10 highly anticipated shows to satisfy every type of reality TV fan
This story originally appeared on OLBG and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
10 highly anticipated shows to satisfy every type of reality TV fan
If you secretly spend your downtime indulging in the romantic tension of "The Bachelor," biting your nails through "Survivor," or singing along with contestants on "The Voice," you're not alone. Roughly 4 in 5 (79%) adults who turn on their TVs watch reality series, and nearly half of those viewers describe these shows as a "guilty pleasure," according to a 2023 Gitnux report.
With dozens of dating shows, cooking shows, adventure shows, and more to watch, it's no surprise the genre has garnered such a massive following. Last year saw a number of buzzy premieres, from "The Golden Bachelor" to "Squid Game: The Challenge," and 2024 looks to be equally packed with new releases and returning favorites. Follow-up seasons of hits like "Love Is Blind" and "Queer Eye" have already dropped, as well as new series like "We Are Family"—and that's just in the first quarter of 2024. The rest of the year still has hours upon hours of unscripted programming in store.
To give you a sneak peek at what's ahead in reality television, OLBG used data from entertainment news outlets like Deadline and Variety to create a list of 10 shows to look out for in 2024 for every type of reality TV fan. Read on to explore what's on deck for the rest of the year, and make sure to keep an eye out for your next guilty pleasure.
Dating drama lovers
The most popular reality TV subgenre by far, dating shows make up a whopping 39% of all reality TV series produced.
Viewers who love to watch high-octane dating dramas unfold are in luck, as two of the category's standouts—"Perfect Match" and "Single's Inferno"—will return to Netflix sometime in 2024. Now in its second season, "Perfect Match" unites singles from past episodes of other Netflix dating shows like "Love Is Blind" and "Too Hot to Handle." Host Nick Lachey presides over a series of compatibility challenges that could either bring intrepid singles together—or push them further apart.
The Korean series "Single's Inferno," meanwhile, will return for its fourth season, following a crew of single strangers through life's ups and downs on a deserted island without modern plumbing, air conditioning, or (gasp!) cellphones. To escape the island for a more luxurious hotel getaway, the romantic hopefuls of "Single's Inferno" must pair up and find "the one" ASAP.
Armchair swashbucklers
This year, the world of adventure reality TV will take viewers to new highs and lows across the globe. First, the second season of "Alone Australia" premieres on SBS on March 27. A spinoff of the massively successful American series "Alone," "Alone Australia" will see 10 contestants struggling to survive and outlast their fellow competitors on the isolated, rugged Te Waipounamu island in New Zealand.
A different fight for survival will also play out on the National Geographic channel when the second season of "Limitless" with Chris Hemsworth releases this fall. The series follows the "Avengers" star on a global quest to discover how to live a healthier, longer life. Pit stops on Hemsworth's path to longevity will include Nepal, Australia, and Italy.
Culinary connoisseurs
Get ready for cake-cutting videos to flood the internet—the third season of Netflix's viral hit "Is It Cake?" reaches the streaming platform on March 29. Part game show and part cooking competition, "Is It Cake?" challenges bakers to fool celebrity judges by creating ultra-realistic, edible replicas of items like designer handbags and fast-food hamburgers.
Food Network has also ordered a brand-new competition series, "24 in 24: Last Chef Standing," premiering on April 14. Esther Choi and Michael Symon will host the show, which sees 24 chefs tackle 24 different cooking challenges in 24 consecutive hours. The chef to make it through all 24 hours takes home the $50,000 grand prize and a much-needed vacation.
Talent scouts
Talent competition shows like "America's Got Talent" have long been a staple of the reality TV landscape, and "AGT" will continue to uphold its position this year.
Following the January premiere of "AGT: Fantasy League," which pitted past competitors against one another in teams, "AGT" Season 19 will feature a fresh roster of talent acts this summer. Skilled musicians, magicians, stuntmen, and more will take the stage to wow judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofía Vergara, and host Terry Crews.
Over at Netflix, filming has already begun on the sophomore season of "Rhythm + Flow," which is expected to premiere sometime this year. Judges Latto, DJ Khaled, and Ludacris, joined by guests like Eminem, will watch and critique a new crop of hip-hop performers vying for the $250,000 cash prize and a chance at superstardom.
Real-estate moguls
The reigning sovereign of real estate TV, HGTV has greenlit several new shows for 2024. While a few of those have already premiered, "Farmhouse Fixer: Camp Revamp," a spinoff of actor and New Kids on the Block singer Jonathan Knight's "Farmhouse Fixer," will air on the channel this summer. In this four-episode series, Knight teams up with his family to transform a new property into an impressive summer retreat for guests.
Lest you forget, though, Netflix also has a bevy of real-estate shows to its name, and the streaming platform will release the eagerly awaited eighth season of "Selling Sunset" in 2024. Though Heather Rae El Moussa is sitting out this season, you can still expect all the jaw-dropping melodrama and megamansions that have glued so many "Selling Sunset" fans to their screens in past years.
Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Paris Close.
