Reality TV has given us some of the best and worst shows ever to exist. While there have been several failures, there have been even more shows that turned out to be incredibly enjoyable and engaging to watch.
This is a list of the best reality TV shows that you should binge-watch to keep yourself entertained. These shows deal with love, growth, change, or many other important topics, while some are just drama-filled and addictive to watch.
Survivor
Survivor has become an incredible success and worldwide phenomenon. From early on in the show’s life, people realized it was about far more than just winning challenges and finally the grand prize.
The show takes regular people, throws them in the middle of nowhere, and simply leaves them to survive; the mind games and mental aspects are constant. This is what people love, the backstabbing, blindsides, and deception. Survivor is an extreme game of wits and deception played against a backdrop of hunger and survival.
The Bachelor
Reality shows about love are pretty standard nowadays, but few have done it better than The Bachelor. The premise is simple: usually wealthy and successful, the Bachelor is met by a couple of dozen women trying to win his love.
The women compete in challenges to win dates, go on group dates and whatnot, and through a process of elimination, the Bachelor finally proposes to one of the two women left. While the show’s concept is cliche, the drama, backstabbing, and surprise can be incredible a lot of the time.
The Bachelorette
While the Bachelor can have some catty-filled drama, the Bachelorette is a bunch of guys trying to prove who the bigger man is. The concepts are exactly the same, just with the roles reversed.
The more macho nature of the Bachelorette does make the arguments and fights a bit more intense, but the show still has that love-filled drama that made the Bachelor such a popular series.
Love is Blind
A different take on the reality romance genre, Love is Blind, sees a group of men and a group of women talk to each other from opposite sides of a wall, never seeing what the other person looks like.
The speed-dating concept then leads to each man and woman proposing to the person they have fallen for. The show is a mix of the Bachelor, Bachelorette, and Married at First Sight and really is a fresh spin on romance shows.
90 Day Fiance
90 Day Fiance follows the lives of people engaged to someone who lives in a different country. The couple has applied for a K1 VISA, a VISA given to couples who have fiances overseas, and 90 days is the amount of time they have to get married, or the VISA is cancelled.
This show is jam-packed with drama, surprises that are almost too big to believe, and surprisingly, long-lasting love. Many of the people who have appeared on the show have become famous simply due to how unbelievable their time on the show was.
Love Island
Love Island has become a worldwide sensation and is one of the most-watched reality shows on the planet. A group of single girls and guys head to a villa to find love and win money if the public votes them the best couple.
There are regular eliminations of people who just don’t fit in anymore, and people constantly added to spice the villa up, and more often than not, break up some relationships. The show is funny, drama-packed, and surprisingly addictive.
Project Runway
Project Runway takes aspiring fashion designers and puts them in a competition to win the chance to have their clothes featured at a massive fashion show and get their clothing label off the ground.
Hosted by Heidi Klum, the contestants take part in design challenges that test their skills and creativity, with each episode ending in the worst-performing designer leaving. The clothes are incredible, the challenges are fun and exciting, and it’s a niche concept that anyone can enjoy.
Great British Bake Off
The Great British Bake Off is a competition that sees a group of home cooks go head to head in various baking challenges, with the worst baker being voted off each week and an eventual winner declared.
The show is highly entertaining, always has great hosts, and has been credited with reinvigorating the world of baking and making it popular again, especially in the UK. British humour and sarcasm are certainly the cherries on top.
Shark Tank
If you want to watch millionaire business moguls hand their money over to people with a possibly world-altering idea or product, Shark Tank is for you. The show sees aspiring business people attempt to get the backing and financial support of one of the sharks.
Shark Tank, and the UK equivalent Dragon’s Den, have been where many highly successful products started. Strangely, some rejected products became famous for appearing on these shows, the Tangle Teezer, for example.
Queer Eye
Queer Eye is the modern version of the highly successful Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, where a group of guys helped transform the life of someone who needed a helping hand. This new version aims to do the same.
Each member has unique skills, from fashion to hair, interior design, self-confidence, and cooking. The point is to help that episode’s chosen guest improve in all facets of their lives and give them the tools to continue growing. The show makes you warm and happy and even makes you shed a tear or two.
Ink Master
Ink Master sees tattoo artists go head to head and compete for a grand prize. They are challenged to create tattoos in a specific style and then challenged to create tattoos that clients ask for.
While the art you see is incredible, the show becomes hard to watch, and then, in turn, addictive. Mistakes are made and some bad tattoos are done, and even though the clients aren’t happy and it ends in a trainwreck, you can’t stop watching.
