This is a list of the best reality TV shows on television, the most (often shamefully) addictive reality TV series. From guilty pleasures to shows that really do teach us how to live our lives a little bit better, this list contains only TV shows you would openly recommend to good friends of yours - the best of the best reality shows. Reality fans will also be interested in these juicy reality TV scandals and secrets from the sets of reality TV shows. You can vote, or even make your own list to impact this CrowdRanking of the top reality TV shows of all time!
Good reality TV shows come in every style of reality - from competition to cooking, quasi-educational to quite weird - and this list has them all. You can vote for fashion competitions like RuPaul's Drag Race, obstacle course shows like Wipeout, food travelogues like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and of course the classics like Big Brother.
What are the top reality TV shows? From Top Chef to The Biggest Loser, this list contains only the best and actually-watchable in reality television. Time to vote: what are the best reality shows ever?
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2,1141,398Survivor
Jeff ProbstPremiered: 2000
Genres (Tv): Reality Competition, Gameshow
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1,5131,213The Amazing Race
Phil KeoghanPremiered: 2001
Genres (Tv): Reality television
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1,3521,262Hell's Kitchen
Gordon Ramsay, Jean Philippe SusilovicPremiered: 2005
Genres (Tv): Reality Competition, Cooking show, Reality television
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1,1201,111Project Runway
Tim Gunn, Heidi KlumPremiered: 2004
Genres (Tv): Reality Competition, Reality television
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721598MasterChef
Gordon Ramsay, Graham ElliotPremiered: 2010
Genres (Tv): Cooking show, Reality television
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606552Shark Tank
Kevin O'Leary, Barbara CorcoranPremiered: 2009
Genres (Tv): Game show, Reality television
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771666MythBusters
Jon Lung, Brian LoudenPremiered: 2003
Genres (Tv): Non-fiction, Special Interest, Educational television, Science, Documentary
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1,3131,353Big Brother
Julie Chen, Phil ProctorPremiered: 2000
Genres (Tv): Reality television
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1,0191,053Wipeout
John Henson, John AndersonPremiered: 2008
Genres (Tv): Sports, Sports film, Game show, Comedy, Reality television
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928917Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
Gordon Ramsay, Neil FarrellPremiered: 2004
Genres (Tv): Cooking show, Reality television
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1,1161,243The Voice
Adam Levine, Blake SheltonPremiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Talent show, Reality television
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833824Undercover Boss
Mark KellerPremiered: 2010
Genres (Tv): Documentary, Reality television
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726705RuPaul's Drag Race
RuPaul, Michelle VisagePremiered: 2009
Genres (Tv): Reality television
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492424Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Guy Fieri, Duff GoldmanPremiered: 2006
Genres (Tv): Travel, Travel documentary, Food, Documentary, Home improvement
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9121,018America's Next Top Model
Adrianne Curry, Yoanna HousePremiered: 2003
Genres (Tv): Reality television
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774874Chopped
Ted Allen, Alex GuarnaschelliPremiered: 2009
Genres (Tv): Game show, Food, Cooking show, Reality television
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8991,036Top Chef
Emeril Lagasse, Gail SimmonsPremiered: 2006
Genres (Tv): Cook-off, Cooking show, Reality television
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8861,023Cash Cab
Ben Bailey, Beth MelewskiPremiered: 2005
Genres (Tv): Game show
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433290American Ninja Warrior
Matt Iseman, Jenn BrownPremiered: 2009
Genres (Tv): Special Interest, Live action, Documentary, Reality television
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713844Fear Factor
Joe RoganPremiered: 2001
Genres (Tv): Game show, Reality television
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794903Dirty Jobs
Mike Rowe, David M. BarskyPremiered: 2003
Genres (Tv): Educational television, Documentary, Reality television
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633709Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Ty Pennington, Paul DiMeoPremiered: 2003
Genres (Tv): Reality television
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396457House Hunters
Andromeda Dunker, Suzanne WhangPremiered: 1999
Genres (Tv): Reality television
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346352E! True Hollywood Story
Don Morrow, Neil RossPremiered: 1996
Genres (Tv): Entertainment, Documentary
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398426Catfish: The TV Show
Yaniv Schulman, Max JosephPremiered: 2012
Genres (Tv): Reality television
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