The worst reality TV show of all time isn't 'The Kardashians,' according to data. See the top 10.
Lowest-rated reality TV shows of all time
Reality television, launched in its current incarnation by MTV's "The Real World," is one of the most incoherent-yet-illuminating creations of the last quarter-century. From "Real Housewives" to "Tiger King"—the most popular reality series three times over during quarantine—contemporary reality TV runs the gamut of feel-good to downright dramatic.
We are a country that happily overshares details of our personal lives on social media and captures virtually everything on camera. Our obsession with watching other people live their lives has, in some cases, created bizarre distortions of the world by offering altered views of what business, relationships, and competition really are.
Stacker analyzed IMDb data to compile a list of the lowest-rated reality TV series since the genre's inception, focusing on shows with more than 1,000 IMDb votes. The shows range from the fairly harmless to the downright morally disastrous— along with a few that are so bad they just might be good. Keep reading to see if any of your guilty pleasures made the list.
#10. The Bachelor
- IMDb user rating: 3.2
- Years on the air: 2002–present
While some prefer the most libidinous and debaucherous cable reality TV shows, "The Bachelor" is about as risque as network reality TV get. It was the only network TV show to grow its ratings in 2017. Hate all you want: "The Bachelor" might be television's last great hope.
#9. Amish Mafia
- IMDb user rating: 3.1
- Years on the air: 2012–2015
Set in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, "Amish Mafia" follows Lebanon Levi and his three associates who claim to be a small Amish mob syndicate. If this premise seems too good to be true—"The Sopranos" in Amish country—it may be because it is. Throughout its run, the Discovery Channel series was called out for being more fiction than reality.
#8. A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila
- IMDb user rating: 3.1
- Years on the air: 2007–2008
Tequila rose to prominence by being a big deal on early social media site Myspace—she parlayed the social media fame into "A Shot at Love," a bisexual dating show in which men and women competed for Tequila's heart.
#7. 16 and Pregnant
- IMDb user rating: 3.1
- Years on the air: 2009–present
Shot in an unvarnished documentary style, MTV's "16 and Pregnant" follows pregnant teens, showing both the ups and downs of their lives. The show came soon after the hugely successful 2007 film "Juno," which followed a 16-year-old who carries a pregnancy to term. Unlike "Teen Mom," each episode of "16 and Pregnant" followed a different mother from the midpoint of her pregnancy until the time her child was a few months old.
#6. Keeping Up with the Kardashians
- IMDb user rating: 2.8
- Years on the air: 2006–present
There is a certain banality to "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," which follows the lives of the Kardashian family and those close to them. There's something wonderful about watching beautiful people in glamorous homes deal with seemingly small issues in incredibly dramatic ways. During the run of the show, the family has risen to the top of American popular culture.
#5. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo
- IMDb user rating: 2.6
- Years on the air: 2012–2017
A spin-off of TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras," "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" follows Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson and her mother around their small town of McIntyre, Georgia. Honey Boo Boo's appearance on "Toddlers and Tiaras" made her a viral sensation—this show tried to turn that viral moment into a television series. It doesn't ever reach the magic of the first time we saw Thompson being goofy on camera.
#4. The Goop Lab
- IMDb user rating: 2.5
- Years on the air: 2020–present
Goop CEO and founder Gwyneth Paltrow and her team explore topics like orgasms, psychic mediums, and cold therapy on the 30-minute Netflix show. Experts including medium Laura Lynne Jackson and sex educator Betty Dodson help the goop team dig deep into provocative subjects.
#3. Paris Hilton's My New BFF
- IMDb user rating: 2.1
- Years on the air: 2008–present
This MTV reality show pitted 16 women and two men against each other to compete for the right to be Paris Hilton's new best friend forever. Brittany Flickinger won the show's first season, but Hilton and her quickly had a falling out, which allowed for a second season. Hilton promised, as earnestly as she could, that the winner would be her BFF forever this time.
#2. My Super Sweet 16
- IMDb user rating: 1.8
- Years on the air: 2005–present
MTV's "My Super Sweet 16" is a relatively genius look at the over-the-top, extravagant birthday celebrations of truly spoiled 16-year-olds. Each episode follows a different teenager as they prepare for the lavish event—the teens almost always throw tantrums, fight with friends, and manage to not enjoy themselves at their incredible parties.
#1. Toddlers & Tiaras
- IMDb user rating: 1.8
- Years on the air: 2009–2016
"Toddlers & Tiaras" pulled back the curtain on the competitive world of child beauty pageants. Viewers get to see the behind-the-scenes drama of the pint-size pageants as the toddlers primp, prep and perform to be crowned. Who had more tantrums, the tots or their parents?
