Sometimes, audiences get bored with scripted television. It feels more exciting to follow real people facing real challenges than it does to watch performers enacting a prefabricated plotline. After all, how thrilling can the action be when everyone knows how it will end? As audiences partake in witnessing the unscripted drama unfolding in the lives of ordinary people, they feel invited to not just be viewers, but to be a part of the action as well.
But in a plethora ofso many reality TV shows, which ones stand out? There are popular shows that will have all the coworkers talking about them around the water cooler the next day, but there are some that are a little bit less well-known while being equally as enjoyable. Here are some hidden gems in the rich quarry of reality TV.
10’Swamp People' (2010-)
15 Seasons
The United States of America is a diverse and multifaceted nation with many subcultures coexisting within it. One such subculture is that of residents in Lousianna’s bayous. Among the watery regions of the southern state, a group of people earn their living by hunting alligators, snakes, and other creatures. The show follows their misadventures through climate change, social pressures, and encounters with dangerous wildlife.
Swamp Peopleis a great show to facilitate familiarizing the audience with a region of America that is largely overlooked. Heavily influenced by French settlers, accents spoken on the show often require the use of subtitles. The family drama and nuances of navigating isolation and social situations make it a compelling watch.
Swamp People
9’Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet' (2014-)
12 Seasons
Being a doctor with unruly patients is enough of a challenge. Let alone if your patients are large and oftentimes stubborn-willed animals. Add to the daily difficulties the fact that when it’s time to make house calls your patients are separated by hundreds of miles and the weather is brutal and unforgiving. Such obstacles don’t daunt veterinarianDr. Michelle OakleyinDr. Oakly, Yukon Vet.
Not only is Dr. Oakley a talented and compassionate animal doctor, but she is a great on-camera personality as well. The show garnered two spin-off series;Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet: Northern Disclosure, andDr. Oakley, Yukon Vet: Northern Lites. With agrand total of 17 seasons(more thanSeinfeldandFriends), it is definitely worth adding to your must-binge list.
Watch on Disney+
8’Love on the Spectrum' (2019-2021)
A 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoesis both coveted and rare. The showLove on the Spectrumhas earned this accolade by providing the most sincere and touchingly vulnerable love-finding reality series ever to be broadcast. And all of the would-be romancers happen to be people on the Autism spectrum.
Unlike other dating shows that feature backstabbing, manipulation, and lies,Love on the Spectrumfollowssome of the most caring, honest, and genuine individuals on the planet in their quests to find a romantic partner. Audiences can’t help but get wrapped up in the exploits and find themselves experiencing the joys and heartbreaks as if they were close personal friends. The production teamseems to legitimately care forthe individuals on the show and takes care to treat them with respect and sensitivity.
Love on the Spectrum
Watch on Netflix
7’Forged in Fire' (2015-)
11 Seasons
Where weaponry meets artistry is whereForged in Firebegins. A competition show that has some of the best bladesmiths in the country competing against each other, it boasts 11 seasonsand five spinoff shows. Viewers can watch as contestants battle it out to create winning versions of historical and fictional swords and weapons. Watching the steel as it is molded and hammered into a new creation is akin to alchemy and fascinating to witness.
The show’s judgesJ. Nielson,Doug Marcaida,Ben Abbott,andDavid Lain Bakerare charismatic onscreen personalities and add to the show’s watchability. After the blades are fashioned, they are put through three different types of tests measuring the weapons' strength, sharpness, and efficiency to kill. As judge Doug Marcaida performs the kill test with enthusiasm and quips his famous tagline of “It will kill,” many contestants have said it is reward enough for them just to hear him bestow the distinguishment on their work.
6’We Are the Champions'
Can you be the best at chasing cheese down a cliffside? How about taking hairdos to new heights? The Netflix seriesWe Are the Championscertainly thinks so. Although the series only has one season streaming so far, it is well worth the watch to get a glimpse into some of the most unique competitions that take place all around the world.
The intriguing show follows competitors as they use skill, luck, and pure determination to be the best in their chosen fields of specialty. It proves that the sweet taste of victory and the agony of defeat hit just as hard whether you’recompeting in a well-known contest or an obscure one.
5’Win the Wilderness' (2020)
What would you do to win the home of your dreams? How about flying halfway around the world and competing in a wilderness challenge? That iswhat six British couples didon the TV showWin the Wilderness. However, the home they were competing to win was not an average suburban complex, it was a rustic and impressive hand-built cabin located deep within the Alaskan wilderness.
Contestants on the show faced challenges set by the builders and current owners of the property dubbed “Ose Mountain”, Duane and Rena Ose. The challenges given were meant to give the couples a taste of what life was like on the remote Alaskan property. All of the people on the show seemed very genuine and honest and it is interesting to learn how remote homesteaders live a life away from modern conveniences.
4’Blown Away' (2019-)
Watching the immensely skilled glassmakers on the Netflix seriesBlown Away, it is easy to be impressed, as the title suggests. Amidst sweltering heat, fiery furnaces, and broken glass, the competitors manage to make some of the most beautiful and intricate pieces of glasswork ever seen in modern times.
Glass proves to be a temperamental and unpredictable medium. Audiences will not only appreciate the visually pleasing pieces that are created, but sympathize with the contestants as a product they have spent all day assembling, shatters in an instant. The unpredictability and unique medium chosen to create the artwork makeBlown Awaya competition show like no other. It has instant gratification every episode and an accumulation of satisfaction at the various seasons' conclusions.
Blown Away
3’Alone' (2015-)
AlthoughSurvivoris undoubtedly the series most synonymous with survival competition shows, it is now common knowledge how scripted and manipulated by producers the supposed “reality” TV show is. Enter, History’sAlone. OnAlonethere are no production crews, no hosts, no sets, no bright lights, and no one else. Contestants are dropped off in the wilderness all by themselves with one or two cameras to film their trials, surviving as long as they can without help.
The rules seem very simple, outlast everybody else. But left alone outdoors with no modern comforts, having to build their own shelters, hunt and kill their own food, and keep themselves from going insane with isolation, many on the show have bowed out long before they ever imagined they would, some within 24 hours. Audiences will find themselvesrooting for favorites and fearing for the safetyof all involved as weather, wildlife, and the unknown wreak havoc on any person trying to live in the wilderness, alone.
Watch on Hulu
2’Joe and Katherine’s Bargain Holidays' (2024-)
Traveling after COVID-19 is precious, but it is also expensive. Having been on lockdown for so long, many people are seizing the opportunity to go exploring and visit destinations they’ve always wanted to. But, traveling on a budget can be a challenge. Luckily, there isJoe and Katherine’s Bargain Holidaysto the rescue. The series follows comediansJoe WilkinsonandKatherine Ryanas they take in all sorts of sights and experiences around Europe, all while keeping tight on the purse strings.
The odd couple of Wilkinson and Ryan make for great comedy TV. Ryan’s more refined taste and love of luxury, juxtaposed with Wilkinson’s dedication to thriftiness, ensures that many hijinks are had as they haggle prices and find accommodations in some unlikely places. A night’s stay in an abandoned church anyone?
Watch on Apple TV
1’Travel Man: 48 Hours In…' (2015-)
10 Seasons
The dry, awkward humor of comedian and hostRichard Ayoadeprovides the perfect canvas for the Channel 4 seriesTravel Man: 48 Hours In…. Ayoade travels the globe with a different celebrity companion in each episode. They explore historical sites, take in local entertainment, and may even visit a spa or two.
It is infinitely enjoyable to see celebrities out of their element. Watching famous actors and comedians endure traveling with Ayoade to ecclectic tourist traps makes therewatchability of the series superb. It may even prove to be informational if an audience member plans to visit one of the many destinations featured in the show. Whatever the motivation for watching, the 10 seasons are a hilarious binge-watch and deserve a little more love.
