10 Horrible Reality TV Shows They Could Never Make Again

We often call reality TV “trash TV” for a reason – a lot of it isn’t very good! But that’s kind of the point. You shouldn’t expect high-quality drama like The Sopranos from shows like Vanderpump Rules or Real Housewives. The fun of reality TV is that it’s often silly and over-the-top, and that’s what makes it enjoyable. However, some reality shows are definitely worse than others.

There’s no shortage of reality TV shows that have damaged the genre’s reputation. Many of these were thankfully brief experiments designed to shock audiences with outlandish and often exploitative ideas. By now, pretty much any terrible dating show or sensationalized documentary you can imagine has likely already been made and aired, and we can be grateful that the most egregious examples are off the air.

We love finding the absolute worst shows and movies, and we’ve compiled a collection of them here. You’ll discover everything from poorly done reality competitions to bizarre family storylines and dating shows with shocking twists. There’s even one where kids were left to fend for themselves in an abandoned town! Consider this a deep dive into the truly awful – enter at your own risk.

The 10 Most Offensive Reality TV Shows Ever

Are You Hot?

We’ve always been overly focused on physical appearance, even if we don’t admit it. But one early 2000s show tackled this head-on with the question: are you hot? The 2003 competition show Are You Hot? brought together people from across America who considered themselves attractive, then judged their confidence in front of judges, a live audience, and viewers at home. The country was divided into four regions, and thousands of applicants competed to represent their area in the final round. It wasn’t a good show – contestants labeled as unattractive often left the stage in tears. Lorenzo Lamas was a judge, and everyone was fascinated by a particularly muscular contestant named Sean Cassidy. You can actually watch the first episode in its entirety on YouTube.

Benefits Street

American reality TV can be pretty sensational, but British reality shows often go even further. From 2014 to 2015, Channel 4 aired two seasons of Benefits Street, a program that followed struggling residents in Birmingham who received government assistance while also engaging in criminal activity, shoplifting, and avoiding work. The show reinforced negative stereotypes about people on welfare, portraying them as lazy and unwilling to contribute to society, and did little to challenge those perceptions. It quickly sparked outrage, with participants receiving death threats and critics accusing the network of exploiting poverty for entertainment.

Black. White.

The 2006 show Black. White. explored what would happen if families swapped races. Using special effects makeup, a white family and a Black family lived for six weeks with each other’s skin color as a social experiment. While the show initially received some positive reviews, it also faced criticism for reinforcing stereotypes and using offensive language. Surprisingly, it was produced by Ice Cube, and though likely intended to be thought-provoking, it’s shocking that this concept was ever seriously considered.

Born in the Wild

The Lifetime series Born in the Wild (2015) featured a troubling premise: couples choosing to give birth in the wilderness without medical assistance, purely for the sake of entertainment. While the actual danger to the infants is debatable – given the presence of a production crew and experts – the show’s concept and its dismissive attitude towards modern medicine quickly alienated many viewers. The idea of needlessly risking a baby’s life for a reality show proved to be a major turn-off for many after just one episode.

Boy Meets Boy

Ever wondered why it’s taken so long for The Bachelor to have a season featuring gay contestants? It turns out, a show with a similar premise actually aired before, but it was problematic. Boy Meets Boy started as a dating show where a gay man was supposed to choose a partner from a group of male contestants. However, the show revealed in its fourth episode that half the contestants were actually straight. The prize money and a trip to New Zealand would be split between both men if the final contestant chosen was gay. But if the winner turned out to be straight, he would be the sole winner. Essentially, it was a show where straight men pretended to be gay to deceive a gay man, all for a chance to win money.

Kid Nation

During the pandemic, many people online rediscovered the show Kid Nation. It featured a group of children, aged 8 to 15, trying to build and run their own town without any adults. The show was controversial, drawing comparisons to Lord of the Flies and facing accusations of violating child labor laws, which led to it being cancelled after just one season. However, in recent years, it’s gained a cult following, with viewers appreciating its realistic – and often chaotic – portrayal of how communities work and how children handle real-world problems.

The Pickup Artist

It’s easy to get drawn in by someone like “Mystery” – a man who combines the look of a pirate and a magician – and believe his claims about using specific techniques to attract women. That’s the idea behind the show The Pickup Artist, which followed Erik von Markovik, known as “Mystery,” as he coached men struggling with dating. He gave them assignments and advice on how to win over women. While helping people improve their dating skills isn’t inherently bad, the show’s focus on manipulation and deception felt unsettling and exploitative rather than charming.

The Swan

Whenever people talk about truly awful reality TV, the show The Swan always comes up. It ran for two seasons and followed women who were given complete physical makeovers – including significant cosmetic surgery – over three months, all in an attempt to become “beautiful.” At the end, the women would compete in a pageant, and the one deemed to have changed the most was crowned “the Swan.” Saying the show encouraged unrealistic beauty expectations, made normal women feel pressured to have surgery, and promoted judging people by their looks doesn’t even begin to cover how problematic it was.

Who’s Your Daddy?

The show Who’s Your Daddy? was exactly as bizarre as it sounds, and arguably even more so. Adopted adults who never met their birth fathers had to identify their biological father from a group of potential candidates. If they chose correctly, they won money. If they chose wrong, the imposter won the prize. Thankfully, a reunion with a parent still happened regardless! Only one episode aired as a 90-minute special in 2005, and due to poor viewership, the rest of the series moved to the Fox Reality Channel – where they aired on Father’s Day.

There’s Something About Miriam

When it comes to dating shows with a dark twist, There’s Something About Miriam really stands out. The show’s premise seemed simple enough: several men competed in challenges and went on dates with a young Mexican model, with the goal of winning her over. However, the model, Miriam Rivera, is a trans woman, and the men weren’t aware of this. Rivera didn’t reveal she was trans until after she’d chosen a winner. Disappointingly, and predictably, the contestants – including the winner – tried to sue the network to prevent the show from being broadcast. Rather than promoting understanding and acceptance, the show relied on harmful stereotypes and exploited the shock of someone being perceived as “deceptive” about their identity.

10 Famous Actors Who Got Their Start On Reality TV

1. Emma Stone

Emma Stone is now a major star in Hollywood, known for films like La La Land, Birdman, and Easy A. However, her first television appearance was earlier, when she was 16, on the ABC reality show In Search of the New Partridge Family. The show aimed to find actors to play the family in a remake of the popular 1970s sitcom, The Partridge Family. Stone won the role of Laurie Partridge and appeared in the pilot episode of the reboot.

2. Aaron Paul

Before becoming famous for roles in Breaking Bad and Bojack Horseman, Aaron Paul appeared as a contestant on The Price Is Right – using his birth name, Aaron Sturtevant. He fueled up beforehand with six Red Bulls, hoping to boost his energy. In an interview, Paul admitted that he looked like he was “on drugs” during the show because he couldn’t sit still. He also shared that he felt “depressed” when he didn’t win the car, explaining that he was struggling financially at the time and the prize money could have been a significant help. He discussed this during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2017.

3. Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson wasn’t a well-known performer when she first tried out for American Idol. She impressed the judges throughout the auditions and made it to the Top 12 contestants. Although she finished in seventh place, she went on to achieve even greater success. Hudson became a successful singer and actress, with notable roles in Dreamgirls and as Aretha Franklin in the film Respect.

4. Lio Tipton

Since appearing on season 11 of VH1’s America’s Next Top Model, Lio Tipton (who was known as Analeigh Tipton during filming) has become a successful actor in film and television. Host Tyra Banks famously praised their Covergirl commercial during the competition as the best in the show’s history. With roles in films like Crazy, Stupid, Love, Warm Bodies, and Two-Night Stand, Tipton demonstrates that even a practice ad can launch a thriving acting career.

5. Julianne Hough

Julianne Hough became famous as a professional dancer on the ABC show Dancing With the Stars, rather than as a contestant like many others on this list. She won two seasons of the competition, partnering with Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno and race car driver Hélio Castroneves. Before Dancing With the Stars, she appeared on the ABC game show Show Me The Money as a contestant. Today, she’s also a successful actress, having starred in films like Footloose, Burlesque, and Safe Haven.

6. Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake began performing publicly at a very young age, appearing on the TV show Star Search at just 11 years old. A year later, in 1993, he joined The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. Though he later became famous as a member of the boy band NSYNC, Timberlake also built a successful acting career. He’s starred in popular comedies like Bad Teacher and Friends with Benefits, and received critical praise for his roles in films such as The Social Network and Inside Llewyn Davis.

7. Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox is now a celebrated actress, famously nominated for an Emmy for her role as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black. But before her success, she got her start in a surprising place: as a contestant on the VH1 reality show I Want to Work For Diddy, where hopefuls competed for a job with Sean Combs. Although she was eliminated in episode six, the show unexpectedly helped launch her television career – a pretty good outcome, all things considered.

8. Heather Morris

While many remember Heather Morris for her role as Heather Pierce and her dancing on the TV show Glee, she was already an experienced dancer beforehand. She competed on Season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance, making it through the challenging “Vegas week” but not quite reaching the Top 20. Interestingly, she met Glee choreographer Zach Woodlee while working as a dancer, and he hired her to teach the cast a routine to Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.” This led to her joining the cast as a performer, and the rest, as they say, is history.

9. Jamie Chung

Jamie Chung started her career in 2004 on the MTV reality show The Real World: San Diego. The show featured a group of strangers living together while cameras filmed their everyday lives. After appearing on the show, Chung moved into acting. She’s well-known for playing Mulan on ABC’s Once Upon a Time, and has also had roles on HBO’s Lovecraft Country and Fox’s The Gifted.

10. Jon Hamm

Before becoming famous as Don Draper on Mad Men, Jon Hamm had a memorable appearance on the dating show The Big Date back in 1996. Photos from the episode show him with a very 90s haircut! Unfortunately, he was rejected by two different women, who probably didn’t realize he’d become such a successful actor. Besides Mad Men, Hamm has starred in films like Baby Driver and Confess, Fletch.

2026-01-16 18:15