March Madness for Chicago Reality TV Fans

Bracket frenzy has expanded beyond March Madness.

Lakeview residents Kaitlyn Hurley, Jonah Fialkow, and David Pawlan run Bracketology TV, a fantasy sports app for reality TV shows such as “The Bachelor,” “Survivor,” and “RuPaul's Drag Race.” Hurley shares the inspiration behind the app and how Chicagoans can join in on the fun.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Why reality TV?

“There's a lot of similarities between sports and reality TV. People are very invested in sports — the players and what they do each week and who's competitive and who's not. We just saw a clear opportunity to create a community around reality TV similar to the one that exists around sports.”

How does Bracketology TV work?

“Our most popular game type would be the advanced league, which is like fantasy football. You draft a team of contestants each week, and then you win or lose points based on what they say or do in the episode.”

“Another one of our popular games is our bracket-style game, which is a lot like the March Madness brackets. You would take all the contestants at the beginning of the season and you would create a bracket for each elimination ceremony down to the winner. And then [the app] tells you your accuracy each week and how many points are left available for you in the season.”

How do you pick a winning reality TV bracket?

“Obviously having experience watching the show in the past is definitely helpful. But one of the main things to consider is that you really don't win points if [your picks] aren’t on screen. … I think a lot of people will be disappointed when they pick their bracket full of the quiet strategic players.”