10 Best Reality Competition Shows of All Time, Ranked

Nowadays, reality television is all the rage, as seen in the well-received recent season of the strategic reality game show Traitors and the new season of the exciting singing competition The Masked Singer. After all, in a world in the middle of the digital age, audiences simply want to see the real sides of ordinary people. Many reality television shows (besides Bravo’s Real Housewives and others similar to that) are centered around some sort of competition, whether it be talent-based or not.

People are cast from around the world to participate to win a grand prize or become superstars. Apart from its interesting and entertaining mechanics, some of the best reality TV shows have cultivated massive fanbases as they feature magnetic and charismatic personalities. With so many reality shows on the air, there are a select few that reign as the best of all time, including the classic show Survivor and the inspirational and entertaining RuPaul’s Drag Race.

10 ‘Survivor’ (2000 – )

Created by Charlie Parsons

Survivor is a classic reality television show that easily takes the cake as one of the most iconic and well-known series in its category. The show takes a group of strangers and places them in a remote area, with the best seasons of Survivor happening in picturesque locations in countries like the Philippines and Brazil. The contestants must provide food, fire, and shelter for themselves and those living with them.

The show is well-loved by fans for its intense challenges that involve endurance, puzzles, and mental fortitude, for a prize of $1,000,000. What’s more, the strategic gameplay and social dynamics among contestants also play a huge part in the show’s popularity, with alliances and betrayals happening left and right. Survivor has such an intriguing concept, and has brought in fans for 46 consecutive seasons!

Watch on Amazon Prime

9 ‘The Amazing Race’ (2001 – )

Created by Elise Doganieri and Bertram van Munster

The Amazing Race is another iconic reality television series that is definitely worth the watch. The CBS series is a reality game show where 11 or 12 teams of two must race around the world. The entire race is split into legs, with each leg requiring the pairs to deduce clues, navigate foreign countries, speak with locals, and do other challenges while also debating the best form of travel with a limited budget.

The series is so unique — how often does the American public get to see teams compete in a reality series all over the world at once? It’s also an interesting show to watch as contestants often participate in challenges that highlight the culture and traditions of the countries they visit, such as traditional dances, rituals, or food preparation.

Watch on Hulu

8 ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ (2009 – )

Created by RuPaul Charles

You better werk! Covergirl! RuPaul’s Drag Race is a competition series bringing in some of the most magnificent and established drag performers from across the country to compete for the crown. The contestants go on challenges that involve impersonating well-known figures, singing, dancing, and acting. In each episode, the two queens that have done the worst will have to Lip Sync for Their Life to a popular song.

The series is primarily judged by RuPaul Charles, Michelle Visage, and an alternating third judge. It goes without saying that the show has platformed some amazing queens and brought to light LGBTQ+ issues. RuPaul’s Drag Race is currently airing its 16th season and has recently crowned the amazing former Miss Continental Sasha Colby as the winner of its 15th season.

Watch on Amazon Prime

7 ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ (2005 – )

Created by Gordon Ramsay

Hell’s Kitchen is a legendary reality competition cooking show that was hosted by the infamous Gordon Ramsay. In the series, two teams of chefs compete for a job as head chef at a restaurant while working in the kitchen of a restaurant set up in a television studio. Hell’s Kitchen has managed to maintain a loyal viewership thanks to its nail-biting challenges that involve cooking for special events, creating dishes with limited ingredients, and replicating Ramsay’s dishes.

Ramsey doesn’t hold back in Hell’s Kitchen and the show has gone down in history for featuring Ramsey’s explicit outbursts. Ramsay’s repeated use of the phrase “It’s raw!” when critiquing undercooked food has also become a running gag on the show. It’s Hell’s Kitchen, after all — if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen!

Watch on Hulu

6 ‘The Voice’ (2011 – )

Created by John de Mol Jr.

The Voice is a reality competition series from NBC that focuses on finding unsigned vocal talent! The series has four famous singers as judges who form mentorships with each of the contestants they choose to hit their button for — the catch is that their chair is turned around, and they can only hear the contestant.

Some of the mechanics of The Voice include steals and saves, where the coaches have the ability to “steal” contestants from other teams during the battle rounds and “save” them from elimination during the knockout rounds. Another interesting feature in the show is the Block Button, which allows coaches to prevent another coach from turning their chair for a contestant they want to be on their team. The winner of the series is determined by votes, and they receive $100,000 and a record deal with Universal Music Group. The current cast of judges on The Voice includes Reba McEntire, Chance The Rapper, John Legend, and Dan + Shay.

Watch on Spectrum

5 ‘American Idol’ (2002 – )

Created by Simon Fuller

Perhaps America’s most famous singing competition series of all time is American Idol. The series, which took a break in 2016 and returned after its hiatus in 2018, has a similar concept to that of The Voice in finding new singing talent. Some of the most successful winners of the show include the Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson.

The contestants audition for famous singers or music icons, and then those chosen to move forward must compete in group and solo challenges to become the next America Idol. The current lineup of judges include Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. The winner, chosen by American voting, wins a record deal. The series is on its 21st season, with more to come (especially in this re-vamped style).

Watch on Fubo

4 ‘Big Brother’ (2000 – )

Created by John de Mol Jr.

Big Brother is a reality competition show based on the Dutch series of the same name. The title draws inspiration from George Orwell’s character in his book 1984, which follows a group of contestants (or “HouseGuests”) as they live together in a specially constructed house isolated from the outside world.

The contestants on Big Brother are constantly monitored by video cameras and microphones and compete for a huge cash prize. Some of the most memorable scenes in the show include Dick Donato‘s aggressive strategy as he manipulated his competitors to win the season, as well as the Brigade alliance in Season 12 where four contestants controlled evictions and successfully made it to the final four together. The series was so successful that the network even produced spin-off reality competitions with celebrities.

Watch on Hulu

3 ‘Dancing With the Stars’ (2005 – )

Created by: Richard Hopkins

Dancing With the Stars is an American dance competition that has become extremely popular since it premiered in 2005. In the show, celebrities and professional dancers are paired together to learn dances. Each pair must then compete for the judges’ points and audience votes.

Pairs are eliminated by having the lowest amount of points and the audience votes until only one remains. Dancing With the Stars often features theme nights where contestants perform dances related to specific themes, such as movie night, Disney night, or country night. The show’s judging panel has also included a variety of dance experts and celebrities, with current judges including dancing legends Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba.

Watch on Disney+

2 ‘The Great British Bake Off’ (2010 – )

Created by: Anna Beattie

The Great British Bake Off is a British television baking competition full of joy and hilarity. The series follows groups of amateur bakers as they compete against each other in a series of rounds in order to impress judges. While The Great British Bake Off is relatively relaxed compared to other cooking reality TV shows, there have been a ton of chaotic moments in the show. Such include contestant Iain Watters‘ uncooked baked Alaska that was thrown in the trash and judge Paul Hollywood’s tiff with some of the contestants.

One contestant is eliminated in each round and the winner is selected from the finalists. The Great British Bake Off was initially hosted by the duo Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, but is currently hosted by beloved talk show host Allison Hammond and comedian Noel Fielding.

Watch on Netflix

1 ‘America’s Got Talent’ (2006 – )

Created by: Simon Cowell

America’s Got Talent is an American talent show competition part of the Got Talent franchise, created by frequent reality show competition judge and famous music producer Simon Cowell. The show brings in many random acts from across the country as they try to impress a panel of four celebrity judges with their talent—whatever it may be.

The contestants then move on and are eliminated one-by-one by the judges and audience vote until the live final, where the winner is selected. The series has had 18 seasons thus far and is such a fun watch to celebrate Americans’ many talents and dedication to greatness. Ventriloquist Paul Zerdin, a group of canine performers called the Olate Dogs, and magician Mat Franco are some of the amazing talents that won America’s Got Talent.

Watch on Fubo

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