Reality TV

El mayor premio de un reality de televisión de $4,560,000 dólares fue a parar a las manos de su ganador, con la coronación oficial de "El juego del calamar: El Desafío".

ALERTA DE SPOILER

Millones de personas siguieron en streaming la adaptación a la vida real del popular programa de Netflix y todo llegó a su fin el miércoles cuando los 3 finalistas se disputaron el primer lugar. Los concursantes fueron agasajados con un banquete en su dormitorio -compuesto por filetes- antes de que se revelara que solo 2 pasarían al juego final.

Desde ahí, Mai Whelan (jugador 287), Sam Lantz (jugador 016) y Phill Cain (jugador 451) quedaron reducidos a dos en un juego de azar. Este consistía en elegir un botón: el verde significaba que podían elegir a otro jugador para ir a la final, el rojo que quedaban eliminados y el gris era neutral. Mai consiguió el gris y Sam el rojo, por lo que pasó Phil.

En la partida final, Mai y Phil jugaron a "Piedra, papel o tijera". Cada vez que un jugador ganaba una ronda, tenía que seleccionar una llave de una caja con varias de ellas e intentar abrir una cerradura

ALERTA SPOILER

Después de una docena de rondas, Mai, de 55 años e inmigrante de Virginia eligió la llave ganadora, pudo abrir la caja fuerte y llevarse a casa el premio de $4,560,000.

Reality TV's biggest prize of $4,560,000 has officially been won ... as the winner of "Squid Game: The Challenge" was crowned.

SPOILER ALERT

Millions streamed the real-life game show adaption of the extremely popular Netflix show, and Wednesday night it all came to an end as the final 3 became one single champion. The three remaining contestants were all treated to a feast in their dorm -- consisting of steak -- before it was revealed only 2 of them would move on to the final game.

From there, the remaining 3 Mai Whelan (player 287), Sam Lantz (player 016), and Phill Cain (player 451) were narrowed to two in a game of chance where players selected a button to press ... green meant they got to choose one other player to bring to the final, red meant they were eliminated and grey was neutral. Mai got grey and Sam chose red which meant Phil and Mai moved on.

In the final game, Mai and Phil played "Rock, Paper, Scissors." Every time a player won the round, they'd select a single key from a box of several and attempt to open a lock.

SPOILER ALERT

After about a dozen rounds ... 55-year-old Mai, an immigration adjudicator from Virginia picked the winning key, opening the safe and taking home the $4,560,000 prize.

Flo Rida's performance at iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball Detroit brought good feelings out for Flavor Flav, surprising the crowd as Flo's hype man and running into an old friend backstage ... his 'Flavor of Love' Season 1 winner Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander!!!

The animated rap legend joined Flo for "Club Can't Handle Me" ... which ended in jolly fashion with Flo being carried off stage by a beastly Santa Claus.

A rep for Flav tells us he still has one more stop on the iHeart Jingle Ball Tour after making cameos in both Detroit and L.A.

As for his reunion, we're told Flav follows Hoopz on social media and loves watching her updates, but he hasn’t seen her in person in years ... neither planned on running into the other at the Jingle Ball.

As you can see in the video, the two were excited to hang -- they remixed the song "Hey Mickey" to insert Nicole's name in the lyrics ... a little inside joke from their past.

La actuación de Flo Rida en el iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball de Detroit trajo cosas buenas para Flavor Flav, sorprendiendo a la multitud como hype man de Flo y encontrándose con una vieja amiga entre bastidores, ¡su ganadora de la primera temporada de "Flavor of Love" Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander!

La leyenda del rap se unió a Flo para "Club Can't Handle Me" que terminó de manera alegre con Flo siendo llevado fuera del escenario por un Santa Claus gigantesco.

Un representante de Flav nos dice que todavía tiene una parada más en el iHeart Jingle Ball Tour después de hacer cameos en Detroit y Los Ángeles.

En cuanto a su reencuentro, nos comentan que Flav sigue a Hoopz en redes sociales y le encanta ver sus actualizaciones, pero no la ha visto en persona en años, ninguno planeaba encontrarse con el otro en el Jingle Ball.

Como se puede ver en el video, los dos estaban emocionados de pasar el rato, remezclaron la canción "Hey Mickey" para insertar el nombre de Nicole en la letra, una pequeña broma interna de su pasado.

Bam Margera finalmente consiguió la luz verde para ver a su hijo, esto después de cruzar recientemente un gran hito en la sobriedad y tiene planes para ver al niño para la Navidad. TMZ ha iondagado.

David Glass —el abogado que representa a la esposa separada de Bam, Nikki— nos dice que la ex estrella de "Jackass" ha concedido visitas supervisadas para ver a su hijo pequeño, Phoenix. Se nos dice Bam puede ver Phoenix con un supervisor profesional siempre y cuando sea en el sur de California, que es donde Nikki vive con el niño.

Glass dice que ni él ni su cliente han sido informados acerca de cualquier fecha potencial para Bam ver Phoenix, aunque nos dicen lo contrario por Bam.

El propio Margera le dice a TMZ que no ha visto a Phoenix en persona desde hace más de 200 días y está decidido a visitar a su hijo justo alrededor de Navidad... nos informan que pasa a ser el cumpleaños del niño también.

Bam dice que esto es desde hace mucho tiempo, ya que afirma que sólo se ha permitido FT llamadas con Phoenix hasta ahora - y como tal, Papá Oso está todo listo para conducir a Cali para pasar algún tiempo de calidad con él. Nos dicen que Bam viene con un saco lleno de regalos, también, para Phoenix.

Al parecer, Bam había comprado $ 5,000 en regalos para su hijo - pero debido a todo el drama legal últimamente, no ha sido capaz de darles a Phoenix todavía ... aunque, Bam dice que va a recoger estos juguetes de la casa de un amigo en Burbank cuando llegue a la ciudad.

Como hemos informado, Bam recientemente logró estar más de 100 días sobrio, lo cual es una gran victoria para él en muchos aspectos. Bam nos dice que el juez en su caso de divorcio ha estado monitoreando este progreso cuidadosamente y pareciera que la decisión de concederle visitas se debe a su sobriedad.

Bam Margera finally got the green light to see his son -- this after recently crossing a huge milestone in sobriety -- and he has plans to see the boy for Christmas ... TMZ has learned.

David Glass -- the attorney repping Bam's estranged wife, Nikki -- tells us the former "Jackass" star has, indeed, been granted monitored visitation with their young son, Phoenix. We're told Bam can see Phoenix with a professional supervisor if/when he's in Southern California ... which is where Nikki lives with the kid.

As of right now, however, Glass says neither he nor his client have been informed about any potential dates for Bam to see Phoenix.

BM himself tells TMZ ... since he hasn't seen Phoenix in person for well over 200 days now, he's dead set on visiting his son right around Christmas -- which we're told happens to be the kid's birthday as well.

Bam says this is long overdue, as he claims to have only been allowed FT calls with Phoenix up until now -- and as such, Papa Bear is going to be flying into Los Angeles this month for an event and wants to spend some quality time with him. We're told Bam's coming with a sack full of presents, too, for Phoenix.

Apparently, Bam had purchased $5,000 worth of gifts for his kid -- but because of all the legal drama lately, he hasn't been able to give them to Phoenix just yet.

As we reported ... Bam recently hit over 100 days sober, which is a major win for him in so many respects. Bam tells us the judge in his divorce case has been monitoring this progress carefully -- and feels like the decision to grant him visitation is due to his sobriety.

Brandi Mallory murió de complicaciones debido a la obesidad, esto de acuerdo a su informe oficial de la autopsia.

TMZ obtuvo el documento del médico forense del condado de Fulton, y no arroja demasiados detalles sobre lo que fue lo que sucedió exactamente para causar la muerte de la estrella "Extreme Weight Loss". El hecho fue muy repentino y se cita su peso como el factor principal.

El papeleo dice que no había señales de una lesión reciente y no había razón para sospechar de juego sucio tampoco. El informe señala que había rastros de marihuana y alcohol en su sistema, pero el forense dice que no tuvieron implicancia en su muerte.

Esto es lo que dicen en la autopsia: "Es mi opinión que Brandi E. Mallory murió de complicaciones relacionadas con la obesidad, la cual se consideró una condición significativa respecto a su muerte". También enumera su muerte como natural cuando se trata de la forma.

TMZ publicó la historia, Mallory fue encontrado muerto en un estacionamiento del centro comercial de Atlanta después de una carrera de comida rápida de la noche anterior. Ella entró en el establecimiento, salió con su comida, y luego entró a su vehículo, pero nunca volvió a salir después de eso.

Un transeúnte preocupado llamó al 911 y dijo que sospechaba que había un cuerpo en el carro, ya que se dio cuenta de que no se había movido durante mucho tiempo.

Mallory concursó en la cuarta temporada de la serie de ABC allá por 2014 y participó en el programa hasta 2018.

Brandi Mallory died from complications due to obesity -- this according to her official autopsy report.

TMZ obtained the document from the Fulton County Medical Examiner, citing the "Extreme Weight Loss" star's weight, an enlarged heart, and some elevated blood indicators suggestive of prediabetes all as factors in her overall health.

The paperwork says there was no sign of a recent injury and there was no reason to suspect foul play either. The report does note there were trace amounts of marijuana and alcohol in her system ... but the coroner says neither played a role in her death.

Here's how they put it in the autopsy ... "It is my opinion that Brandi E. Mallory died of complications of obesity was considered a significant condition contributing to the death." It also lists her death as natural when it comes to the manner.

TMZ broke the story ... Mallory was found dead in an Atlanta strip mall parking lot after being seen entering her car the night before. A concerned bystander called 911 and said he suspected there was a body in the car, as he noticed it hadn't moved for a long time.

Mallory competed on Season 4 of the ABC series back in 2014, and had been involved with the program as recently as 2018.

She was only 40.

Jessey Lee's ex-wife claims he's abused her and their kids, and now she's trying to get court ordered protection, but Jessey's denying it ... and claims she's lost all parental rights.

Crystal Hoang Lee -- who was once married to Jessey and has 2 children with him -- ran to court in L.A. this week to file for a temporary restraining order ... and her docs, obtained by TMZ, include shocking allegations of violence.

In the TRO request, Crystal claims Jessey's most recent date of alleged abuse against her was on Nov. 25 of this year ... and she claims he hit one of their children when they wouldn't go to sleep. She also alleges he caused her to have a miscarriage, but the docs don't include any further detail.

If you read through the docs ... she lists several other allegations of abuse from previous years -- ranging from hitting the kids, to hitting her, leaving the family to go gamble, uprooting the children and placing them in different schools.

Still, it appears the court wants to hear more details -- for now, a judge has denied Crystal's request for the TRO, and scheduled a hearing in 2 weeks, when she'll have a chance to lay out all her alleged details.

Jesse's rep tells us, "Mr. Lee has no knowledge of this restraining order. He actually was granted a restraining order against Ms. Hoang on Nov 21st. He has been awarded full exclusive custody of the children and they currently live with him. Ms. Hoang has no access or parental rights. There is absolutely no truth to any of these allegations."

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann are falling deeper into the debt hole -- she just got hit with a new credit card lawsuit ... meanwhile, a different judge just ordered him to pay 5 figures.

The embattled couple had some new legal docs come their way Tuesday -- in Kim's case, she's now being sued by Chase Bank over a balance they claim is way past due ... they're suing her for $4,624.02

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Chase attached a bunch of statements from her account to demonstrate she's been behind on payments dating back to Nov. 2022.

The balance, they allege, has only ballooned ... and now, they say they want their dough. Remember, Kroy also got sued by Chase Bank over another credit card account he had with them ... and in that instance, they alleged he owed quite a bit more -- about $13,000.

Speaking of KB, he got hit with a judgment in a completely separate case -- although, it pertains to the same sort of allegations. Discover is suing him over a balance it says he owed, which had grown to $11,275.45 ... and was past due.

Per new legal docs, Kroy never officially filed a response in that suit -- and now, a judge has signed off on a default judgment saying he's gotta fork over that full amount ... plus $111 of court costs.

As we've reported ... Kim and Kroy have been facing a lot of these types of lawsuits lately -- and it's all part of the mosaic of their financial woes ... which go well beyond the credit cards.

Kim Zolciak y Kroy Biermann se están hundiendo cada vez más en el agujero de las deudas. Ella acaba de recibir un nuevo embate, con una demanda por atrasos en su tarjeta de crédito, mientras que otro juez acaba de ordenarle a Roy que pague 5 cifras.

La asediada pareja se encontró con nuevos documentos legales el martes. En el caso de Kim, ahora está siendo demandada por Chase Bank por un sobre saldo que está muy atrasado y que asciende a los $4,624.02, según están demandando.

En los documentos obtenidos por TMZ, Chase adjunta un montón de declaraciones de su cuenta para demostrar que los retrasos en los pagos se remontan a noviembre de 2022.

Alegan que el saldo solo se ha disparado y que quieren su dinero de vuelta. Recuerden, Kroy también fue demandado por Chase Bank por otra tarjeta de crédito que tenía con ellos. En ese caso, alegan que debía un poco más de $13,000.

Hablando de Kroy, también fue aporreado con una sentencia en un caso completamente separado, aunque se refiere al mismo tipo de reclamos. Discover lo está demandando por un saldo adeudado que habría crecido a $11,275.45 y está atrasado.

Por nuevos documentos legales, Kroy nunca presentó oficialmente una respuesta a esa demanda y ahora un juez ha firmado una sentencia diciendo que él es tenedor de esa cantidad total, más unos $111 por los costos judiciales.

Como hemos informado, Kim y Kroy se han enfrentado a una gran cantidad de demandas de este tipo últimamente, y todo es parte del mosaico de sus problemas financieros, el que va mucho más allá de sus tarjetas de crédito.

Kyle Richards and estranged husband Mauricio Umansky's relationship is "good enough for The Grove" -- at least that's what the 'RHOBH' star tells us.

The duo have had a famously tumultuous few months after announcing their separation in July, but Kyle tells TMZ they're "getting along" after they were spotted together on a family outing at the L.A shopping center over the weekend.

Speaking outside Beverly Glen Deli Monday, Kyle also confirmed that she was spending Xmas this year with Mauricio and their kids.

However, she says this is no fast track to amending their relationship ... saying they're "just taking everything a day at a time."

This comes after the embattled pair played happy family as they posed alongside their daughters Alexia, Sophia, and Farrah Aldjufrie for a snap from the weekend.

K&M have had a dramatic few weeks with Kyle blasting the real estate boss for how he's carried himself with his "DWTS" costar Emma Slater -- and also referring to their split as a "divorce."

La relación entre Kyle Richards y su marido Mauricio Umansky es "lo suficientemente buena para The Grove", o al menos eso es lo que nos dice la estrella de "RHOBH".

El dúo ha tenido unos meses tumultuosos después de anunciar su separación en julio, pero Kyle le dice a TMZ que están "llevándose bien" después de que fueron vistos juntos en una excursión familiar en un centro comercial de Los Ángeles el fin de semana.

Hablando fuera de Beverly Glen Deli el lunes, Kyle también confirmó que iba a pasar la Navidad este año con Mauricio y sus hijos.

Sin embargo, ella dice que esto no es una vía rápida para enmendar su relación, diciendo que "se están tomando las cosas un día a la vez".

Esto viene después de la pareja jugara a familia feliz, ya que posaron junto a sus hijas Alexia, Sophia, y Farrah Aldjufrie el fin de semana.

K & M han tenido unas semanas dramáticas con Kyle, criticando al jefe de bienes raíces por la forma en que se ha llevado con su coprotagonista de "DWTS" Emma Slater y también refiriéndose a su ruptura como un "divorcio".

Ariana Madix opened up her wallet big time to help out a friend of the 'Vanderpump Rules' family ... this after a major health scare that's threatening their life.

AM was among several 'VP' stars to draw attention to the GoFundMe page of Jesse Montana -- who's a pal of theirs and who's appeared on the reality show. He recently revealed he's been diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he's looking to raise funds for his hospital stay ... 'cause he's going into surgery on Monday.

Like we said ... a lot of the 'Vanderpump' cast members have donated, but Ariana has shelled out the most by far -- offering up a $9,000 donation to help Jesse.

In hopes that Jesse's unexpected health woes don't leave him with a financial burden, the GFM page has a goal to raise $100,000.

The cast began donating over the weekend ... and other 'VPR' contributions include Katie Maloney giving $3,000, Scheana Shay dropping $2,000, Tom Schwartz and Rachel Leviss chipped in $500.

'VPR' alums Brittany Cartwright and Kristen Doute donated $100 and the show's executive producer, Alex Baskin gave $250. The donations touched Jesse ... who said in his IG Stories ahead of surgery Monday that he'll "forever be shocked at how fast life can change."

Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky seem to be kumbaya again -- 'cause they posed together for a family photo after what's been a pretty bumpy past few months.

The estranged couple -- who announced they'd separated earlier this year -- were side by side in a sweet snapshot shared by their daughter, Alexia ... who was also in the photo alongside her parents and her sister, Sophia, and her half-sister, Farrah Aldjufrie.

The whole family was out at The Grove shopping center in L.A. over the weekend ... and based on how cozy everyone looks, you could argue Kyle and Mauricio are on good terms.

That's certainly what it looks like, anyway ... but another photo Alexia posted just features the girls -- no dad in sight.

It's hard to glean what this may or not mean, to be frank -- we've seen Mauricio and Kyle get together as a family for quite a while now ... even after they "separated."

While they've been putting out a "happy family" image on social media ... things have been a little dramatic between Kyle and Mauricio behind the scenes, much of which has become public ... including the fact Mauricio has recently gotten very close to his 'DWTS' costar Emma Slater.

Kyle has said she doesn't appreciate how Mauricio has carried himself with Emma in public -- including hitting dinners and holding hands at times -- and KR even recently referred to their split as a "divorce."

Maybe they're putting their problems aside for the sake of family ... especially as we head into the holidays.

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is closing up shop in Santa Monica ... shuttering his brick-and-mortar operation and pivoting to online orders only.

Buddy owned Carlo's Bake Shop on the famous Santa Monica Promenade, but it closed this week for good ... and there's a sign on the door announcing a public auction for all the store equipment.

Folks at Carlo's Bake Shop tell TMZ … the Santa Monica location decided not to renew the lease as it shifts towards an e-commerce business strategy.

We're told the bakery was doing more sales for online orders in recent years particularly in California, with fewer customers actually coming by the storefront, even for folks requesting deliveries nearby.

Buddy's not leaving the traditional bakery setup altogether though ... it sounds like this is limited to Santa Monica.

We're told there's a new Carlo's Bake Shop opening this December in New York City's Times Square ... which BV feels will attract locals and tourists. There's certainly a lot of foot traffic.