Reality Check: 'Ghosts' unveils 'Survivor' commentary videos

‘GHOSTS’ IN THE MACHINE Given the TV habits of the ghosts on CBS’ “Ghosts,” it seems reasonable they would be fans of “Survivor,” not-so-coincidentally also on CBS. And for living fans of either show, a new series of weekly online videos offer the ghosts’ commentary “about big moments and contestants specific to that Wednesday’s original ‘Survivor’ episode,” the network said in a news release.

The initial two spots went online last week. In the first of the 30-second videos, “Hetty’s New Obsession,” dead scoutmaster Pete (Richie Moriarty) and dead Viking warrior Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long) are watching an episode of “Survivor” when 19th-century socialite Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) walks into the room.

“What's this? Another one of your reality TV trifles?” she sniffs. As Thor and Pete begin explaining why they like the show, Hetty suddenly notices host Jeff Probst’s dimples. “Can he be eliminated?” she asks. When told no, she allows that, “Perhaps I'll watch just this once.”

If it isn’t already clear she’s been sucked into the show, we see her sitting attentively beside her two compatriots in a second spot, “Surviving on Nothing But Sven.”

“Oooh, merge coming up!” chirps Pete of the traditional joining of the show’s two tribes after enough eliminations have taken place. “You know what that means — merge feast!”

“Thank heaven,” replies Hetty. “Some of these poor souls have been surviving for days on but a mouthful of crab.” Thor then reminisces about having been shipwrecked for a month centuries ago, and who — er, what — he had to eat to survive.

The spots will air weekly through the season finale of “Survivor” in December. Additional “Ghosts” characters will appear as the season continues.

The idea for the spots came from Wisocky, “a longtime fan of ‘Survivor’ [who] helped inspire this campaign while chatting about the show with CBS Marketing staffers while at San Diego Comic-Con for ‘Ghosts’ this past summer,” the network said. “The idea was fleshed out by CBS and by ‘Ghosts’ executive producers Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, who are writing the scripts and filming the cast members for these videos on their ‘Ghosts’ set.”

PREMIERES Yes, it’s not even Halloween yet. And yes, Christmas programming is starting anyway. Early Thursday, the streaming service Hallmark+ debuts a competition with 10 actors vying to become the leading man of a Christmas movie on the sister cable network Hallmark. Hosted by Jonathan Bennett, with Melissa Peterman as lead judge, it begins re-airing weekly on Hallmark Nov. 13 … Friday at 8 p.m., Black women entrepreneurs keep trying to make Jackson, Mississippi, a better place in season 3 of OWN’s “Belle Collective,” with new belle Selena Johnson joining the returning Tambra Cheri, Marie Hamilton-Abston, Aikisha Holly-Colon, Lateshia Pearson, Latrice Rogers and Sophia O. "Sogucci” Williams … and Food Network’s “Holiday Wars” is back for season 6 Sunday at 9 p.m., as host Jeff Mauro and judges Shinmin Li and Jason Smith put five teams of bakers and confectioners through their paces for eight episodes.

RECAPS The inaugural winner of Paramount+’s drag queen competition “RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars” is Alyssa Edwards aka Justin Johnson … Phaedra Parks and ballroom pro Val Chmerkovskiy are off “Dancing with the Stars” … “House of Villains” eliminated OG reality TV star Richard Hatch … It was hometown-date week on “The Golden Bachelorette” … “The Voice” began its Battle Rounds … and it was the fall of Jeremy "Rome" Cooney on “Survivor.”