Reality TV often gets a bad rap, but I’d argue that the critics just haven’t found the right flavor yet. These unscripted shows come in many shapes and sizes, from dating to cooking to drag, which can make it hard to choose what to watch! That’s why I’ve compiled this list of the best reality TV shows to watch right now. I’ll also tell you how CyberGhost VPN can fix common streaming errors, making your reality more enjoyable.
💡Streaming services have different content libraries in each country they serve due to copyright laws. This might mean you miss out on certain shows when you travel abroad. If you want to keep watching, get CyberGhost VPN and connect to a server in your home country. It’s that easy!
The 10 Best Reality Shows to Watch this Summer
1. Love Island UK
Streaming on: ITVX, Hulu
Love Island UK has been around for 11 seasons but it still tops the list of the best current reality TV shows. The series is so popular that it’s been recreated in many countries, including the US, Spain, South Africa, and Sweden.
On the show, a group of hopeful singles live together in a luxurious remote villa. The contestants, known as “islanders”, must couple up to avoid being dumped from the island. During their time, they complete special challenges designed to create drama and date new bombshells that enter the villa.
It’s top-tier summer reality TV since the series airs for eight weeks in June and July with multiple episodes coming out weekly. You can get involved by voting for your favorite islanders and helping decide which couple makes the best match. This season has a few never-seen-before twists, including a celebrity islander and the option to enter the Hideaway at any time.
2. Below Deck
Streaming on: Peacock
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to sail on a luxury yacht, Below Deck has answers – but maybe not the ones you expected. The summer reality show (and its many spin-offs) focuses on the lives of the yacht staff, although each episode brings new guests aboard. The latest season also welcomes a new captain (the first since 2013!) who you might recognize from Below Deck Adventure.
Episodes follow the staff as they try to cater to their guests’ every whim. There’s something particularly satisfying about watching the crew unwind and party together when each charter ends.
Below Deck is one of the best reality TV shows on Bravo to watch during the summer. Its appeal includes tropical destinations, bright visuals, lighthearted drama, rich people with poor behavior, and fancy dinners. But it’s the funny, endearing, and overly dramatic crew members that make you come back to the show again and again.
3. The Great British Bake Off
Streaming on: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Channel 4
The Great British Bake Off (also known as The Great British Baking Show in the US) is an international favorite and one of the top reality TV shows on Netflix. It follows amateur bakers as they complete various challenges that test their baking skills. Each season features culinary expert judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood.
The show is filmed from April to June. Season 15 is expected to air in September, so you can pretend it’s still summer as the fall weather sets in. Though it’s a long-running show, each season brings something new. In season 14, there was a new co-host, the first deaf contestant, and new baking challenges.
As far as competition reality TV shows go, this is probably the most wholesome one. The contestants are friendly, funny, and honest. They seem more interested in watching each other succeed than fail. While the competitors come from all backgrounds and ages, each shares the same love for baking. It’s a cozy show that will charm you into watching for hours on end.
4. Physical: 100
Streaming on: Netflix
If you want to learn what impressive feats the human body can accomplish, watch Physical: 100. The Korean reality TV show puts 100 jacked contestants through various physical challenges to find out who is the fittest. It can be quite inspiring if you’re working toward your own fitness goals this summer.
Despite the competition aspect, the ultra-polite men and women on the show support each other throughout, which makes the show a heartwarming watch. The futuristic set, themed arenas, and major plot twists will keep you guessing until the end. Season two brought on even larger and more intense challenges, making it one of the more exciting new reality TV shows.
5. The Traitors
Streaming on: Peacock, 10 Play, BBC iPlayer, CTV, RTL 4
The Traitors is a psychological thriller mixed with a reality show. Contestants on the show must work together to complete a series of missions. Some players (the Traitors) aim to undermine the group by “murdering” other players (the Faithful) so they can take the cash prize for themselves. Meanwhile, the Faithful must determine who the Traitors are and banish them from the game.
In season two of The Traitors UK, contestants must face never-before-seen challenges and work together in new ways as they strategize and plot. The Traitors US has introduced new celebrity contestants, new areas, and Shields which must be won during challenges.
Whether you want to add some scary excitement to your evenings or celebrate summerween, The Traitors is perfect for summer viewing and one of the best reality TV shows on the BBC and Peacock.
6. Bigg Boss
Streaming on: Voot (JioCinema), Sling
There are tons of popular Indian reality TV shows, but Bigg Boss is a must-watch classic. Based on Big Brother, the contestants (“housemates”) live under constant surveillance in an isolated house. Each week, they face challenges and potential eviction, with both housemates and the public deciding who stays and who goes. Throughout the show, the mysterious “Bigg Boss” oversees the housemates, interacting with them only via audio.
You can watch Bigg Boss OTT, a streaming-focused spin-off of the original, on Voot (JioCinema). The live 24/7 footage of the housemates lets you check in on them at any time of day, rather than waiting to see the highlights on the main show.
New episodes air over the summer, and you can watch the housemates plot as they hang out in the pool and garden. The latest OTT season introduced a new host – actor and producer Anil Kapoor. Opening weekend earned almost double the views of the previous season as Kapoor brought new energy to the show. Be sure to check it out for yourself!
7. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Streaming on: Peacock, Hulu, Prime Video, Fubo
This list would not be complete without one of the Real Housewives franchises. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is arguably the most exciting. The show follows formidable housewives (and ex-housewives) in Beverly Hills, California, and their legendary feuds. The ladies aren’t afraid to discuss taboo topics as they go about their lives, building business empires, traveling, and being fabulous.
The latest season finished airing in March, but it’s always sunny in Beverly Hills, so you can still capture those summer vibes when you watch. Season 14 is currently in production, so now is the perfect time to get up to speed with all the gossip. From Kyle and Mauricio’s split to Erika Jayne’s comeback after her husband’s indictment, there’s plenty to catch up on.
RHOBH has the latest fashion, incredible glam, and exciting celebrity appearances. The show also changes the cast each season to keep the drama fresh. There’s no wonder why it’s still one of the top reality shows on Bravo!
8. Summer House
Streaming on: Peacock, Hulu, Prime Video, Fubo
Summer House centers around a group of New York professionals who escape the city for summer weekends in The Hamptons. Unlike many other reality shows, the cast members have real jobs and fairly average lifestyles, making them more relatable than many celebrity reality stars.
As you might expect, major drama unfolds amongst the castmates as they party through the summer season. Between messy love connections and backstabbing friendships, this show explores many human dynamics.
It’s one of the best summer shows to watch since the cast members are so unfiltered and honest. It’s hard not to feel sympathetic and like you’re spending time with friends. You can follow their ups and downs in the latest season, which gives you an insider look at one couple’s failing engagement.
9. RuPaul’s Drag Race
Streaming on: Hulu, Paramount+, Pluto TV, Fubo, Sling TV, WOW+, BBC iPlayer
If you’re looking for fierce competition, incredible makeup, impressive self-made fashion, fun lip-syncing, and top-tier humor, watch RuPaul’s Drag Race. Each season, a new group of drag queens battle it out to see who will be the next great drag superstar. RuPaul and his fellow judges bring new competitions and hilarious commentary to the mix.
What really makes it one of the best reality TV shows today is the raw humanity that its contestants bring. While they certainly beef with each other throughout the show, they also open up about their unique and challenging experiences as gay men and drag queens.
The long-running series has 16 US seasons, all available on Paramount+ in the US. There are also franchises in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, so there’s plenty to binge.
10. Dancing With the Stars
Streaming on: Disney+
If you love dance reality TV shows, Dancing With the Stars is a must-watch. Despite being around for 33 seasons, the show still feels fresh thanks to its ever-changing celebrity cast, weekly challenges, and new music.
Each season, celebs pair up with pro dancers to perform dance numbers based on the week’s challenge. You get to watch as the dances come together, then see the couples perform live in front of a panel of judges. Whether you’re a fan of a celebrity contestant or one of the returning professional dancers, you can’t help but come back each week to root them on.
Why CyberGhost Is the Best VPN for Streaming
Many streaming platforms offer different content in different locations. That means you could lose access to your usual stable of reality shows when you travel abroad. CyberGhost has VPN servers in 100 countries, making it easy to connect to a VPN server in your home country and keep streaming as usual.
CyberGhost VPN’s vast network includes streaming-optimized servers that give you secure and reliable access to a wide range of popular platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Prime Video, and many more. Our team monitors these servers and frequently refreshes their IP addresses so you can stream reality shows this summer without annoying error messages.
There’s nothing more frustrating than lagging, buffering video when you’re trying to binge the latest reality TV shows. If your ISP throttles your streaming traffic, you can get the internet speeds you pay for when you use CyberGhost VPN! Our ultra-fast network includes 10-Gbps servers in busy locations so you get consistently fast VPN speeds for the best video quality. There’s no bandwidth limit and we’ll never cap your data usage.
CyberGhost VPN has apps for Amazon Fire TV Stick, Android and Google TV, macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS. You can also set it up on your router to cover other smart TVs, streaming devices, and game consoles. If you have questions, our expert team is here to help with 24/7 live support.
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FAQ
The Golden Bachelor, available on Fubo, earned 5.9 million weekly viewers in 2023, according to Nielsen. Other top shows include Dancing With the Stars (Disney+), which received 6.5 million views during its premiere, and Gold Rush with an average of 1.93 million weekly viewers. You can stream Gold Rush on Discovery+, Hulu, Disney+, and Max.
It depends on what you’re looking for! Try Love Island UK or Love Is Blind if you’re interested in dating reality TV shows. If you prefer competition reality TV shows, you might go for The Great British Bake Off or RuPaul’s Drag Race. Below Deck and Summer House are great light-hearted summer shows. If you prefer something a little more thrilling, try The Traitors.
There’s a strong argument for the US version of Survivor being the most dramatic reality show. It throws regular people into survival situations, causing lots of physical and mental stress. There’s also plenty of social drama due to the alliances and back-stabbing that come to light during the tribal councils.
Some say Andy Cohen, creator of the Real Housewives franchises and their Bravo spinoffs, is king. Others say that Carlos King, who executive produces shows like The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Styling Hollywood, is the real king. Prince Narula has also received the title after winning MTV Roadies X2, Splitsvilla 8, and Bigg Boss.
Survival shows tend to be the most realistic since their drama comes from events rather than interpersonal conflict. In particular, the History Channel’s Alone sends survivalists into the wilderness truly alone, with no camera crew. You see the raw footage the contestants film themselves and can share the highs and lows of their experience.
Yes, there are many, including Perfect Match, Physical: 100, The Circle, Too Hot to Handle, The Great British Baking Show, The Ultimatum, Indian Matchmaking, Iron Chef, Botched, and more. Netflix’s content library varies depending on your location, which means you could lose access to these shows if you travel abroad. Buy a VPN to enjoy the same content you get at home.
It depends on your interests. Netflix has many of the top dating reality TV shows, including Love Island USA, The Ultimatum, and Love on the Spectrum. Peacock has more shows focused on daily life, like Vanderpump Rules and Summer House. Meanwhile, Hulu has a good variety including RuPaul’s Drag Race, Survivor, and Love Island UK.
Candid Camera was the first reality show. It started as Candid Microphone and aired on the radio on June 28, 1947, before moving to TV on August 10, 1948. It’s since gone through several iterations on TV, airing in the 1960s, 1970s, 1990s, and 2010s. The show featured everyday people faced with odd situations and pranks while hidden cameras caught their reactions.
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