Already Binge-Watched 'Selling The OC'? Here Are 20 Of The Best Reality TV Shows To Watch
Whether you hate to admit it or are free about your love for reality TV, you can't deny its pull. Ordinary people have gone from contestants on low-budget shows to some of the biggest names in the media industry. And of course, much of pop culture's lexicon, trends and talking points all derive from reality TV.
Classics such as Big Brother, The Bachelor and The Real Housewives franchise caught the attention of viewers back in the early noughties, and have made way for newer shows such as Love Is Blind, The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move On and 90 Day Fiancé today.
Whether you like to indulge in the drama and gossip, or love the tension of high-stake challenges and jaw-dropping plot twists there's something from everyone.
Rather than scouring the internet for something to watch, we've compiled a comprehensive list of the 20 best reality TV shows to watch:
The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move On
As the title suggests, The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move On is about exactly that - couples whose future wishes aren't quite aligned. One partner wishes to get marries while the other isn't ready to tie the knot. The social experiment tests whether couples will make the decision to get married or split up for good.
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Love Island
Whether you loathe it or love it, it's near impossible to escape Love Island's reach during the summer. Not only this, but due to its relatable themes of love and all of the ups and downs that come with it, it's easy to get hooked.
Hosted by Maya Jama, single individuals sign up for a promised summer of love in the hopes of finding 'The One' (and/or fame). Between challenges, surprise guests, endless love triangles and heartbreak, not all of them will find love.
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Selling Sunset
If you're not already acquainted with Selling Sunset - don't walk, run! The series takes viewers into the lives of the elite real estate brokers at the Oppenheim Group who sell luxury homes worth millions to buyers all over Los Angeles.
Between personality clashes, conflicts of interest and differences of opinion when it comes to business, this is a show not short of tension and drama.
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RuPaul's Drag Race
Without RuPaul's Drag Race, we might have never come to know about some of our favourite drag queens. From Trixxie Mattel to Jujubee and Bimini Bon Boulash, the reality show has birthed a host of legendary queens.
Each episode, they compete with another in a series of dancing, acting, singing and beauty challenges in the hopes of being crowned as the season's winner. Not to mention a £100,000 cash prize.
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Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star
Supermodel Leomie Anderson is on the lookout for the next make-up artist in Britain's beauty industry. Accompanying her are beauty industry legends, Dominic Skinner and Val Garland.
During each series a mix of aspiring beautician's will live and work with one another whilst competing in a series of challenges that test their artistry.
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Too Hot To Handle
Living in a villa and under the rules of a virtual assistant named Lana, 10 singles must work together to get through a range of workshops, all while not engaging in any form of physical touch. No kissing, hugging or anything more than that for four weeks, but twist is, all of singles who have signed up prefer short-term relationships over long-term. Hence the show's name, Too Hot To Handle.
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Vanderpump Rules
Following her success from being a cast member of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills from 2010 until 2019. Lisa Vanderpump created Vanderpump Rules.
The show follows her and her staff at her various restaurants and bars as they aspire to make it in show business all whilst becoming entangled in drama.
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The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills
Inspired by the series' Desperate Housewives and Peyton Palace, The Real Housewives franchise has 21 internationally adapted shows, all of which take viewers into the lives of upper class women living lavish lifestyles.
Expect to be taken on a rollercoaster of emotions as you get to know their inner circles and business, messy drama and love lives.
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90 Day Fiancé
Couples have just 90 days to decide whether they'd like to get married or say goodbye to their fiancé's. But of course, like many other reality shows it isn't so straight forward.
One half of the couple makes us of the uncommonly used 90 day fiancé visa, which allows overseas fiancés to travel to the US to live with their prospective partners for the first 90 days and prove that they plan to marry.
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The Bachelor
Each season, between 29 to 32 women compete to win the affections of a single bachelor, who must then choose a fiancé. As each week goes on, he must eliminate candidates, ultimately whittling it down to two women and one of them will receive a marriage proposal.
Besides having to somehow pick between a barrage of contestants, the bachelor must do so in a time period much shorter than real life as each season lasts only six weeks.
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The Traitors
22 strangers must live together in a castle in the Scottish Highlands to complete a series of challenges and missions together as a team. Things are not as they seem as a few contestants are chosen to become 'traitors.' The remaining contestants will then try and figure out who they are, all while the traitors convene to 'murder' one of them each night.
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House Of Sims
The Sims (Chloe, Charlie, Frankie, Demi and Georgia) clan leave Essex and head to Hollywood, California in the hopes of chasing their dreams and making it big.
As they throw themselves in the deep of life in L.A., their relationships are put to the test as they explore business ventures, new relationships and adjusting to a new social life.
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Married At First Sight
Much like Love Is Blind, singles with a deep desire for marriage and life-long commitment put their faith in relationship experts as they agree to walk down the aisle and marry someone that they have never met.
If the concept of show seems totally daunting and crazy, you're not alone, but considering that 12 couples out of 64 are still going strong until this day, it may be worth taking your chances.
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Love On The Spectrum
If you're looking for a heart-warming reality show, Love On The Spectrum is the one for you. Each season, a camera crew follows young adults who are on the autism spectrum as they explore love, dating and relationships.
One of the few shows that don't use scripts, it won't take too long before you're hooked on tuning in to watch the contestant's blossoming relationships.
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Queer Eye
The 'Fab 5', which is comprised of Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness and Jeremiah Brent get together to give different guests lifestyle and fashion makeovers.
Each episode, they'll spend just a week using their expertise to help improve someone's life situation by refining their wardrobes, grooming, diet, cultural pursuits, and home décor.
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Squid Game: The Challenge
When the limited series of the reality show launched on Netflix (soon to make its return with a second season), the world was obsessed with Squid Game. Known for its themes of human morality and unequal societies, in many ways the show paralleled much of what happens in society today.
Given the show had garnered a large fan base, a reality game show inspired by the show was created - minus the gory and life threatening consequences.
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The Circle
A reality, game and dating show all rolled in the one is probably the best way to describe The Circle. Throughout the show's duration, contestants live one and compete against one another over a social media called The Circle in the hopes of winning £100,000.
The catch? Some of the contestants are lying about their identity or elements of themselves in order to step closer to the cash prize.
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Celebrity Big Brother
Possibly one of the biggest global reality shows in the world, Big Brother has been on our TV screens since the late 90's. Since its creation, many contestants have gone on to achieve fame and success in the media industry, including Alison Hammond and Kate Lawler.
The original show features regular people who live in the same house and must win the public's favour to continue their stay in the house, with the aim of winning the show.
Much like the original, the celebrity spin-off follows the same format, but only consists of celebrities.
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Catfish
When Catfish made its debut back in 2012, it instantly became one of the most watched reality TV shows of its time for shedding a light on the dangers of finding love online.
Each episode follows a different person who, for whatever reason believes that their online lover or companion isn't who they say they are, and is tricking them into an emotional relationship. From former best friends seeking revenge to strangers pretending to be celebrities, no one episode is predictable.
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