TV|TV Programs

The 600+ Best Reality TV Shows Of All Time

Ranker Community
Updated August 30, 2024 312.3K views 791 items
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213.2K votes
9.6K voters
90 reranks
Voting Rules
Vote up the best unscripted reality shows that have aired.
Latest additions: A-list to Playlist, Andrew Zimmern's Wild Game Kitchen, Global Soul Kitchen
Most divisive: Hell's Kitchen
Over 9.6K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Ever Reality Shows

This is a list of the best reality TV shows on television, the most (sometimes embarrassingly) addictive reality TV series. From guilty pleasures to shows that really do teach us how to live our lives a little bit better, this list contains only TV shows you would openly recommend to good friends of yours - the best of the best reality shows. Reality fans will also be interested in these juicy reality TV scandals and secrets from the sets of reality TV shows. 

Good reality TV shows come in every style of reality - from competition to cooking, quasi-educational to quite weird - and this list has them all. You can vote for fashion competitions like RuPaul's Drag Race, obstacle course shows like Wipeout, food travelogues like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and of course the classics like Big Brother.

Even reality stars have their own picks, as you can see in this Ranker video featuring the stars of Secrets & Sisterhood: The Sozahdahs:

What are the top reality TV shows? From Top Chef to The Biggest Loser, this list contains only the best and actually-watchable in reality television. Time to vote: what are the best reality shows ever?