narrator Brian Moylan is completely entertaining and engaging, and kept me laughing the entire time as I relived Teresa’s infamous table flip on RHONJ. —Editor Patty