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Stephen Fishbach Releases Debut Novel 'Escape!' About Reality TV Behind the Scenes

The novel uses lived experience with fresh reporting to examine narrative control in reality television.

Overview

  • Published Jan. 27, 2026, the book is available from Dutton Books and Penguin Random House.
  • The story follows former reality winner Kent Duvall seeking a comeback, paired with docuseries producer Beck Bermann’s quest for redemption.
  • Fishbach emphasizes it is a work of fiction rather than memoir, drawing on interviews with producers and contestants to ground the details.
  • He first drafted the book from a producer’s perspective before reshaping it to focus on a has‑been contestant’s interior life after graduate‑school feedback.
  • The release arrives as interest builds for Survivor’s upcoming Season 50, and Fishbach frames the book’s themes around image-making, fleeting fame, and the human stories behind the edits.