If you love reality TV but feel like you’ve exhausted the usual rotation of “Love Island,” “Survivor” and “The Bachelor,” there are endless options of underrated shows just waiting for you. From mind games to romance roulette, here are 10 underrated reality TV gems you should definitely queue up next.
- “The Circle”
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In this catfish-centric competition, players get to live in their own personalized studio apartments, isolated from the rest of the players, and can only communicate through a social media platform called “The Circle.” They can choose to present themselves however they want, meaning some players play as themselves while others portray themselves as a catfish and pretend to be someone entirely different.
“The Circle” explores how people curate identity and navigate popularity without face-to-face interaction. It’s like a social experiment meets reality game show, and it’s ideal for fans of digital-age drama. 9.7/10
- “temptation island”
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“Temptation Island” might seem like a guilty pleasure, but it’s far more emotionally charged than people give it credit for. Couples agree to live apart in different villas on an island populated with attractive singles trying to tempt them away from their relationships.
It’s messy, revealing and a true psychological experiment in trust and fidelity. It’s perfect for fans of “Love Island” who want something spicier and more emotionally raw, with plenty of tearful confessions and plot twists. 8.2/10
- “claim to fame”
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Hosted by Kevin and Frankie Jonas, “Claim to Fame” features contestants who are all secretly related to celebrities. Their goal? Keep their identity secret while trying to uncover who everyone else is related to.
All contestants stay in a mansion together, participating in daily challenges to keep their clues a secret while gaining access to others. Anything and everything around the mansion can be a clue. It’s part guessing game, part strategy and all-around addictive. 9.8/10
- “squid game: the challenge”
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Inspired by the smash-hit Netflix drama, this reality adaptation brings 456 contestants together for a real-life (but safe) version of the high-stakes show “Squid Game.” This reality contest includes the basic squid game challenges.
While there’s no actual death involved, the competition is fierce, with alliances, betrayals and twists echoing the original series. It’s one of the most visually stunning and intense reality competitions out there. 9.1/10
- “selling sunset”
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Although it’s more of a glam-docu-reality hybrid, “Selling Sunset” is dripping with aesthetic luxury, high-end real estate and juicy drama. The show follows a group of stylish agents at The Oppenheim Group, where multimillion-dollar listings are just the backdrop to rivalries, romance and power plays.
Perfect for fans of “The Real Housewives” franchise or “Bling Empire,” it’s addictive, stylish, and surprisingly cutthroat. 7.6/10
- “million-dollar secret”
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“Million-Dollar Secret” feels like an adaptation of “The Traitors,” except with everyday people instead of the crossover of reality stars. This is a competition where one of the players secretly has a million-dollar inheritance and the rest must figure out who.
If the millionaire is figured out before the 10 days at the stag are over, the million dollars moves to a new player. It’s part social game, part psychological experiment with tension mounting as suspicion swirls. 8.8/10
- “the traitors”
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Moving on to our mixed celebrity shows, set in a dramatic castle in the Scottish Highlands, “The Traitors” is a reality competition that mixes social deduction with strategic gameplay. Your favorite reality TV stars from shows like “Love Island,” “Survivor,” “Real Housewives,” “The Bachelor,” “Big Brother,” “Dancing With The Stars” and more come together to complete missions to build the prize pot.
Among the castle are traitors secretly sabotaging the group, deciding who to “murder” from the group each night, sending them on their way empty-handed. 10/10
- “Got to get out”
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“Got to Get Out” is an adrenaline-fueled reality series where everyday people come together with their favorite reality TV stars to try and escape from their house without anyone else seeing them. The players endure a 10-day stay in a beautiful house, with the prize fund climbing up to $1 million. If you get past the front gates, you win whatever amount the prize fund is at.
It’s a fresh, thrilling concept for fans of shows like “The Mole” or “The Challenge,” combining brainpower, strategy and tension in a way that keeps you guessing until the very end. 9.6/10
- “battle camp”
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To win “Battle Camp,” you must be unbeatable, unbreakable and un-hateable. Your favorite reality TV stars are grouped into teams and face boot-camp-level challenges that push their physical and emotional limits.
Eliminations are based on the fate of the spin of a wheel, but the more times your name appears on the wheel, the more chances you have of being sent home. Win the challenge, keep your name off the wheel, lose the challenge or risk leaving empty-handed. 9.3/10
- “perfect match”
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Netflix’s “Perfect Match” takes stars from previous dating shows and throws them into a romantic free-for-all where they pair up and compete in compatibility challenges. Each night brings new couples and power shifts, making for a dating show that’s both romantic and ruthlessly strategic.
If you enjoy “Love Island” or “Too Hot To Handle” but want more manipulation and matchmaking drama, this one’s for you. 8.3/10
Hope this allowed you to find your next watch!