There comes a time in most of our lives when we just need to kick back and relax in front of some mindless television. And this is where our good old friend ‘reality TV’ comes in. Gone are the days of bettering ourselves by reading a book or taking up an enlightening new hobby. Oh no, these days we would much rather be catching up on Kim Kardashian’s latest meltdown or finding out who cheated on who in Made in Chelsea. Therefore, I give to you, a list of our favourite reality TV shows that we just love to hate:
1. Keeping Up with the Kardashians
As much as nothing ever really happens, we just can’t get enough of being a fly on the wall of the Kardashian family, so we can witness all the ups, downs, ridiculous tantrums and, of course, Kim’s somewhat loveable ‘ugly cry face’.
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2. Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore started off as a simple concept: a fly-on-the-wall documentary about eight housemates living together in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. However, it became such a phenomenon thanks to characters such as Snooki, that it can now even be studied at selected American universities.
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3. The Real Housewives
If there’s one thing the global public can’t get enough of, it’s getting a glimpse of the lives of the rich and famous. This is where television network Bravo decided to capitalise by making a series of shows about some of the most outrageous affluent women you’re ever likely to witness.
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4. The Hills
The Hills definitely deserves a mention here because – much to everyone’s surprise – it was one of the first reality shows to hit the mainstream and still to this day people miss it (since its last episode aired in 2010).
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5. The Only Way is Essex
Once America had set the president for trashy TV shows, the United Kingdom quickly followed suit with The Only Way is Essex (loveably referred to as TOWIE by its fans), which has gained an immense cult following thanks to the shocking antics of the Essex-based cast.
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6. Made in Chelsea
As soon as British producers clocked on to the fact that their public was going mad for reality TV they quickly followed on with Made in Chelsea, which follows the outlandish lives of London’s young elite.
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7. The Real World
It can definitely be argued that MTV started the whole reality TV movement all the way back in 1992 when they made a show that saw 7-8 young adults thrown in a house together, forced to make their way in ‘the real world’. The popularity of the show speaks volumes as it is still running today.
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8. Say Yes to the Dress
Does anyone remember that episode of Friends when Monica goes to a wedding dress outlet in Brooklyn? Well, that’s the place this show is based on and it follows the staff and their journey to find the right dress for a complete mixture of very different brides.
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9. Below Deck
It’s one thing to want to spy on the lives of the rich and famous but what about the staff working for them? This is the concept behind Below Deck, which follows the insane lives of the staff that live aboard a 100ft-long yacht.
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10. Catfish
One of the most successful shows on this list, Catfish touched the hearts of many when the host Nev Schulman first realised that he’d fallen in love with someone over the internet that he’d never met before and turned out to be a completely different person than he thought. Riding on the back of the first shows success, Nev and his pal Max are now on a quest to help others in a similar predicament.
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