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TL;DR: The 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle covers Python, AI, app development, and more. And through 12 January, Mashable readers can enroll for just £27.84 (reg. £1,194.10).
Opens in a new window Credit: Shutterstock The 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle £27.84 at the Mashable ShopIf you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to dive into the tech world, here’s your moment. For just £27.84 (reg. £1,194.10), the 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle is on sale for Mashable readers for a limited time.
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The 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle - £27.84 | Get It Here
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TL;DR: Live stream the 2025 Adelaide International for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
After a break at the end of the year, top-level tennis is back in a big way.
2025 is serving up the United Cup, Brisbane International, and Adelaide International in the build up to the Australian Open. The first Grand Slam of the season is obviously the priority for the best players in the world, but these tournaments offer an opportunity to build some valuable momentum.
If you want to watch the 2025 Adelaide International for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
What is the Adelaide International?The Adelaide International is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in Adelaide at the Memorial Drive Tennis Centre. The tournament forms part of the WTA and ATP tours.
When is the 2025 Adelaide International?The 2025 Adelaide International takes place from Jan. 6 to Jan. 11.
How to watch the 2025 Adelaide International for freeThe 2025 Adelaide International is available to live stream for free on 9Now.
9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now from anywhere in the world.
Access free live streams of the 2025 Adelaide International by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia
Visit 9Now
Watch the 2025 Adelaide International for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2025 Adelaide International before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. This might be a good time to invest, because 9Now is offering free coverage of the Brisbane International, Adelaide International, and Australian Open.
What is the best VPN for 9Now?ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on 9Now, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Australia
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
Fast connection speeds
Up to eight simultaneous connections
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A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream the 2025 Adelaide International for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
Tweet may have been deletedEach puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Gain a player
Green: Teams in Georgia's capital
Blue: Recent champions in MLB
Purple: Games involving a pigskin ball
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Ways to add someone to a team
Green: Atlanta teams
Blue: Last four World Series winners
Purple: _______ football
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #98 is...
What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition todayWays to add someone to a team - DRAFT, FREE AGENCY, TRADE, WAIVERS
Atlanta teams - DREAM, FALCONS, HAWKS, UNITED
Last four World Series winners - ASTROS, BRAVES, DODGERS, RANGERS
______ football - AMERICAN, AUSTRALIAN RULES, FANTASY, FLAG
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
Tweet may have been deletedEach puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for December 30 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Sandwiches or wraps you'd order at a deli
Green: Essential items for brewing a morning drink
Blue: Giving or settling something, often financial
Purple: Famous names or brands that are marked with extra emphasis
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Lunch Orders
Green: Used to Make Coffee
Blue: Pay, with "Up"
Purple: Names Featuring "!"
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections #570 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayLunch Orders: CLUB, HERO, MELT, WRAP
Used to Make Coffee: BEANS, FILTER, GRINDER, WATER
Pay, with "Up": ANTE, COUGH, PONY, SETTLE
Names Featuring "!": AIRPLANE, JEOPARDY, PINK, YAHOO
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 30Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.
Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableBy providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 30 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 30 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Keep It ClassicalThese words are arrangements for music.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedWords are how you create classical music.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is Composition.
Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for December 30Symphony
Prelude
Sonata
Overture
Concerto
Composition
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.
If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for December 30 Where did Wordle come from?Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What's the best Wordle starting word?The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for December 30 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Look vacantly at someone.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There are no reoccurring letters.
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.
SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today's Wordle is...
STARE.
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 30Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.
One day, you’re an all-powerful CEO, star wife, and mother, and the next day you're eating out of your young intern’s hand, quite literally. How is this contradiction possible, if it is a contradiction at all? The answer for both Nicole Kidman’s character in Halina Reijn’s film Babygirl and for many others who identify as BDSM submissives lies in the elusive concept of subspace: a metaphorical space and altered state one submits to during a kink scene, thanks to arousal and exchange of consent.
SEE ALSO: 'Babygirl' review: Nicole Kidman to 'Challengers': Hold my beerThe notion is very new to Romy Mathis (Kidman, whose performance won her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at this year's Venice Film Festival). She's the sharply dressed big boss with her hair always pinned up, until she meets Samuel (Harris Dickinson): a much younger, cocky, and borderline rude intern wearing a suit twice his size, filling it with ego. Romy finds herself trembling when Samuel controls a stray dog about to jump on her in the street with a mere whistle and a nod. From this seemingly passing interaction, the flows of her desire steer the narrative into the unknown waters of ambivalent wants and surrender, as Romy and Samuel begin an affair based on the exploration of dominance and submission.
"Scene" and its double meaning Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson in "Babygirl." Credit: A24According to Lina Dune, kink educator and host of the Ask a Sub podcast, a Dominant/submissive (D/s) relationship affords "a ritual space," where equal, consenting adults negotiate, establish boundaries and safe words, and create "a container where things can transform and alchemize." The set-up is called a "scene" and within the kink scene, the submissive can experience subspace. In theatre, cinema, or kink, we associate the word "scene" with a curated experience and performance.
Speaking to Mashable, director Halina Reijn champions this dual meaning, adding that for her, Babygirl is about performing. "Of course, in a BDSM setting, there’s a lot of performing," she says, "but sex in general can also be very performative." As a result, this theme informed the script and conversations with Kidman, becoming an instrument to explore the character's authentic self. "Romy thinks she has to perform the perfect mother, lover, wife, leader," says Reijn, "and we are all a little bit like that — what we forget to do is be ourselves and accept whoever we are."
Featured Video For You Halina Reijn explains 'Babygirl’s' trojan horse of sexual tensionBut what makes Babygirl stand out is that it shows dominance and submission as a process of negotiation, trial and error, rather than a textbook example or a polished act. Babygirl’s kink scenes feel real and inviting because they lay bare the mechanisms in the inner workings of control exchange. In each scene, Samuel umms and ahhs, trails off, laughs in the middle of his commands, while Romy is shown to resist, back out, and change her mind. For the actors, this means an extra layer of performance that incorporates flippancy and respect for consent; for the viewer it means relatability.
Not every scene is a "scene" but subspace is a space Credit: A24Subspace is a term used within the D/s and BDSM communities, according to Dune, to talk about "the altered state that comes about through the experience of submission." She insists that it is a wide category that encompasses individual experiences that may differ from one another, like that of intoxication or alcohol intake, for example. Scientifically, the state is a reaction to adrenaline, oxytocin, and endorphins rushing into the brain, but what does subspace feel like?
Dune explains that for some people it may be "a floaty, dreamy, quiet disconnected feeling," while others might giggle or cry. "I like to refer to it as 'getting high on your own supply,'" she says, "because you're not on anything, but the experience of crossing over a taboo."
Thinking of cinematic representations of liminal states — hallucinations (Enter the Void), drug-induced trips (Queer), or drunkenness (Another Round) — perhaps film is the most suitable medium to portray a subjective, heightened state of mind. The key is in the spatial metaphor: one "goes into" or "inhabits" a space. Unlike other films, Babygirl doesn’t rely on classical point-of-view shots showing a dizzy, spell-binding world seen through the protagonist's eyes. Instead, the handheld work of Reijn’s long-time collaborator, cinematographer Jasper Wolf is more subtle.
Lights, camera, submission! Credit: A24Halfway through the film, Romy and Samuel decide to meet at a cheap hotel. No wonder, their affair belongs to clandestine spaces, the four walls of every office, bathroom stall, and hired bedroom swelling with desire. When it’s just the two of them, they can be free from the outside world’s demands. In that sequence, Romy storms out and comes back, Samuel wrestles her to the ground, and their power dynamics become a source of play: a scene begins. The camera sinks down with her, framing her face in a close-up, while Samuel becomes a blur in the background: where he touches her and how is not as important as Romy’s reactions.
Discussing that part of the film, Wolf tells Mashable that the camera is like a third character in the room with them. Instead of story-boarding the shots, he would film long, single takes to capture the erotic flow of power exchange. The camera often remains still and fixed on Romy, letting the viewer accompany her throughout the cascade of emotions coloring her face with arousal: from surprise through shame to blissful release, we partake in her surrender.
"It's like an honest and sometimes relentless gaze on what is going to happen between the two," he says.
Coordinating subspace Credit: A24Why can’t words accurately describe subspace? "If we lived in a matriarchal utopia, perhaps we would have more words for it," jokes Dune. But in today’s individualistic Western world, she points out that people "are expected to actualize themselves in a way that’s masculine-coded. Submission, in contrast, is understood to be very vulnerable which is more female-coded."
In cinema, pop culture, or daily life, the derogatory stereotype for men in power who want to be dominated and/or humiliated is often presented as a point of humor. Admitting a submissive desire costs a lot: "I'll receive at least one phone call per week from someone who says they want to be a sub, but stress on the fact that they are not submissive in their day-to-day life," says Dune.
What’s novel about Babygirl is that not only does it show the characters’ vulnerability, but also how much they are willing to reveal to one another. In cinematographic terms, this exchange of consent is translated by panning movements linking Romy and Samuel's faces as they look at each other. "Put simply," says Wolf, "the camera is often a representation of her inner world: it becomes more free and fearless alongside Romy."
On set, the cast and production team worked with intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot (No Hard Feelings, Dead Ringers) to ensure there were no surprises. Dickinson, who had previously worked with Talbot on the TV series A Murder at the End of the World, underscored the importance of clear communication. "If you approach [sex] scenes with too much trepidation and sensitivity, it can be anxiety inducing; you need an intimacy coordinator to be very direct and pragmatic about it," he tells Mashable's Anna Iovine. Reijn also brainstormed with Talbot when writing the intimacy scenes, saying that the work with a coordinator "goes much further than just being on set with her."
Facing subspace Credit: A24Later in the film, there is a second hotel room scene, where Samuel "directs" Romy from across the lavish suite. He commands her to strip, tells her where to put her hands and how to pose. Even when both are naked, the camera doesn’t linger on the nudity of their bodies, but their faces. When sharing subspace, they see each other anew, and their newfound intimacy translates into the visuals. To channel the ebb and flow, Wolf used a mix of camera lenses, shifting between spherical and anamorphic. As for the visible effect, "it’s not in your face and it shouldn’t be," he says, "but a slight change of perspective [makes you] suddenly see them with different eyes." The game of letting your guard down plays out on their faces.
Unlike films like Steven Shainberg's Secretary, which relates submissive kink to trauma, Babygirl succeeds in telegraphing to a wider audience the message that these are real people, and their desires — even when dangerous to their status quo — don’t have to be as destructive or severely punished. "The BDSM community,” says Dune in relation to Secretary, "wants to see more empowered people portrayed as submissive and break that stereotype."
But she is optimistic: "I think we’re getting closer to better representation of BDSM on screen. Obviously, I would be a lot more excited about films that hire sex workers as consultants, but for example, a film like Sanctuary had less research done into the BDSM community, but what I saw on screen rang true to me." Dune admits that she doesn’t expect education from cinema, or at least not the kind that sex and kink educators like herself offer, adding that "film should be about fantasy."
By setting Babygirl’s subspace explorations against a corporate, hetero-mono-normative backdrop, Reijn also makes a political point. However ephemeral, subspace is a consent-bound altered state that resists categorization. Perhaps a way for some of us to survive the capitalist hell is to surrender — to desires or to films like Babygirl — and take Dune’s advice: "Let the film dominate you."
Go web go! Marvel Animation has dropped a new trailer for the upcoming animated Spidey series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
We're back to basics with this Disney+ series, sending Peter Parker (voiced by Hudson Thames) to the early days of his newfound powers, attending high school, living with Aunt May (Kari Wahlgren), and finding himself under the mentorship of Norman Osborn, future Green Goblin (Colman Domingo).
Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio are voicing their roles of Matt Murdoch/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin from the Netflix series, while Downton Abbey: A New Era's Hugh Dancy takes on Doctor Octopus, Cathy Ang voices Pearl Pangan, and Paul F. Tompkins is Bentley Wittman/The Wizard. But there's plenty more appearances in store.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is streaming on Disney+ from Jan. 29.
Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
Tweet may have been deletedEach puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Keep from scoring
Green: Used in England's summer sport
Blue: Offensive players who play or played in LA or St. Louis
Purple: Athletes known by their father's name
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Prevent a goal
Green: Cricket equipment
Blue: Rams WRs past and present
Purple: Famous juniors
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #97 is...
What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition todayPrevent a goal - BLOCK, PARRY, SAVE, STOP
Cricket equipment - BAIL, BALL, BAT, STUMP
Rams WRs past and present - BRUCE, HOLT, KUPP, NACUA
Famous juniors - BECKHAM, EARNHARDT, GRIFFEY, RIPKEN
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
Hertz is reportedly trying to sell some of its electric vehicles to the people who are currently renting the cars. The rental car company is apparently looking to unload a portion of its EV fleet and is proactively reaching out to customers about the option to outright buy the vehicles they're renting.
A viral post on Reddit showed an apparent email from Hertz offering a customer the option to buy the very EV they were renting. In this case it was a 2023 Tesla Model 3 for $17,913. Folks in the comments mentioned getting similar offers for other EVs.
RedditHertz communications director Jamie Line told The Verge that this wasn't a new strategy and seemed to suggest it wasn't limited to EVs.
"By connecting our rental customers who opt into our emails to our sales channels, we’re not only building awareness of the fact that we sell cars but also offering a unique opportunity to someone who may be in the market for the same car they have on rent," Line said.
Hertz has long sold vehicles from its fleet and there are a number electric cars currently for sale on its site. Hertz did announce this year a plan to sell-off some 30,000 EVs after major losses.
The 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl featured stunning football: No. 18 ranked Iowa St. knocked off No. 13 Miami in a high-scoring, 42-41 victory. However, when it came to the Pop-Tarts Bowl, hardly anyone was talking about the actual football.
That's because it is one of the most wonderfully unhinged events you'll ever see. Last year, the game generated headlines after it "sacrificed" its strawberry mascot as a toasted trophy for the winning team. In 2024, the Pop-Tarts Bowl ramped things up. They had a competition among Pop Tart mascots to be sacrificed, they resurrected last year's pastry, they ripped packaging off, and all-in-all just got super weird.
Only at this weird college football game could you see a humanoid Pop-Tart being lowered to its "death" with a sign reading "Follow Your Dreams." Naturally, the internet loved it all.
Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deletedThis BlueSky post from Anne T. Donahue really summed the festivities — which all centered around a Pop Tart going to "mouth heaven" — by basically calling it a Mad Men fever dream.
don draper: the pop tart, he's selfless. the sacrificial lamb; a testament to his commitment to his truth -- a greater good.
pop tarts rep: i ... i still don't get it.
don draper: gentlemen (takes a long drag off his cigarette) he's jesus christ.
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The festivities truly were something else — I, for one, cannot wait for the 2025 Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
Tweet may have been deletedEach puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for December 29 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Variations of a warm color associated with passion or intensity
Green: Details you would confirm when setting a meeting or schedule
Blue: Varying quantities of hair
Purple: Sounds like a tree but isn't
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Shades of Red
Green: Appointment Specifications
Blue: Different Amounts of Hair
Purple: Tree Homophones
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections #569 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayShades of Red: BRICK, CHERRY, MAROON, RUBY
Appointment Specifications: DATE, DURATION, LOCATION, TIME
Different Amounts of Hair: HEAD, LOCK, STRAND, WISP
Tree Homophones: BEACH, FUR, PAIR, YOU
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 29Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableHere are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Sunday, December 29, 2024:
AcrossGetting closer, so to speakThe answer is Warm.
The answer is A team.
The answer is Gonzo.
The answer is Sleep.
The answer is Less.
The answer is Wags.
The answer is Atoll.
The answer is Renee.
The answer is Mazes.
The answer is Mops.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of GamesAre you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.
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Do you want to watch people fall in love? Maybe you need to see folks fall off of stuff? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you're in the right place! Luckily, Netflix has a huge selection of reality programs ripe for the time-wasting.
From Physical: 100 to Too Hot to Handle, here are the 40 most binge-worthy reality shows now streaming on Netflix, in no particular order.
Note: We've limited our inclusion of cooking shows to The Great British Baking Show and Nailed It!, but there's a wealth of goodness in that arena, so check out more of our favorite Netflix cooking shows here. We're also not listing any docuseries, because that isn't "reality TV."
With those caveats out of the way, here are the 40 most addictive reality shows on Netflix.
40. Dubai Bling Credit: Hyku Desesto / NetflixLike many of Netflix's other Bling series, Dubai Bling follows a group of millionaires residing in the biggest mansions, driving the sexiest sports cars, and taking Dubai by storm one $500,000 bill at a time. Sure, the drama is ridiculously out of touch — how dare anyone NOT show up to a Mother's Day brunch dressed to the nines?! — but nonetheless, the who-said-what and who-hates-who of Dubai Bling makes for some top-notch reality TV viewing. Enjoy the mess. Enjoy the money. Eat up the drama. — Yasmeen Hamadeh, Freelance Contributor
How to watch: Dubai Bling is now streaming on Netflix.
39. Nailed It!Is there any greater pleasure to be had in the entire history of reality television than when Nailed It! hosts Nicole Byer and iconic chocolatier Jacques Torres break down into uncontrollable giggle fits at the sight of one of the contestants' just revealed baking monstrosities? A cooking show for those of us who can't tell their tea from their tablespoons, Nailed It! copies the format of most competition shows — force the contestants to copy some outrageously complicated recipe in as short an amount of time as possible. But it lops off the "talent" aspect. These chefs are bad. Real bad. They're all blessedly in on the joke, and the show finds unfettered joy in their shortbread shortcomings. It's a feel-good bake-bad classic. — Jason Adams, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Nailed It! is now streaming on Netflix.
38. Zombieverse Credit: NetflixIn this South Korean reality/variety show, a group of unwitting participants are tricked into believing that they're in a zombie apocalypse. Yes, every person you see on the show seemingly believes that they're being attacked by zombies and must save themselves. Now, is it likely that Zombieverse's contestants are aware of the ruse? Absolutely. But does that hinder any part of the show? Absolutely not. To truly enjoy Zombieverse, you have to suspend your disbelief and wholeheartedly let yourself join in on the low-stakes screaming, shrieking fun. Every participant is comedic gold. Their acceptance of imminent "death" in the face of the walking dead is top-notch entertainment. And you'll be begging to be on the show yourself — it looks that fun. — Y.H.
How to watch: Zombieverse is now streaming on Netflix.
37. The BoyfriendSet somewhere in the gap between The Real World and The Bachelor, the Japanese dating show The Boyfriend drops several gay / bisexual men into a house to live and work together and from there to maybe find romance. Or to maybe just be friends? What's refreshing about The Boyfriend is it doesn't put pressure on the men to be extra dramatic or force themselves into relationships — it allows them to be shy, sweet, and to bond over the struggles that they've gone through. And so the friendships they form (or don't) feel more realistic and profound than most of their flashier American counterparts. And don't forget, this show's mere existence is a big deal in Japan, where LGBTQ topics remain fraught. But don't worry, it's not all emotional heart-to-hearts. The guys also happen to be ridiculously hot, and the show is ludicrously sexy (Usak the go-go-boy makes sure of that). — J.A.
How to watch: The Boyfriend is now streaming on Netflix.
36. Snowflake Mountain Credit: NetflixWhat happens when you plop a bunch of entitled young adults in the middle of the wilderness? You get Snowflake Mountain. As a fellow Gen Z'er, this show made me cringe at my generational comrades. But when you look past the whining, brattiness, and complete lack of even the most basic survival skills, you'll find a show that is as hilarious as it is heartfelt. Come to watch a bunch of rich kids figure out what a tree is, and stay for the surprising lessons on humanity along the way. — Y.H.
How to watch: Snowflake Mountain is now streaming on Netflix.
35. Tidying Up with Marie Kondo Credit: Courtesy of NetflixMarie Kondo says it best in a Season 1 episode of Tidying Up: "I love mess." More precisely, she loves creating order out of that mess. Watching Kondo arrive in the houses of some extremely disorganized people and generate harmony from their piles of junk is not only psychologically pleasing, it might even inspire viewers to make some changes in their own lives. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is now streaming on Netflix.
34. Face OffFor any horror nerd who luxuriated in the pages of Fangoria as a kid (present company very much speaking) Face Off has been a godsend. Pitting the world's up-and-coming prosthetic make-up artists against one another in weekly challenges — such as "create the troll that lives under this bridge" — this series has proven a parade of delicious grotesquerie, showcasing fresh designs for monsters, aliens, and everything else you can possibly imagine. There's gore flooding right up to its popping-out eyeballs. The craft on display is astonishing, and seeing how these beasties go from nightmare to flesh will forever be fascinating. — J.A.
How to watch: Face Off is now streaming on Netflix.
33. The Ultimatum: Queer Love Credit: Courtesy of NetflixThe Ultimatum: Queer Love is a queer-centric spinoff of The Ultimatum that follows the same format as the original show: Young couples with conflicting opinions on marriage are forced to make a decision about whether or not they still want to be together after an eight-week trial tests their commitment. By the end of those eight weeks, the couples can either stay together, break up, or (gasp) couple up with someone else featured on the show. The Ultimatum: Queer Love is arguably a first for Netflix for featuring an all-queer cast made up of women and nonbinary people. And if you're in the mood for drama, trust me, this show delivers it splendidly. You will scream at your TV. — Y.H.
SEE ALSO: 39 binge-worthy LGBTQ TV shows to watch this PrideHow to watch: The Ultimatum: Queer Love is now streaming on Netflix.
32. The Big Flower Fight Credit: Courtesy of NetflixYou ever want to zone out and look at a bunch of nice flowers? The Big Flower Fight is the show for you. Ten florists/garden artists compete in a series of whimsical trials that test their ability to make something beautiful into something even more beautiful, which is just as calming and aesthetically satisfying as it sounds. (And it's cohosted by Natasia Demetriou, who is brilliant in What We Do in the Shadows and Stath Lets Flats.) — A.F.
How to watch: The Big Flower Fight is now streaming on Netflix.
31. Dirty JobsBaritone beefcake Mike Rowe has hosted 10 seasons of this show since 2003, with each episode seeing him become the assistant to a string of real-world professionals whose gigs would make any normie's knees shake. Guano gathering, worm farming, horse breeding — you name it, this show goes there hard. It's basically the documentary approach to Fear Factor, with Rowe usually ending up knee-deep in manure. Or worse. But like those segments on Mister Rogers Neighborhood where we would go to the Crayola Factory, there's a fascination in seeing how things are done. Dirty Jobs just shoves more fists up animal backsides than PBS ever dared. — J.A.
How to watch: Dirty Jobs is now streaming on Netflix.
30. Too Hot to Handle Credit: Tom Dymond / NetflixWhat happens when you put a bunch of hot, horny singles in a villa and enforce a sex ban? Absolute chaos. Too Hot to Handle aims to change its wild singles by showing them there's more to a relationship than physical intimacy. And just in case you thought the task was impossible, the show has a big punishment — any sexy misstep will result in a massive deduction from the cash prize. The stakes are high in this not-so-steamy show, as participants struggle to keep things rated PG in paradise. — Y.H.
How to watch: Too Hot to Handle is now streaming on Netflix.
29. Amazing InteriorsSeemingly based on the old adage "don't judge a book by its cover," Netflix's Amazing Interiors visits unassuming buildings that hide spectacular secrets. From a house that doubles as an aquarium to a steampunk wonderland, the locations featured in this show are as breathtaking as they are memorable. Each episode runs a little under a half hour, making this the perfect background noise or pre-bed show to bring into your home. As a bonus, check out Interior Design Masters, a British competition series that tasks 10 artists with reimagining commercial spaces like restaurants, model homes, and storefronts. The winner walks away with a high-profile commercial contract to redesign a bar at a London hotel. — A.F.
How to watch: Amazing Interiors is now streaming on Netflix.
28. Say I Do Credit: Courtesy of NetflixThe term "surprise wedding" sounds like a complete nightmare, but Say I Do makes the idea of proposing, planning, and springing a wedding on one's significant other in less than a week seem like the peak of romance. Part of the show's charm comes from its uplifting message — that true love deserves to be celebrated in all forms — and the rest comes from its amazing three-man panel of experts who create marriage magic for the adorable couples. Grab a pack of tissues and watch the love unfold. — A.F.
How to watch: Say I Do is now streaming on Netflix.
27. Old Enough!The perfect antidote for any of life's troubles is watching small toddlers run errands in Old Enough! This Japanese reality series sends young children, ages 2 to 5, out into the world to help their parents by performing simple tasks, like running to the store to buy groceries. It's a simple premise with high emotional stakes. Seriously, you'll get so invested in these youngsters' journeys that you'll cry whenever they return successfully. Reality TV has reached ultimate cuteness. Nothing else compares. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Old Enough! is now streaming on Netflix.
26. Perfect Match Credit: NetflixThe reality version of an all-stars spinoff, Perfect Match brings in fan favorites from several Netflix reality shows — including Too Hot to Handle, Love Is Blind, and The Circle — and drops them all in a swanky villa to find love. Whoever finds their perfect match on the show is a winner, and whoever's still single by the end of the evening gets the boot. The drama is real in Perfect Match, where coupling means survival and no one is off limits so long as they're your type on paper. Steamy poolside conversations and relentless backstabbing? Sign me up. — Y.H.
How to watch: Perfect Match is now streaming on Netflix.
25. Queer EyeHard to believe we're nine whole seasons into the rebooted series of generous queer philanthropy! This refreshed take returned in 2018 after an 11-year break with a brand new Fab Five all ready to primp and tweeze and turn over another round of men in need. But so we are and here they are, proudly showing menfolk how to get the whole "being a man" thing right, episode after tear-jerking episode.
Consisting of experts on food (Antoni Porowski), fashion (Tan France), grooming (Jonathan van Ness), culture (Karamo Brown), and interior design (Bobby Berk up through last season, with Jeremiah Brent replacing him after that), our five-some shows up on a clueless mark's doorstep, hairbrushes in hand, proceeding to take a week to refashion them in the divine queer image. And it's not just buffing the outside and rearranging the furniture — it's the emotional work where the show really sneaks up on you. — J.A.
How to watch: Queer Eye is now streaming on Netflix.
24. Ultimate Beastmaster Credit: Robert Voets / NetflixA zanier take on NBC's American Ninja Warrior, Ultimate Beastmaster pits international athletes against one of the hardest obstacle courses ever constructed. Then, they face each other.
In every episode, the competitor with the highest score is named "The Beast." Then, at the season's end, nine Beasts compete on a new course to become [insert intense techno music] THE BEASTMASTER. With commentary featuring tons of spectacular hosts from across the globe, Ultimate Beastmaster is essentially the Olympics of reality TV — if the Olympics were pretty dumb. — A.F.
How to watch: Ultimate Beastmaster is now streaming on Netflix.
23. Last Chance UFor young, talented football players hoping to make it to Division I or the NFL but who found themselves in a bit of trouble, a handful of junior colleges in the United States offer them a last chance to turn their lives around and put them on a path to success. Last Chance U focuses on a few different junior college football programs, primarily East Mississippi Community College, and the players who have found themselves there.
Each season involves a year of a school's program and gives us an in-depth look at these kids who either couldn't get into DI schools or were kicked out for one reason or another. Sometimes it's because of their grades, other times it's issues with the law. It's an intimate look at some of the least-privileged youth in America getting an opportunity to make it to the top. — A.F.
How to watch: Last Chance U is now streaming on Netflix.
22. Next in Fashion Credit: NetflixNext in Fashion takes the fashion-focused competition popularized by Project Runway and throws the curveballs out the window, allowing designers to focus on creating their best outfits possible without anything to hold them back. The designers themselves all have strong backgrounds, although they aren't quite household names. And they're competing to win $250,000 and a retail deal.
In the latest season, hosts Tan France and Gigi Hadid bring a fun dose of humor to this series, which highlights inclusive fashion. With two 10-episode seasons, Next in Fashion is an easy binge for a lazy weekend. — A.F.
How to watch: Next in Fashion is now streaming on Netflix.
21. AloneSurvival is the future, so get your journey started by studying this competition series. Alone isolates a bunch of individuals in harsh remote terrains, usually of the Arctic sort, with limited supplies, leaving them to the business of not dying. And whoever can not die the longest wins! It's really that simple, but watching these folks tough it out appeals to the doom-prepper in us all — who amongst us hasn't convinced themselves they could suss out the nonlethal berries or build a fire from a flint stone and their left elbow? Especially with half a million dollars waiting for us at the end of the long, hungry trail. Bring on the bear meat! — J.A.
How to watch: Alone is now streaming on Netflix.
20. The Circle Credit: Courtesy of NetflixA social media competition that starts boring and ends batshit, The Circle is an acquired taste.
Split into 12 episodes, this blend of Fox Reality's Solitary and MTV's Catfish tasks contestants with winning over strangers through a platform called The Circle. They can play as themselves or play as someone else; all that matters is gaining influence and inching closer to that $100,000 prize. — A.F.
How to watch: The Circle is now streaming on Netflix.
19. Squid Game: The ChallengeI don't think many of us watched South Korea's dystopian smash hit drama Squid Game — which saw a few hundred desperate criminal types dumped into a life-or-death Battle Royale type competition from hell — and thought to ourselves, "Gee, they should make that real." But some clever British reality show producers looked at those international streaming figures and sure did. And so 2023 gave us just that. Bring on all of our favorite death traps — the big robot girl shooting people, et cetera — just minus the death part ... for now. Who knows what wonders the future holds? All in the name of rewarding one lucky "survivor" with the biggest winner jackpot in history, four and a half million dollars, on the other side. Make it dystopia but fun, they said! — J.A.
How to watch: Squid Game: The Challenge is now streaming on Netflix.
18. Dating Around Credit: NetflixNetflix's first original dating show may be packaged in romantic cinematography, but make no mistake: Dating Around can get just as dramatic as ABC's The Bachelor.
Contestants — diverse in age, race, and sexuality, but universally unlucky in love — head out for a night in New York City. Each participant goes on an identical date (all eat at the same restaurant, go to the same bar, etc.), and focuses on sparking a connection with the episode's eligible bachelor or bachelorette. There are intimate conversations, surprising accusations, and lots of awkward pauses. You'll fall in love. — A.F.
How to watch: Dating Around is now streaming on Netflix.
17. Ghost HuntersWho ya gonna call? If you answered TAPS and not Bill Murray then you're already a fan of Ghost Hunters, the two-decades-running series that began on SyFy back when it was still called Sci Fi. TAPS is an acronym for "The Atlantic Paranormal Society," a group that originally consisted of part-time-plumbers, part-time paranormal hunters Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson — this twosome would visit supposedly haunted locations armed with their night-vision cameras and record whatever spectral mayhem they could find.
Needless to say our Hunters have not uncovered practical evidence of life after death — that probably would've grabbed some headlines. But, bumbling about in the dark listening for creaks and cackles of the unknown kind, they've scratched a spooky itch for horror lovers anyway. Everything from the Paranormal Activity to the Conjuring franchise have to pay homage to this series. — J.A.
How to watch: Ghost Hunters is now streaming on Netflix.
16. Floor Is Lava Credit: Courtesy of NetflixFloor Is Lava is stupid fun — emphasis on stupid. Netflix puts a Legend of the Temple spin on Wipe Out in this show, which pits teams against themed obstacle courses. The twist? The obstacles are submerged in lava (well, orange water). Once you fall in, you're out. Is it high art? Absolutely not. Is it a fun watch if you need to kill some time? You bet your butt it is. — B.E.
How to watch: Floor Is Lava is now streaming on Netflix.
15. Love on the SpectrumAn American spin-off of an Australian series, the two seasons of Love on the Spectrum take a look into the specific delights and travails of dating while autistic. Doing its best to represent a wide range of experiences — prominently featuring a dating coach who is herself on the spectrum helps keep things from feeling exploitative — the show casts people with varying behaviors and lifestyles. And then goes about displaying their particular journeys, one little love story at a time. Giving sweet voice to rich and complicated lives that aren't often showcased in this way in popular media, I'll take a hundred shows like this over another batch of wine-slinging Housewives any day. — J.A.
How to watch: Love on the Spectrum is now streaming on Netflix.
14. The Mole Credit: James Gourley / NetflixNetflix's reboot of the beloved original show is as exhilarating and suspenseful as you'd hope. In The Mole, a group of strangers work together to earn money that only one of them will get to take home. The catch? Someone in the game is "the mole," a double agent secretly working to sabotage the group. The tension is sky-high, both because of the challenges and because (quite understandably!) none of the participants trust each other. And, at the end of each day, the group is forced to answer questions about who they think the mole is, with whoever's furthest from the truth being sent home. It's brutal. It's callous. And it's such great TV. — Y.H.
How to watch: The Mole is now streaming on Netflix.
13. The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman / Netflix © 2022The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On is trashy reality TV of the highest order. Each of the show's six main couples is facing the same dilemma: One partner wants to get married, and the other has doubts. Now, with the help of Love Is Blind's Nick and Vanessa Lachey, these 12 people will test their commitments to each other... by breaking up and choosing new partners. Honestly, it's a train wreck disguised as an experiment to find your true love. But you know what they say about train wrecks: You can't look away. And you certainly can't look away from the mess that is The Ultimatum. — B.E.
How to watch: The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On is now streaming on Netflix.
12. Married at First SightEverything old is new again! Taking us back to ye olde days of arranged marriages, this long-running series pairs up total strangers who agree to get married based on the decisions of relationship experts. And then the series follows them for eight weeks as they get to know each other, to see if the so-called experts know what's up or are, dare I say, up their own asses. And seeing as how the show has, after 17 seasons, a success rate of around 16% I'd say they're pretty firmly planted in the latter.
But that doesn't rob us the viewers of entertainment value! After all, people who'd sign up for this show already seem like big bundles of red flags, so why not toss them at each other like the romantic version of gladiators in Ancient Rome? In like lions, out like delicious Christians. — J.A.
How to watch: Married at First Sight is now streaming on Netflix.
11. Blown Away Credit: Courtesy of NetflixIn the back-breaking world of glass arts, the stakes couldn't be higher. One wrong move and an award-winning masterpiece can become worthless shards. For the competitors in Blown Away, the pressure is on to nail weekly challenges and progress closer to the coveted title of "Best in Glass." There's screaming, there's crying, and there's a whole bunch of people casually saying "glory hole," all next to a 2,000-degree furnace. — A.F.
How to watch: Blown Away is now streaming on Netflix.
10. Fastest CarMan, f*ck the rich. In this Netflix auto-racing series, owners of luxury supercars go up against "sleeper cars" (older models improved by skilled gearheads) in a quarter-mile race for a chance at the season championship.
It's high speed and high intrigue as viewers guess which racer will reign supreme. Trust me when I say, even if you're not "into" racing, nothing beats a 1992 Honda Civic stomping a Lamborghini. — A.F.
How to watch: Fastest Car is now streaming on Netflix.
9. Rhythm + Flow Credit: Eddy Chen / NetflixNetflix's first original music competition show is basically American Idol, but waaay more badass.
Celebrity judges T.I., Chance the Rapper, and Cardi B (with help from guests including Snoop Dogg, DJ Khaled, and Ty Dolla $ign) scout the cities of Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and Chicago in hopes of discovering raw talent in the world of hip-hop. The criticism is excellent, albeit occasionally vicious, and the good performances are really, really good.
Buckle up, pick a favorite, and see who wins the $250,000 grand prize. — A.F.
How to watch: Rhythm + Flow is now streaming on Netflix.
8. Death by MagicMagician Drummond Money-Coutts (aka "DMC") takes his job very seriously. An escape artist with decades of experience, DMC knows all too well how stunts and tricks can go wrong. In his Netflix series Death by Magic, the daredevil illusionist takes on feats with a proven track record of killing those who attempt them. The result is a fist-clenching, teeth-grinding fiasco as utterly nerve-racking as it is impressive.
Not interested in watching a dude almost die? You can also check out former Cupcake Wars host Justin Willman's show Magic for Humans, also on Netflix. — A.F.
How to watch: Death by Magic is now streaming on Netflix.
7. Love Is Blind Credit: Adrian S. Burrows Sr. / NetflixLove Is Blind combines the best of Dating in the Dark, Bachelor in Paradise, and Married at First Sight with just a sprinkle of Trading Spaces and Say Yes to the Dress.
As hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey explain, the matchmaking experiment begins with a pool of contestants getting to know each other via "pods," adjoining rooms where they can talk to their hearts' content but never see who they're dating. If they agree to get engaged, the participants are allowed to meet face-to-face — where both their personalities and appearances can shine. Then, mayhem ensues. Weddings are planned, hearts are broken, and dental hygiene is discussed. Swoon. — A.F.
How to watch: Love Is Blind is now streaming on Netflix.
6. The Great British Baking ShowThe feel-good jewel in the royal crown of cooking competition series, this long-running BBC staple gathers together a baker's dozen of amateur bakers give or take, proceeding to then whittle down week to week based on their biscuit (that's Brit for "cookie") and cake-slinging skills. Hosts and judges of the show have varied over the years (with celebrity chef Paul Hollywood, who's been a judge for the entire run, being the main exception) but one thing has stood the test of time — awash in figgy food porn and delectable accents, this is comfort viewing of the highest order. — J.A.
How to watch: The Great British Baking Show is now streaming on Netflix.
5. Physical: 100 Credit: NetflixWhat is the perfect physique? That's the question this survival-of-the-fittest show aims to answer. From bodybuilders to gymnasts and Olympic athletes, 100 participants are put to the test in grueling physical competitions that range from wrestling and racing to endurance challenges. Physical: 100 is made of pure adrenaline; it's like watching gladiators fight in a colosseum, with one lone victor claiming a cash prize and eternal bragging rights. — Y.H.
How to watch: Physical: 100 is now streaming on Netflix.
4. Bling Empire Credit: Courtesy of NetflixBilled as the reality-show version of Crazy Rich Asians, Bling Empire delivers on the glitz and glamour of its wealthy subjects by offering a peek into their opulent lives. Pool parties, trips to Europe, shopping sprees, and closets to die for are typical rich people reality-show standards. Yet Bling Empire's charming cast keeps this show a cut above the rest. — A.F.
How to watch: Bling Empire is now streaming on Netflix.
3. Awake: The Million Dollar GameSo, a whole bunch of people count quarters for 24 hours. Thousands and thousands of dollars worth of quarters. No paper, no pen, no breaks, no naps. Then, the competition begins.
In Awake: The Million Dollar Game, these sleep-deprived contestants must take part in Minute to Win It-style challenges designed to exploit their exhaustion. (As an example, in Episode 1, participants are tasked with chugging frozen drinks because sleep deprivation makes you more sensitive to temperature.) There are a dozen caveats round to round, made 10 times more spectacular by just how tired everyone is. Logic goes out the window. Coordination is a no-show, and emotional stability is mixed.
Just...watch this. Episodes are 40 minutes. It'll change your life. You're welcome. — A.F.
How to watch: Awake: The Million Dollar Game is now streaming on Netflix.
2. Hack My Home Credit: Courtesy of NetflixIf you're a fan of ingenious interior design, Hack My Home is right up your alley. Informed by the ways the pandemic has changed how we exist at home, Hack My Home sees a group of four brilliant designers teaming up to help reinvent someone's living space. The key here is that Hack My Home isn't just about making a participant's house prettier, it's about maximizing their space to its fullest potential — and trust me, you'll be in awe when you see how they can transform a single room. If you ever thought a living room was just a living room, think again, because Hack My Home's designers have at least 10 different ways to change it into the pantry/office space/playroom of your dreams. — Y.H.
How to watch: Hack My Home is now streaming on Netflix.
1. The Real WorldFor some reason Netflix has two seemingly random seasons of the granddaddy of all Reality Television streaming right now — the show's 9th season, which took place in the year 2000 and was set in New Orleans, and the show's 16th season, which came out in 2005 and took place in Austin, Texas. Why they chose these two out of the series' 33 total seasons I can't tell you, but since they're stand-out classics — the New Orleans season is my favorite of them all — I'm happy they did!
The setup, in case you're unaware, is seven-ish strangers — always young, always hot — who've chosen to live in a house together while cameras film their every move. Hardly a novel conceit now — that's the plot of half the shows on this list — but it was when it began, and no series milked more from it than MTV's phenom did. New Orleans' stand-outs include boisterous Melissa, religious Julie, and the gay perfection that is Danny, while Austin centers on the budding romance between Melinda and another Danny. Cue lots of drinking, lots of fights, and lots of sex, not always in that order (or kept exclusive from one another, for that matter). — J.A.
How to watch: The Real World is now streaming on Netflix.
UPDATE: Dec. 18, 2024, 4:00 p.m. EST This article was originally published Jan. 13, 2020. It has been updated with the latest streaming options.
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Opens in a new window Credit: Aleksa Tamburkovski The All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle £27.84 at the Mashable ShopAre you feeling stagnant at your current job? Here's a fact that might finally inspire you to switch to cybersecurity: there are about 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs out there, and some companies are willing to pay very well for experts who can protect their businesses from cyber threats.
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