The 20 best reality TV shows that were really revolutionary

These series transformed gender and had a major impact on popular culture.


It is not an overestimation of saying that reality TV has changed, well, reality. In recent decades, reality TV shows have revolutionized the television industry , has created a whole new type of celebrity and changed public habits.

Reality has a longer history than you assume it, however. Back at the end of the 1940s, Hidden camera Vavoed viewers of pranks and gags that have been recorded using hidden cameras. (The scenarios were staged, but the reactions of passers-by were very real.) However, when the average spectator thinks of reality TV, they are likely to think about the wave of the true series that took off in the 90s and nevertheless has crest to date. Read the rest for the 20 best reality TV shows are among the most revolutionary that the genre has to offer.

In relation: 16 classic reality TV shows in streaming .

1
The real world

Still from The Real World
MTV

Emblematic series of MTV The real world Obtains credit for the launch of the modern era of reality TV shows. You know the premise: seven foreigners are chosen "to live in a house and have their recorded life to discover what is happening when people stop being polite ... and begin to become real." The public was riveted by looking at young people from different coexisting horizons, and the first years particularly gave many cultural touch stones ( Pedro Zamora Put a face to the AIDS crisis) and unforgettable moments ( Stephen slacks Rene in Seattle ).

In 1992, when the show started, this configuration, devoid of any gadget or challenges, was new, and The real world The use of confessionals - when candidates speak directly to the camera of events that viewers had just seen - established a mold for a large part of the following reality TV.

2
Big brother

Still from Big Brother
CBS

Appointed for the omnipresent sovereign of the evil of the dystopian company in 1984 ,, Big brother is one of the oldest and most important reality shows in the modern era. (The American version was created in 1997.) A group of competitors, whose actions are constantly monitored by cameras, live together in a house - but where Big brother pushes things forward compared to The real world is the addition of a competition element. Housegues are competing in the challenges, form alliances and vote each other as the season takes place, making the machinations and the gameplay incredibly important - and juicy to look at.

3
Survivor

Still from Survivor
CBS

Undoubtedly the biggest and the most influential show of all time, Survivor started in 2000. And here we are almost a quarter of a century and 45 seasons later, still looking at a group of rough people on an island remote in the hope of being the last standing competitor. The way in which Survivor The strategy, the gameplay and the personality of the mixtures remain the desire for many other reality TV shows, and the franchise has created several stars over the years.

4
The single person

Still from The Bachelor ABC
ABC

How many television deductibles can boast that they have founded an entire nation ? First in 2002, The single person was not the first reality show. It is however the most durable, as well as its equally important spin-off, The Bachelorette and several other ramifications. Part of this is due to its consistency and its simplicity. Compared to many other meetings of meetings of meetings, such as the years 2003 Millionaire Joe , there is not really a gadget to The single person watch. There is a hot guy (or a girl) and a crowd of hot women (or men) in the running for their affection. Only one obtains the final rose. With this, Bachelor Nation has become strong for two decades and counts.

5
American idol

Kelly Clarkson performing on American Idol
Fox

The Reafts based on watch that has made its debut since American idol in 2002, including The voice And America has talent , have gadgets and twists and turns that the O.G. The singing competition did not need its peak. Instead, the premise was exciting exciting: hoping singers would see themselves at heart on national television, would obtain a reaction from a trio of judges (including Simon Cowell and his sadly famous criticisms), and hope that the votes of the observation public will maintain them in the game throughout the final.

American idol triggered a new wave of competition shows and has created many new stars - although, to be honest, if she had only given us the first winner Kelly Clarkson , It would always be one of the most important television broadcasts in human history.

In relation: The 30 most successful reality TV personalities of the last 30 years .

6
America's next top model

Still from America's Next Top Model
The CW

Make your debut in 2003, America's next top model Can be considered as a major evolving step between the start of reality TV shows, where the new concept of real real people was the point, and a wave of shows that added professional skills to the mixture. This series of competitions has proven that modeling is a real work - a work that is demanding and difficult to excel.

At the same time, the models that contributed (and were sometimes host by the host Tyra Banks ) to win each season has been judged on their personality and their work ethics as well as their appearance and their prowess posed - all the qualities that make great stars of reality.

7
Queer eye for the hetero

Jai Rodriguez, Thom Filicia, Carson Kressley, Ted Allen and Kyan Douglas in 2003
Scott Gries / Getty Images

In addition to being a necessary positive piece of dominant queer representation in the early 00 years, the original Queer eye for the hetero also proposed a change of rhythm compared to the rest of the popular reality TV shows of the time when it was created in 2003. Rather than being a competition where a competitor would be the last standing, he involved the Fab Five improving The life of a different guy right in each episode. The renovation of life was a winning formula, which was Ravived to Critical Reclamed by Netflix in 2018.

8
New newlyweds: Nick and Jessica

Still from Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica
MTV

Although his wife Jessica Simpson was not as famous as the singer of 98 degrees Nick Lachey At the start of the show, Newly weds “The great invention of reality gave the public an overview of the life (and the relationship) of established celebrities rather than normal people. It was a clever self-perpetuation cycle, because the show, which took place from 2003 to 2005, made them larger stars-especially Simpson, which became famous (or perhaps infamous ) for "stupid" moments like when she asked if tuna was made of chicken or fish.

9
Simple life

Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton in 2003
Doug Benc / Getty images

Simple life Perhaps was the first reality TV show to transform the comings and goings of rich worldly and essentially unemployed on a must-see television. Paris Hilton And Nicole Richie —Two Major Nepo Babies, even if the term had not yet been invented in 2003 when the show was created - is the glitter of Beverly Hills and headed for rural America with trailer cameras. The humor of the series and its stars transformed the couple into household names - and they would certainly not be the last worlds to become famous to be on television.

10
The apprentice

Still from The Apprentice
Nbc

Although now more, understandable, to help Donald Trump Carry out the public profile he needed to help become president of the United States, The apprentice was a new reality show when she made her debut in early 2004. At the time, a well -known businessman with a flair for the theater, Trump supervised competition from commercial instincts and skills. The apprentice is also a testimony to the importance of a good slogan, because "you are dismissed" was an omnipresent quote throughout the 00 years.

In relation: The 26 best TV shows on Netflix right now .

11
Laguna Beach: the real county of Orange

Still from Laguna Beach
MTV

In 2004, when the new wave of reality TV was booming, it was clear that the public liked to look at rich Californians. It was also clear that high school dramas, including The O.C. , were still extremely popular. What Laguna Beach: the real county of Orange Asked "why not both?"

The series followed real students attending Laguna Beach High School, going deeper in their personal life than, perhaps, is healthy for a teenager. Despite (or perhaps because of) this, the show was a success and made members of the distribution, in particular Lauren Conrad And Kristin Cavallari in stars.

12
Project track

Still from Project Runway
Well done

Project track The great innovation was to combine the drama based on the characters of a reality TV show with a qualified competition - one of the many reality TV viewers would appreciate. Premition at the end of 2004, the fashion design competition had a model Heidi Klum and fashion icon Tim Gunn Guiding a group of candidates when they competed to make magnificent looks in the restrictions of the challenge of the week. To paraphrase Gunn, Project track The fact operates and launched the career of several designers, Christian Siriano Perhaps the most famous among them.

13
The real women at the hearth of the County of Orange

braunwyn and tamra on the real housewives of orange county
Well done

Talk about influence: THE Real Housewives of Orange Country caused 27 derivative series. You could say that the franchise had humble beginnings, but there is really nothing humble Rhoc , who made his debut in 2006 and followed a group of rich wives on their dramatic days. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

Members of the various Housewives The actors have become celebrities, founded by corporate empires, launched unions, prison , and was fodder for countless memes. Rhoc He also undoubtedly launched the Bravovers, who would continue to produce more franchises, a night talk show and even an official convention. All because viewers want to see the lifestyles of the rich and famous and get a little Catharsis out of their oversized problems - and yet always relatable.

In relation: Real women with the most famous housewives, then and now .

14
Love flavor

Still from Flavor of Love
VH1

There are whole ecosystems hidden in the way various reality TV shows connect to each other. Consider Love flavor , which broadcast the first of its three seasons in 2006. The show featured the rapper enemy public Flavor in a Bachelor - type configuration and was a descendant of Surrealist life (a VH1 series which was essentially a big brother with C-List and lower celebrities) and Strange love , a spin-off on the failed relationship of Flavor Flav with Surreal life co-star, Brigitte Nielsen .

Love flavor is proof of how reality TV knows how to reinvent a good thing to move it forward, and indeed this meeting of meetings has caused its benefits, including I like New York , which centered Tiffany Pollard , a competitor who has become the star of Breakout while competing for the heart of Flav.

15
Excellent chef

Still from Top Chef
Well done

Lots of reality TV is trash. (To be clear, it is not always a bad thing. The guilty pleasures are pleasant for a reason.) Excellent chef , who made his debut in 2006, is not that. Combine the dynamics of the characters and the challenges of reality TV shows as Survivor with kitchen crafts, Excellent chef is a series of exciting, accessible and impressive competitions. He also gave many benefits and special, in particular Top Chef Jr.

16
keeping up with the Kardashians

Still from Keeping Up With the Kardashians
E!

There is a large sub-genre of reality TV shows that concern people who are famous for being famous, but none has exploited and transcended this fame as beautifully as the Kardashian-Jenner family. The series followed the life of Kim ,, Kourtney ,, Khloé ,, Kendall ,, Kylie ,, Kris ,, Caitlyn , And Rob From 2007 to 2021, transforming his subjects into some of the most famous people in the country. (Hulu series The Kardashians made his debut in 2022 to continue the history of the family / the media Empire.)

17
RuPaul Dragsters race

Still from RuPaul's Drag Race
MTV

RuPaul Dragsters race took something that had been considered niche - the culture of Drag - and plunged it into the dominant current with style and plumb. In 2009, the series of competitions is as much a sport as it is subversive, and it is perhaps the best example of reality TV to find an unexploited resource or an unprecedented audience and transform it into massive success.

18
Vanderpump rules

Still from Vanderpump Rules
Well done

Vanderpump rules has merged the appeal of sexy young people (a faithful reality Trope since The real world ) with the style of Real housewives . The 2013 series is technically a spin-off of Real Beverly Hills housewives , according to a group of servers and barmans who worked at Housewife Lisa Vanderpump Restaurants in Los Angeles.

During the over 10 years old, he was on, Vanderpump rules has transcended both the label of the denigration and its own premise. (The actors are all so famous now, they no longer have to run plates or a tense bar.) In 2023, that was the subject on the lips of people who had never even watched the program at this point , like a shocking Cheat scandal nicknamed #scandoval was revealed and splashed on the sockets including The New York Times .

19
Love is blind

The cast of
Patrick Wymore / Netflix

Love is blind is a meeting show with a diabolical turn, because competitors are not initially allowed to see what their potential parameters look like, meeting only after the dating of the blind speed is finished and they accepted a marriage proposal . To be honest, however, premise is not what makes the series so revolutionary, as much as it is the first big reality show to be a success on a streaming service. Love is blind First on Netflix in 2020 and has become a phenomenon of pop culture, largely due to the cocovid locking.

20
Treatments

Still from The Traitors
Peacock

As this list has shown, reality TV has been a major cultural force for three decades. During these many years, a new type of celebrity appeared: The reality TV star . Treatments , The Hit 2023 series from Peacock, brilliantly invites a distribution mainly from the stars of reality competitors to play the game of the Mafia party on a large scale.

Of course, shows such as Survivor had done it before, and from time to time, you would get someone known for a show to make an appearance on another, but Treatments is a massive and multi-network crossover, bringing together old Housewives ,, Big brother ,, Survivor ,, The real world ,, Love island , and more. Add Alan Cumming As a best -dressed host on television, and you have a blow that celebrates all the reality that presents itself above all by offering an entertaining experience each week.


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