The Loneliest Year
I moved to a new city in 2025. Knew nobody. Working remote. My social life was my DoorDash driver saying "enjoy your meal." I was scrolling Twitter at 2am when I saw someone tweet about RealityPicks.
"Predict reality TV. Earn rewards. Join 50,000 fans."
I thought: at least I'll have something to do while watching The Bachelor alone on my couch.
Finding My People
The first night in the Discord, someone asked "hot take: who's getting the villain edit this season?" I typed a 200-word analysis without thinking. Three people replied within minutes. We argued for an hour. It was the best conversation I'd had in months.
The Watch Parties
By week 3, I'd joined a virtual watch party group. Eight strangers, all watching Survivor together on Discord, screaming predictions in real-time. By week 5, they weren't strangers anymore. By week 8, we'd met up IRL.
The Community Is the Product
I came for the predictions. I stayed for the people. There's something about bonding over shared obsessions that cuts through all the usual social awkwardness. You skip the small talk and go straight to "DO YOU THINK THEY'RE GOING TO MERGE THE TRIBES EARLY?"
Real Friendships
Today my RealityPicks crew is my main friend group. We text daily. We've done three IRL meetups. One of them was my plus-one at a wedding last month. All because I typed a Bachelor hot take at 2am.
What I'd Tell My Lonely Self
If you're in that lonely phase — where the city is big and your apartment is small and your social calendar is empty — try this. Not because of the predictions. Because of the people. The community is the best thing about RealityPicks, and I'll die on that hill.
Sometimes the best friendships start with "who do you think gets eliminated tonight?"