Reality TV podcasts are a dime a dozen, but there’s only one Reality Checked. A staple on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM channel, Radio Andy, the show has become a fan favorite for reality TV recaps and pop culture deep dives, thanks to co-hosts Dorinda Medley and Kiki Monique.
Just moments before going on air to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Radio Andy, Dorinda and Kiki sat down with us to spill the tea on Reality Checked’s wild ride. We chatted about their perfectly mismatched dynamic and why their show is unlike anything else on the airwaves.
How Dorinda and Kiki became radio pros
SiriusXM launched Radio Andy on September 14, 2015. They debuted the channel with a lineup of personalities from Andy’s orbit. Reality Checked was a part of the initial lineup, giving fans a daily dose of reality with comedienne Amy Phillips. Dorinda joined the Radio Andy family in 2019 with a weekly show called Make it Nice.
“I did Make it Nice, and then COVID hit, or something happened. Either they didn’t renew me, or I just didn’t do it anymore,” Dorinda recalled. “I was up in the Berkshires.”
Amy stepped away from Reality Checked in 2023, leaving a huge hole for the channel to fill. The network spent several months experimenting with rotating hosts. Then, earlier this year, some genius at SiriusXM decided to pair Dorinda and Kiki together as permanent co-hosts. It was a match made in SiriusXM heaven.
“I think it was very intuitive for SiriusXM to do this because the thing that’s nice about our show is, first of all, we have two very different perspectives about things, which makes it fun,” Dorinda said. “She comes from a very investigative world. She’s very thorough, she’s really good at down and dirty, and watches every show.”
While Dorinda brings the “I lived it” perspective as a Real Housewives of New York alum, Kiki brings the laser-sharp perspective of that chronically online friend with her eye on every corner of pop culture. Joining forces for a daily talk show just makes perfect sense.
“You know what’s so nice, because we’re on two different sides with two different sets of eyes, and it’s really nice to merge those two worlds,” Dorinda told us. “I learn a lot from Kiki, and then I hope, I’m assuming here, I can give a little perspective of what it was like to be on the inside, you know, and I think it makes for a fun show.”
Kiki added, “One hour where I can just talk to my friends about whatever, and we can just gab. It’s great.”
The art of the on-air banter
With two strong voices coming from two different perspectives, there’s bound to be disagreements. However, Dorinda told us she preferred to view those disagreements as “discussions.”
“It’s fun to have discussions about things because if you’re a good listener, and you have a sense of intelligence, you can, as my late husband always said, you can learn one thing from every single person you meet in your life. You just have to listen,” Dorinda noted.
Meanwhile, Kiki said she’s always surprised by the common ground she finds with Dorinda. Even if there is a “discussion,” Kiki agreed that she’s always learning something from the reality TV vet.
“I mean, it’s funny because some of the things that I never thought we would agree on, I always find surprising. And then when we don’t, I think it’s always fun banter,” Kiki shared. “I think we always end up walking away learning something. I really, truly do.”
“One of the first things I remember Dorinda telling me, and it wasn’t even about us, she was talking about someone else, but she was like, ‘You know I’m just not someone that holds a grudge,’” Kiki continued. “And I kept it in the back of my mind, because I always knew that if we ever did have a disagreement, I knew she would never hold it against me forever, and we would eventually get over it. I knew that I could push her a little further, and even if she does get mad, she’ll get over it.”
“I’m very Sagittarian that way,’ Dorinda added. “I’ll fight to the death, but then I’ll break bread with you at dinner.”
Dead air? Not on Reality Checked
In addition to reality recaps and pop culture deep dives, Kiki and Dorinda have been flexing their journalism muscles with celebrity interviews. Immediately after our interview, they spoke to Carole Radziwill about her viral wedding photo with Harry Styles. Last week, they spoke to Mary Cosby from The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City about her son’s ongoing recovery, and they’ll have Britani Bateman on the show later this week. But have they ever had a guest who just isn’t giving?
Kiki said, “We have had some of those, but I will say, Dorinda is really good at just asking questions that will sometimes force an answer out of them that you wouldn’t expect, which is really nice. When we have had those times, I feel like she’s able to navigate it in a really graceful way, which is cool.”
“I lure them in with comfort,” Dorinda added. “The only thing I need is a piece of lasagna. That’s how I have sex in my life. If it gets uncomfortable, I just take out a piece of lasagna.”
Of course, we had to channel our inner Sutton Stracke, and we asked Kiki and Dorinda to “Name ’em.” Who have the nightmare guests been? Who gave dead air?
“I’m trying to rebuild,” Kiki said with a laugh, referencing her Real Housewives of Orange County debacle with Katie Ginella. “I’m keeping my mouth shut.”
Dorinda added, “I just think they’re a lot like they are on TV, like Larsa [Pippen] is not a big conversationalist on the show, so you know, I had to sort of feed her the questions, and she always answered them, but she’s not like me, who’s just gonna talk through anything, right? So I think it’s just important to gauge yourself against the person and to make them feel comfortable.”
Dorinda can still “make it nice” on Reality Checked
Reality Checked has become a go-to because of Kiki and Dorinda’s raw and opinionated takes on pop culture. But how do they balance giving their opinions without pissing off the reality stars? It’s a delicate balance.
“I’m a pretty authentic person,” Dorinda said. “I give my opinion, as Kiki knows, and I think there’s a way to do it that’s just your opinion, you know, and you don’t have to be cruel or mean. I don’t need to slice and dice.”
Kiki added, “Dorinda has deeper relationships because she’s been on these shows, and I’ve sort of developed these relationships with people through this industry, and so some people I have become closer with. And when you have to like, report on a story or do a recap, and you know this person, it does get harder because you’re like, ‘I love you, but you were wrong in this situation.’”
One example of that was with Janet Caperna from The Valley. Kiki tried her best to defend her, despite plenty of fans having a different opinion — Dorinda included.
“I mean, I don’t like Janet,” Dorinda confessed. “I said it one day, I was like, ‘I hope she enjoys these last few episodes because she’s not coming back next season.'”
Occasionally, the ladies will defer to their on-air callers to serve up the shade. Dorinda said that’s one of the “most fun” parts about the show.
Kiki said, “Sometimes they say the things that you don’t want to say because you don’t want to get in trouble with your friend.”
Reality Checked has you covered from Bravo and beyond
As Bravo fans know, the summer has been a little bit dry in terms of new shows. However, things are picking back up with RHOSLC Season 6 and The Real Housewives of Potomac Season 10. Kiki and Dorinda will have you covered throughout the fall TV season, but they don’t stop at just Bravo. Their coverage touches all areas of reality TV, including the 90 Day Fiancé franchise,
“We’ll normally do like a recap analysis the next day, normally, unless it’s like a stacked night,” Kiki explained. “Sometimes we have to spread it out over two days, but generally, the next day, we’re already talking about it, you know, because some people only watch the shows through listening to us.”
She continued, “I think [Reality Checked] is unlike any other show on the channel because we really are diving deep into all sorts of reality. Like it’s the Radio Andy channel, but we dive into all sorts of reality. You know, I love prison shows. She loves 90 Day Fiancé, like I do. We get into it all.”
SiriusXM’s Reality Checked airs on Radio Andy Monday through Thursday at 4/3c. If you can’t catch it live, stream it on demand with the SiriusXM app.
TELL US – ARE YOU LOVING KIKI AND DORINDA’S NEW ERA OF REALITY CHECKED? DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE RADIO ANDY MEMORIES FROM THE LAST TEN YEARS?
