HBO Max‘s flagship releases for August—I’m you, Lanterns, Mom Mary, and Conan O’Brien Should Go—are nonetheless a few weeks away, however U.S. subscribers to the status streaming service nonetheless have choices. If you happen to’re into actuality TV, this week brings two brand-new collection for you, in addition to a lately launched comedy that is nonetheless rolling.
This week, journey together with the NFL’s reigning champs, watch knowledgeable survivalists get dumped within the ocean off the shores of the Philippine islands in a single day … bare, and my high choose is a couple of beloved sitcom sidekick who fumbles the destiny of all existence.
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Laborious Knocks: Coaching Camp with the Seattle Seahawks
Inside entry to the Tremendous Bowl champs’ coaching camp
Able to whet your urge for food for the upcoming soccer season? HBO and NFL Movies’ a number of Sports activities Emmy-winning behind-the-scenes actuality TV franchise, Laborious Knocks, has chronicled NFL staff coaching camps in gorgeous element since 2001. However it has by no means adopted a defending Tremendous Bowl championship staff. Till now.
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Seattle Seahawks drops its cameras deep contained in the champs’ facility in Renton, Washington, as head coach Mike Macdonald is below immense stress to maintain his staff hungry and able to defend its title. And identical to any good actuality TV present, the juicy tales aren’t briefly provide. The weekly episodes comply with the lives of quarterback Sam Darnold and his exceptional profession resurrection, star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s superb ascent, and dozens of gamers and hopefuls sweating via roster cuts earlier than the staff deadline.
Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan) returns because the narrator, including his signature coolness to even mundane issues like blocking drills. Laborious Knocks premieres tonight (August 4) on HBO and HBO Max with new episodes each Tuesday till September 1.
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Bare and Afraid: Shipwrecked
Twelve survivalists, one shipwreck, zero garments
Even having watched numerous seasons of intense survival reveals like Survivor and Alone, nothing might have ready me for the opening scenes of Naked and Afraid: Shipwrecked, a collection I had by no means seen earlier than. Which is insane, as a result of the Discovery collection has had 13 years, 19 seasons, and several other spinoffs to excellent its famed clothing-optional empire, and it’s a fascinating and harrowing watch.
For this new spinoff, Bare and Afraid has lastly found out tips on how to blindside its personal veterans. Twelve franchise all-stars enroll anticipating a normal 35-day group problem, solely to be dumped into open water off the Philippines in the midst of the night time with flares overhead and informed, first, take off your garments, and, primarily, good luck, as they plunge into the water with nothing however a survival flotation ring and no matter they’ll seize from the boat they’re on.
Cut up into 4 groups of three, they wash up on a distant island nicknamed the “Bermuda Triangle of Southeast Asia” for its historical past of shipwrecks and waters infested with field jellyfish, sea snakes, and sharks. Every staff holds one piece of a map, and solely by discovering one another on the island can they earn extraction on day 35. In the event that they don’t kill one another first. New episodes stream Mondays on HBO Max after first airing Sundays on Discovery.
Quiz
Title that survival actuality TV present
Trivia problem
From distant islands to frozen wilderness — are you able to establish these iconic
survival actuality reveals from a single clue?
SurvivorWildernessCompetitorsSolo SurvivalChallenges
Survivor first aired in the USA within the 12 months 2000. Which community has
completely broadcast each season of the present since its debut?
Appropriate! CBS has aired each season of Survivor for the reason that summer time of
2000, when the primary season set in Borneo turned an enormous cultural phenomenon. The present helped outline
the trendy actuality TV period and stays one in every of CBS’s longest-running franchises.
Not fairly — the reply is CBS. Survivor premiered on CBS on Might 31,
2000, and has remained on the community ever since. It is one of many longest-running actuality competitors
reveals in American tv historical past, with dozens of seasons and a number of spin-offs.
Within the Historical past Channel present Alone, contestants are dropped individually right into a
distant wilderness location and should survive so long as potential. What’s the main prize for the
final particular person remaining?
Appropriate! The winner of Alone takes house $500,000 — however they need to earn
each penny. Contestants are utterly remoted with restricted gear, no digicam crew, and no contact with
the surface world, making it one of the grueling survival competitions on tv.
Not fairly — the prize is $500,000. Alone is exclusive as a result of there isn’t any
digicam crew; contestants movie themselves solely on their very own. The mix of bodily survival
challenges and profound psychological isolation makes it one of the intense actuality reveals ever
produced.
Survivorman encompasses a solo survivalist who movies himself surviving in distant
places and not using a digicam crew. Who’s the host and star of this long-running collection?
Appropriate! Les Stroud, a Canadian survival knowledgeable and musician, created
and starred in Survivorman. He’s identified for carrying all of his personal digicam gear whereas surviving
alone, which distinguishes the present from productions that use giant movie crews.
Not fairly — the reply is Les Stroud. Typically confused with Bear Grylls of
Man vs. Wild, Stroud’s method is taken into account extra genuine by many survival fans as a result of he
genuinely survives alone with no help staff. He additionally composes the music featured within the present.
Man vs. Wild, which premiered in 2006, follows a former British Particular Forces
soldier surviving in excessive environments. What’s the host’s full identify?
Appropriate! Bear Grylls’s full identify is Edward Michael Grylls. ‘Bear’ is
really a nickname he acquired as a younger baby. Earlier than his TV profession, he served within the British Military’s
21 SAS regiment and famously climbed Mount Everest at age 23.
Not fairly — Bear Grylls’s full identify is Edward Michael Grylls. ‘Bear’ is
a childhood nickname that caught all through his life and profession. He served with the British Particular
Forces earlier than turning into one of many world’s most acknowledged survival TV personalities.
Bare and Afraid pairs one man and one lady who should survive collectively for 21 days
in a harsh atmosphere — utterly nude. On which community does this present air?
Appropriate! Bare and Afraid airs on the Discovery Channel and premiered in
2013. The present’s premise — stripping contestants of clothes to simulate a real primitive survival
situation — created important buzz and helped make it one in every of Discovery’s hottest applications.
Not fairly — Bare and Afraid airs on the Discovery Channel. It premiered
in June 2013 and has since spawned a number of spin-offs, together with Bare and Afraid XL, which extends the
problem to 40 days and options returning contestants competing in bigger teams.
Outlast is a 2023 survival competitors on Amazon Prime Video wherein groups should
work collectively to outlive the Alaskan wilderness. What occurs if a contestant’s complete staff quits or
is eradicated?
Appropriate! If a contestant’s staff collapses, they’ll recruit members from
rival groups to remain within the sport — including a layer of social technique hardly ever seen in pure survival reveals.
Outlast blends the brutal bodily calls for of wilderness survival with cutthroat alliance-building.
Not fairly — if a contestant’s staff falls aside, they’ll recruit members
from different groups to remain within the competitors. This rule provides Outlast a captivating social dimension on
high of its uncooked survival problem. The present is ready within the brutal Alaskan wilderness and the prize is
$1,000,000.
Which survival actuality present duties contestants with residing amongst and studying from
indigenous communities all over the world, slightly than merely surviving alone within the wilderness?
Appropriate! Primal Survivor, which airs on Nationwide Geographic, follows
survival knowledgeable Hazen Audel as he immerses himself in distant indigenous cultures and makes use of their
conventional data to outlive in excessive environments. It’s extensively praised for its respectful
portrayal of indigenous communities.
Not fairly — the reply is Primal Survivor on Nationwide Geographic. Hosted
by Hazen Audel, the present stands out as a result of it focuses on studying from indigenous peoples slightly than
treating survival as a purely particular person problem. It gives a novel mix of cultural exploration and
survival talent.
In Survivor, what’s the identify of the common problem that offers the profitable tribe
or particular person safety from being voted out at Tribal Council?
Appropriate! The Immunity Problem is a cornerstone of Survivor’s format.
Winners obtain an immunity necklace (in particular person play) or an immunity idol (for tribes), defending
them from elimination at Tribal Council. These challenges have ranged from bodily endurance exams to
complicated puzzles over the present’s many seasons.
Not fairly — it is referred to as the Immunity Problem. Profitable immunity is one
of a very powerful strategic parts in Survivor, because it ensures the winner can’t be voted out at
that night time’s Tribal Council. The long-lasting immunity necklace has develop into one of the recognizable
symbols in actuality TV historical past.
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Stuart Fails to Save the Universe
The Massive Bang Concept’s comedian store man breaks actuality
Admittedly, I didn’t watch many episodes of The Massive Bang Concept, however add a time-hopping, post-apocalyptic multiverse spin to it, and now I’m , which type of sums up HBO Max’s Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.
Seven years after The Massive Bang Concept signed off, Chuck Lorre’s iconic franchise fingers the reins to the man who ran the comedian e-book retailer, and the setup is so nerdy and intelligent. Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) by accident breaks a multiverse gadget constructed by BBT’s personal Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) that shreds actuality as they understand it. The issue is, Stuart is, um, a little bit of a slacker … and type of a moron, so it is not wanting good that he’ll achieve success. However for our amusement, he’s going to provide it a attempt.
Stuart groups with girlfriend Denise (Lauren Lapkus, Orange Is the New Black), geologist buddy Bert (Brian Posehn, The Sarah Silverman Program), and physicist Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie, Speechless), hopping between weird universes and working into hilarious alternate variations of acquainted faces (with some enjoyable surprises). Starting on July 23, new episodes are nonetheless streaming each Thursday via late September.
The place actuality and alternate actuality collide
HBO Max is, in fact, a treasure trove of unbelievable scripted collection, however with its connection to Discovery, HGTV, and different networks in its Warner Bros. household, it additionally supplies entry to some primo actuality TV. If neither of these picks, or the superb new Massive Bang spin-off, is to your liking this week, head over to your streaming section for masses extra recommendations.
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HBO Max is a subscription-based streaming service providing content material from HBO, Warner Bros., DC, and extra. In 2025, the service re-branded itself as HBO Max after having beforehand lower “HBO” from its identify.
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