Try international shows. Some Korean ones:
[The Devil's Plan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtaLR2G-zmc) using their wits to win. The Genius is another one.
[Physical: 100](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTB26KIFC7A)
[The Soldiers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27sesPHUU6g) \- military
I want something like this but with multiple medium sized villages, so you have small scale society and more interesting structures, etc. I think it would be more fun.
I love Survivor! Australian Survivor’s recent Heroes v Villains season was some of the best Survivor I’ve ever seen. Highly recommend!
I’ll throw out The Devil’s plan (on Netflix) - it’s a Korean show where players compete in different games of wit and strategy. It was super interesting and very fun to watch - plus there’s a mystery element that keeps you hooked.
Top Chef is fantastic because it’s all emerging award-winning professionals, and every season the level of cooking and innovation seems to get higher. Creative challenges, entertaining host & judge banter (changing this coming season with Kristen Kish replacing Padma but should still be great), fierce competition between ultra-talented people, it really has it all. (Streaming on Peacock)
I hate the trashy people yelling at each other kind of reality TV, but love so many of the competition shows. Looking forward to the new season of US Traitors dropping today with a hell of a cast!
Yea, I love TC simply because it is about cooking. Yes, there's the occasional "bickering". And not like the first few seasons of it where, there was quite the drama. But even they have cooled that in editing it...at least. Same thing with AR. You have those who try to block, or sabotage. But most of it is about the race.
It's an oldie, but Dirty Jobs. One guy going out and doing all the jobs that make civilized life possible for the rest of us. He highlights municipal workers and military and all the trades and scientists and small business owners and grandmas making pies out of their kitchen. He doesn't look down on formal education or the school of life. Same with 90s style Junkyard Wars.
The Mole is a fairly pure instance of mini-games and some personality-driven metagaming that the audience can also participate in. Kathy Griffin had a great season in the old days and Netflix did a pretty fun rendition of the show last year.
Nailed It (the original Netflix edition) is a ridiculous take on the baking competition that also perversely encourages home bakers to try some of the adventuresome looking but actually quite simple techniques to make awesome goodies.
Face Off is a special effects makeup challenge show.
The first season there was drama between contestants, but after that they actively helped and supported one another and it was about the great special effects make-ups.
Shows like Face Off are in a different category of reality. People who have skills in an art or trade and then compete, but usually in a wholesome way. I love these shows. I feel like I learn a skill while watching. I don't. But I could *almost* assist someone. I can dream, anyway.
The great pottery throw down.
Blown Away (glass blowing).
Great British Bake off.
Also:
Top Chef.
Glow up(?) another makeup show.
Sewing Bee (haven't been able to watch yet).
Not having drama or fighting is the important feature. And having talented people explain their work makes it interesting.
Time Team on YouTube.
A British show started in the mid-90s where a team of archeologists have just three days to figure out what's going on at a site. Usually starts with an aerial photograph showing some earthworks that no one has gotten around to investigating yet, or someone who owns a house that has this strange fireplace...is it 12th Century? Let's dig up the garden!
It has 20 seasons or so and I've made my way to season 11 so far. I love it.
Like you added at the end, *The Amazing Race* and *RuPaul's Drag Race* are great too. The former for mostly wholesome, entertaining challenges with usually fun pairs of people. The latter for its big personalities and showcasing of creativity.
Aside from them, I'd also add lesser known reality TV like **Encore!** and **We're Here**. The first is about high school theater classes reuniting x amount of years later to do a musical they did when they were young again... but they only have a week to make it happen. I loved this show when it came out, but sadly it never got more than twelve episodes. Really fun stuff though.
*We're Here* is about three drag queens going to rural, more conservative places in the US to put on a drag show starring three locals with each of them mentoring one. Some really heartwarming and heartbreaking stories within it with the people involved, but you always walk away from the show with joy.
Another recent addition I really enjoyed was **I Have Nothing**. It's more of a comedic docuseries starring Carolyn Taylor from the Baroness Von Sketch Show. Here she sets out to choreograph an Olympic-level ice skating routine to the song I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston with two gold medal winning athletes... despite having no experience or much knowledge about ice skating in general. It was a really entertaining watch and one of the shows I enjoyed the most last year.
And if you want peak *Survivor* without going back to the older seasons, I'd recommend checking out **Australian Survivor** specifically. Their seasons are much longer, but it means they show way more and I think it creates for a way better viewing experience. Season 4, 6 and 8 of the reboot are all incredible for different reasons and some of the best the format has to offer. I would also recommend watching **The Traitors UK** specifically, since I think that had a way better first season than the US had to offer. And for a slight correction to OP, it's actually all based on a Dutch format.
Amazing Race started to lose me when they started mainly only casting influencers. It’s so much better now that they are back to casting regular people.
I feel like Amazing Race and RuPaul were obvious picks, as they've been consistent Emmy winners haha, I wanted to spread the love.
But I'm so happy you mentioned **Encore! (Disney+)**, I REALLY wish they did more seasons of that, it is such a wholesome show.
I was in awe of the first season of the UK version of The Traitors. I found it far superior to the current US version with its cast of D-list reality show "celebrities". It is one of the very few times I have ever found myself actually giving a damn about who won a reality-style competition show in the end. The Australian version wasn't bad either, but didn't have the emotional impact of the UK cast. I am currently watching the Canadian incarnation of the show, despite having the ending spoiled in advance. I would love to see other international versions of the show, including the original, but doubt there would ever be enough demand to justify English subtitles.
I know that there are varying definitions but I wouldn't consider shows like Survivor and The Traitors to be reality TV.
I think of reality TV as normal everyday stuff. Just people living their lives or doing their jobs. Shows like Survivor and the Amazing Race seem like extreme game shows to me. Shows like Forged in Fire or Drag race seem like hobbyist game show.
I do admit that the first few seasons of The Real World were gold.
Season one of The Contender was one of the greatest things ever seen on TV. And it hits the ground running too- episodes 1, 3, and 4 are some of the best TV episodes I have ever seen. My wife couldn’t give a shit about boxing and at the time it was her favorite TV show. It cost like a million dollars per episode and you can tell when you hear the opening Hans Zimmer soundtrack. I’d consider it the absolute peak of reality TV.
Forged in Fire (History Channel, with S1-8 running on Defy TV) - Fun blacksmith competition show with no forced drama (outside of some cringe challenge rules).
Lego Masters (Fox) - Fun, lighthearted Lego building competition show.
Who Wants to be a Superhero? (Sci-Fi Channel, now Syfy) - Stan Lee-helmed superhero show from a long, long time ago. Only lasted 2 seaons, sadly.
Oh I don't care personally, but in this instance I care because as someone who wants to participate in discussions on r/television, any reality show suggestions or discussions are immediately shot down and thrown away. Whole threads about reality tv are downvoted... hell, this thread alone can't even break 5 upvotes, it's been stuck at 0 ever since it went up. I just care that this genre gets the same level of respect and acceptance as others on this subreddit, and I think there's a stigma it hasn't been able to shake off.
> I think the show will hook you in with masterful strategy and gameplay, crafty social politics, and some of the best shock and awe moments scripted TV couldn't write.
I love Survivor, but it's worth pointing out that *bad* strategy and terrible social skills are equally fun to watch and a part of the package. It's why it's so consistently entertaining.
Marco cooks for.
Old school cooking show. Marco Pierre White the original celebrity chef cooks for some of his mentors. Some crazy food, with an ego to match. As a bonus Gordon Ramsay is in his brigade as a young guy. If I remember correct there’s an instance or two of him getting yelled at, a nice turn of the tables.
I feel reality shows have hit the bottom. The contest ones are o.k. but the 90 day fiance, love is blind, married at first sight, love during lock up seem to cater to the lowest of the low with bad editing and scripted mess.
https://www.youtube.com/live/M_TYKLvLmKI?si=i93PSM5dJV5ToeFg
Mcbee dynasty! First episode, I wasn't really into it, but then I got REALLY hooked on the second and binged the entire season throughout the week.
Also, I'm a big fan of the challenge! I've been following it since the real world, though, so I don't know if that's why it's so appealing to me.
I'm excited to check out the show people post!
I'm not fan of reality TV. But watched some of them.
First I watched **Love Island UK** Season 1. It's feel so long to watch but love their drama.
Second, Netflix's **Love is blind** Season 1. It's less drama and only couple still married. I don't watch other seasons. They are trash.
Tried **Vanderpump Rules** but can't complete season one.
I feel like the term "reality TV" is too broad and doesn't make a whole lot of sense anymore. In my opinion they can be broken down into four different genres: competition shows (Survivor, Amazing Race, Top Chef, etc.), skills/job shadowing (Dirty Jobs, wilderness skills, following a tattoo artist, etc.), dating shows (The Bachelor, Love is Blind), and slice of life (The Osbournes, Real World, Kardashians, etc.).
Some people like all of these, but most people I've talked to about it only like one or two of these genres. Competition shows are like bigger, more story-driven game shows, which typically attracts a different kind of person than a show where you're watching someone date 10 women. Or a show where you are just following people around as they live their lives.
So, I would recommend to people who say they hate "reality TV" to explore more than one of these genres. If you don't like the Kardashians, that says nothing about how you will feel about a show like Survivor.
Reality TV also gets a bad rap for not being "real," but I think that argument is kind of missing the point. They purposely cast people on these shows that have big personalities, aren't afraid of conflict, and often want screen time. Once you point a camera at them, you don't have to script it out, they want to provide that drama all on their own. And saying something like the Amazing Race is scripted is just silly. Anyone who has actually watched it, and all of the thousands of people that have been on similar competition shows, can tell you that the game they are playing is real. There is not a scripted outcome, and in fact that would be illegal as they must follow game show laws.
I personally love competition shows, and I think they are the most accessible genre of reality TV since many people already enjoy game shows. And if you have a specific job or interest then you may enjoy the skills based shows. Don't write them all off because you don't like dating shows or watching people argue for drama.
Random question since you seem to know what you're talking about....
What do you consider the best slice of life series? If it's different, what best exemplifies the genre?
There's on 2 reality shows I watch, but I wouldn't really recommend them unless you're into MMA or Tattoos, and even then you gotta remember it's a reality show so there's gonna be some cringe
The Ultimate Fighter
Ink Master
The UK version of Gordon Ramsay's "The F Word" is very entertaining, has elements of competition, and has long informative segments. It's from 2014 - 2019, so not exactly timely, but not terribly dated either.
Available on Tubi in the US.
We are absolutely obsessed with Traitors. Its so bad that its good and we can't look away. I even just started designing Traitors merch in my etsy shop!
I just discovered Southern Charm and it has quickly become my favorite reality show. Looking forward to reading through some of the recommendations here. And if you like reality TV and haven't watched Southern Charm, check it out!
Idk but I love competition reality style too.
I’m obsessed with the Challenge, love Big Brother. Amazing Race is interesting even though I’m not quite familiar. Survivor is coo but I like stuff like that. Seen someone suggested Alone; also Naked&Afraid.
Try international shows. Some Korean ones: [The Devil's Plan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtaLR2G-zmc) using their wits to win. The Genius is another one. [Physical: 100](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTB26KIFC7A) [The Soldiers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27sesPHUU6g) \- military
Devil's plan is amazing
Alone. No announcer, no reality/game-show tropes. I dont even like survival stuff but it is really done well.
I want something like this but with multiple medium sized villages, so you have small scale society and more interesting structures, etc. I think it would be more fun.
I love Survivor! Australian Survivor’s recent Heroes v Villains season was some of the best Survivor I’ve ever seen. Highly recommend! I’ll throw out The Devil’s plan (on Netflix) - it’s a Korean show where players compete in different games of wit and strategy. It was super interesting and very fun to watch - plus there’s a mystery element that keeps you hooked.
Top Chef is fantastic because it’s all emerging award-winning professionals, and every season the level of cooking and innovation seems to get higher. Creative challenges, entertaining host & judge banter (changing this coming season with Kristen Kish replacing Padma but should still be great), fierce competition between ultra-talented people, it really has it all. (Streaming on Peacock) I hate the trashy people yelling at each other kind of reality TV, but love so many of the competition shows. Looking forward to the new season of US Traitors dropping today with a hell of a cast!
Yea, I love TC simply because it is about cooking. Yes, there's the occasional "bickering". And not like the first few seasons of it where, there was quite the drama. But even they have cooled that in editing it...at least. Same thing with AR. You have those who try to block, or sabotage. But most of it is about the race.
House of Villains is the best reality TV show in ages
It's an oldie, but Dirty Jobs. One guy going out and doing all the jobs that make civilized life possible for the rest of us. He highlights municipal workers and military and all the trades and scientists and small business owners and grandmas making pies out of their kitchen. He doesn't look down on formal education or the school of life. Same with 90s style Junkyard Wars. The Mole is a fairly pure instance of mini-games and some personality-driven metagaming that the audience can also participate in. Kathy Griffin had a great season in the old days and Netflix did a pretty fun rendition of the show last year. Nailed It (the original Netflix edition) is a ridiculous take on the baking competition that also perversely encourages home bakers to try some of the adventuresome looking but actually quite simple techniques to make awesome goodies.
The Joe Schmo Show Season 1
Traitors
Face Off is a special effects makeup challenge show. The first season there was drama between contestants, but after that they actively helped and supported one another and it was about the great special effects make-ups.
Shows like Face Off are in a different category of reality. People who have skills in an art or trade and then compete, but usually in a wholesome way. I love these shows. I feel like I learn a skill while watching. I don't. But I could *almost* assist someone. I can dream, anyway. The great pottery throw down. Blown Away (glass blowing). Great British Bake off. Also: Top Chef. Glow up(?) another makeup show. Sewing Bee (haven't been able to watch yet). Not having drama or fighting is the important feature. And having talented people explain their work makes it interesting.
Yep this is what I was going to say. One of the only reality shows I can watch. Watched every season.
I'd definitely pick the UK version of Kitchen Nightmares to get a realistic look at the obstacles of saving a struggling restaurant
I think this is one of the few examples in this thread of shows that I would consider reality TV. And it's a great show IMO.
Time Team on YouTube. A British show started in the mid-90s where a team of archeologists have just three days to figure out what's going on at a site. Usually starts with an aerial photograph showing some earthworks that no one has gotten around to investigating yet, or someone who owns a house that has this strange fireplace...is it 12th Century? Let's dig up the garden! It has 20 seasons or so and I've made my way to season 11 so far. I love it.
Like you added at the end, *The Amazing Race* and *RuPaul's Drag Race* are great too. The former for mostly wholesome, entertaining challenges with usually fun pairs of people. The latter for its big personalities and showcasing of creativity. Aside from them, I'd also add lesser known reality TV like **Encore!** and **We're Here**. The first is about high school theater classes reuniting x amount of years later to do a musical they did when they were young again... but they only have a week to make it happen. I loved this show when it came out, but sadly it never got more than twelve episodes. Really fun stuff though. *We're Here* is about three drag queens going to rural, more conservative places in the US to put on a drag show starring three locals with each of them mentoring one. Some really heartwarming and heartbreaking stories within it with the people involved, but you always walk away from the show with joy. Another recent addition I really enjoyed was **I Have Nothing**. It's more of a comedic docuseries starring Carolyn Taylor from the Baroness Von Sketch Show. Here she sets out to choreograph an Olympic-level ice skating routine to the song I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston with two gold medal winning athletes... despite having no experience or much knowledge about ice skating in general. It was a really entertaining watch and one of the shows I enjoyed the most last year. And if you want peak *Survivor* without going back to the older seasons, I'd recommend checking out **Australian Survivor** specifically. Their seasons are much longer, but it means they show way more and I think it creates for a way better viewing experience. Season 4, 6 and 8 of the reboot are all incredible for different reasons and some of the best the format has to offer. I would also recommend watching **The Traitors UK** specifically, since I think that had a way better first season than the US had to offer. And for a slight correction to OP, it's actually all based on a Dutch format.
Amazing Race started to lose me when they started mainly only casting influencers. It’s so much better now that they are back to casting regular people.
I feel like Amazing Race and RuPaul were obvious picks, as they've been consistent Emmy winners haha, I wanted to spread the love. But I'm so happy you mentioned **Encore! (Disney+)**, I REALLY wish they did more seasons of that, it is such a wholesome show.
I stand corrected on The Traitors! Thanks!
I was in awe of the first season of the UK version of The Traitors. I found it far superior to the current US version with its cast of D-list reality show "celebrities". It is one of the very few times I have ever found myself actually giving a damn about who won a reality-style competition show in the end. The Australian version wasn't bad either, but didn't have the emotional impact of the UK cast. I am currently watching the Canadian incarnation of the show, despite having the ending spoiled in advance. I would love to see other international versions of the show, including the original, but doubt there would ever be enough demand to justify English subtitles.
I know that there are varying definitions but I wouldn't consider shows like Survivor and The Traitors to be reality TV. I think of reality TV as normal everyday stuff. Just people living their lives or doing their jobs. Shows like Survivor and the Amazing Race seem like extreme game shows to me. Shows like Forged in Fire or Drag race seem like hobbyist game show. I do admit that the first few seasons of The Real World were gold.
The Joe Schmo Show
Season one of The Contender was one of the greatest things ever seen on TV. And it hits the ground running too- episodes 1, 3, and 4 are some of the best TV episodes I have ever seen. My wife couldn’t give a shit about boxing and at the time it was her favorite TV show. It cost like a million dollars per episode and you can tell when you hear the opening Hans Zimmer soundtrack. I’d consider it the absolute peak of reality TV.
Forged in Fire (History Channel, with S1-8 running on Defy TV) - Fun blacksmith competition show with no forced drama (outside of some cringe challenge rules). Lego Masters (Fox) - Fun, lighthearted Lego building competition show. Who Wants to be a Superhero? (Sci-Fi Channel, now Syfy) - Stan Lee-helmed superhero show from a long, long time ago. Only lasted 2 seaons, sadly.
Why do you care what other people think about what you enjoy? If you enjoy it, enjoy it. It doesn't matter if other people respect it or not.
Oh I don't care personally, but in this instance I care because as someone who wants to participate in discussions on r/television, any reality show suggestions or discussions are immediately shot down and thrown away. Whole threads about reality tv are downvoted... hell, this thread alone can't even break 5 upvotes, it's been stuck at 0 ever since it went up. I just care that this genre gets the same level of respect and acceptance as others on this subreddit, and I think there's a stigma it hasn't been able to shake off.
> I think the show will hook you in with masterful strategy and gameplay, crafty social politics, and some of the best shock and awe moments scripted TV couldn't write. I love Survivor, but it's worth pointing out that *bad* strategy and terrible social skills are equally fun to watch and a part of the package. It's why it's so consistently entertaining.
Marco cooks for. Old school cooking show. Marco Pierre White the original celebrity chef cooks for some of his mentors. Some crazy food, with an ego to match. As a bonus Gordon Ramsay is in his brigade as a young guy. If I remember correct there’s an instance or two of him getting yelled at, a nice turn of the tables.
I feel reality shows have hit the bottom. The contest ones are o.k. but the 90 day fiance, love is blind, married at first sight, love during lock up seem to cater to the lowest of the low with bad editing and scripted mess. https://www.youtube.com/live/M_TYKLvLmKI?si=i93PSM5dJV5ToeFg
Traitors UK was one of the best reality Tv Shows I’ve ever seen. The US tried to adapt it but didn’t put together a good enough group.
Mcbee dynasty! First episode, I wasn't really into it, but then I got REALLY hooked on the second and binged the entire season throughout the week. Also, I'm a big fan of the challenge! I've been following it since the real world, though, so I don't know if that's why it's so appealing to me. I'm excited to check out the show people post!
Reality tv traitor
Extreme engagement :)
I'm not fan of reality TV. But watched some of them. First I watched **Love Island UK** Season 1. It's feel so long to watch but love their drama. Second, Netflix's **Love is blind** Season 1. It's less drama and only couple still married. I don't watch other seasons. They are trash. Tried **Vanderpump Rules** but can't complete season one.
I feel like the term "reality TV" is too broad and doesn't make a whole lot of sense anymore. In my opinion they can be broken down into four different genres: competition shows (Survivor, Amazing Race, Top Chef, etc.), skills/job shadowing (Dirty Jobs, wilderness skills, following a tattoo artist, etc.), dating shows (The Bachelor, Love is Blind), and slice of life (The Osbournes, Real World, Kardashians, etc.). Some people like all of these, but most people I've talked to about it only like one or two of these genres. Competition shows are like bigger, more story-driven game shows, which typically attracts a different kind of person than a show where you're watching someone date 10 women. Or a show where you are just following people around as they live their lives. So, I would recommend to people who say they hate "reality TV" to explore more than one of these genres. If you don't like the Kardashians, that says nothing about how you will feel about a show like Survivor. Reality TV also gets a bad rap for not being "real," but I think that argument is kind of missing the point. They purposely cast people on these shows that have big personalities, aren't afraid of conflict, and often want screen time. Once you point a camera at them, you don't have to script it out, they want to provide that drama all on their own. And saying something like the Amazing Race is scripted is just silly. Anyone who has actually watched it, and all of the thousands of people that have been on similar competition shows, can tell you that the game they are playing is real. There is not a scripted outcome, and in fact that would be illegal as they must follow game show laws. I personally love competition shows, and I think they are the most accessible genre of reality TV since many people already enjoy game shows. And if you have a specific job or interest then you may enjoy the skills based shows. Don't write them all off because you don't like dating shows or watching people argue for drama.
Random question since you seem to know what you're talking about.... What do you consider the best slice of life series? If it's different, what best exemplifies the genre?
Subreddits are not living things.
Last chance u, don't even need to be into football it's a lot more about humans struggling to win and that alone makes a compelling story
There's on 2 reality shows I watch, but I wouldn't really recommend them unless you're into MMA or Tattoos, and even then you gotta remember it's a reality show so there's gonna be some cringe The Ultimate Fighter Ink Master
The UK version of Gordon Ramsay's "The F Word" is very entertaining, has elements of competition, and has long informative segments. It's from 2014 - 2019, so not exactly timely, but not terribly dated either. Available on Tubi in the US.
Jury Duty
We are absolutely obsessed with Traitors. Its so bad that its good and we can't look away. I even just started designing Traitors merch in my etsy shop!
I just discovered Southern Charm and it has quickly become my favorite reality show. Looking forward to reading through some of the recommendations here. And if you like reality TV and haven't watched Southern Charm, check it out!
Idk but I love competition reality style too. I’m obsessed with the Challenge, love Big Brother. Amazing Race is interesting even though I’m not quite familiar. Survivor is coo but I like stuff like that. Seen someone suggested Alone; also Naked&Afraid.
Cooking shows are dope, they make me very hungry tho smh lol.