March Bonus Puzzle
Every month, The New York Times publishes a bonus crossword puzzle for subscribers. The puzzles are designed to have the difficulty of an early-week puzzle and to use the theme throughout. The theme of this month’s puzzle — constructed by Christina Iverson, a puzzle editor, and Gabby Windey, who has appeared on “The Bachelorette,” “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Traitors” — is reality television. The New York Times has published a bonus puzzle for as long as I can remember, but it was only a few years ago that we started to push the boundaries of what we like to put in them. As you probably know, the daily crossword puzzle is graded by difficulty based on the day of the week, and we try to appeal to the broadest audience possible. That means that some of the more niche interests some of us have don’t often appear in puzzles. Since Christina Iverson, a puzzle editor, has taken the reins, we’ve kept the grids at a fairly easy difficulty level, but tried to load them with fun crossword fill around pop culture themes, like Broadway shows or Taylor Swift. Recently, we’ve started experimenting with doing constructor collaborations in which Christina works with celebrity constructors who have a unique point of view. In November, she published a collaboration with the documentarian Ken Burns called “You Say You Want a Revolution.” This month, she tackles reality television with Gabby Windey, who is best known for stints on “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette” and “The Traitors,” as well as a very entertaining TikTok presence. I wasn’t always a reality television girlie, though I would occasionally read a recap or Wikipedia page so I would be knowledgeable enough to participate in polite conversation. I had a brief and admittedly odd fixation on a business rehabilitation show on CNBC, and a genuine addiction to a wacky cooking show with Alton Brown, but I didn’t even watch the beloved “Great British Bake Off.” But then, I had a bad break up and then came the global Covid shutdown, and watching people fall in lust with each other on Netflix satisfied the part of me that loves drama and gossip. While that passion has since abated somewhat, I am now a woman who scours Reddit minutes after the finale of my current favorite reality show, “Single’s Inferno,” for analysis and more gossip. What I’ve learned over the past few years is that reality TV is a culture all its own, with a vocabulary to match. This month’s bonus puzzle is chock-full of nods to reality show empires, such as the entry to 20-Across. Happy solving, and keep an eye out for future constructor collaborations. Who would you like to see make a puzzle? Let us know at crosswordeditors@nytimes.com. Solve the Puzzle
Try This Clue45-Across: Word to an eliminated contestant
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