Summary

• Competition shows in reality TV test human nature's instincts, appealing to our drive to compete.
• Evolution of reality TV from game shows to physical and mental competitions reflects cultural changes.
• Competition series in reality TV have become a staple watch for viewers, thriving in recent years.

Reality TV as we know it today has stemmed from two things: game shows and documentaries, which is why many find competition shows so appealing. Combining the base elements of reality TV, competition shows test the most primal and base instincts of human nature. While not everyone is interested in competing on a reality TV show, nearly every person has the drive to compete in some circumstances. Some competition shows take that instinct and push it to the limits of physicality, while others ask their contenders to compete in a mental game.

As reality TV shows have shifted and changed through the years, the style of programming has changed to fit with the culture, and to evolve with the times. In the 1970s and 80s, gameshow-style competition shows were the most popular series that resemble today’s style of reality TV. In the 90s, things began to change as physical competition came into play, and the docu-series style of reality TV began to form. The 00s brought reality TV to the forefront, changing the expectations viewers had for reality shows and the way they consumed unscripted content.

With the rise of reality TV in the 2000s, viewers became more familiar with the structures used in reality programming, and producers felt more comfortable pushing the envelope. Shows like Big Brother and Survivor were some of the earliest reality TV competitions that are still on the air today, while other series like The Challenge formed on a whim, bringing reality TV stars from other successful shows together to compete. With competition being a part of human nature, the way reality TV continued to evolve toward competitive series wasn’t surprising. Still, the genre had nay-sayers as shows became more complex.

As reality TV began to approach the modern era, competition became one of the most interesting parts of the genre. Rather than simply watching people live their lives, watching them compete was a novelty. With complicated games full of specific rules, competition series developed cult followings who were able to divulge on social media in order to consume even more content about their favorite players, as well as their least favorites. Reality TV competition became must-see-TV for many, changing the rules of the genre and broadening its horizons.

Although reality TV shows will likely always be a major part of most viewer’s TV diets, competition series have become a standard watch for the majority of TV viewers in general. From talent shows to strategy shows, survival shows to cooking shows, reality TV competitions have been thriving in the last several years more than ever before. As the reality TV genre continues to grow, competition shows will always be an ever-evolving part of the viewing experience.

20 The Challenge

39 Seasons

Originally known as The Real World vs. Road Rules Challenge, The Challenge has been one of the longest-running reality TV competition series on the air. While the show originally brought together stars from The Real World and Road Rules to compete head-to-head, things have changed in subsequent years. Now, The Challenge invites veteran Challengers like five-time winner Chris “C.T.” Tamburello and Challengers from other shows, like Big Brother’s Kaycee Clark, to compete for a cash prize.

Mixing social strategy with physical competition, The Challenge brings together some of the best competitors from all over the world to test their strengths. With stars coming out of The Challenge like Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio and Cara Maria Sorbello, the series has created some of the biggest stars in reality TV competition, as well as some of the biggest rivalries. The Challenge season 40, a battle of the eras, will explore the dynamics between the four distinct eras of the series.

19 Big Brother

26 Seasons

Another long-running competition series, CBS’s Big Brother is one of the most interesting strategy shows on the air. Bringing together a group of houseguests who will live together and compete with each other for an entire summer, Big Brother is typically known as a season-long power struggle. The houseguests compete for food, luxuries, and power throughout the season until only one is left standing, winning the $750,000 grand prize.

While Big Brother has been known for its fascinating seasonal twists and turns, the series has also been known for its scandals. The Big Brother live feeds have been a major part of the series throughout its run, but in recent years, the feeds have gotten some houseguests eviscerated on social media and ejected from the game for an array of scandals. Big Brother as a game tends to be an interesting summer-long power struggle, but has revamped itself for its current season to make it even more enjoyable.

18 The Trust: A Game Of Greed

1 Season

With just one season under its belt, Netflix’s The Trust: A Game Of Greed has become one of the most interesting reality TV competitions on the air. The premise is simple: a group of players are brought into the game having already won the prize pot, but it’s up to them to go through a series of games and tests that could change their opinions on who deserves the money. The group then goes through days of competition where they must assess each other’s worthiness.

Throughout The Trust, the players are tasked with different challenges that will give some advantages. These advantages could find players awarded money from the pot, should they choose to take it, or allow them to make more money for the group. With players keeping secrets and backstabbing often, The Trust: A Game Of Greed season 1 was a fascinating look at social dynamics in a pressurized situation.

17 Survivor

46 Seasons

One of the most popular reality TV competitions of all time, Survivor has been on the air since 2000 and the game has been revamped and revitalized several times over the nearly 25-year run. Survivor has a very simple premise. It asks its players, dubbed Castaways, to outwit, outplay, and outlast each other in the elements of the jungle for a pre-determined amount of days. Split into tribes, the Castaways on Survivor have to work together while plotting each other’s demise.

While Survivor has a cult following already, there are new fans of the show appearing regularly who typically binge through the entire 46 seasons of the show available. With several different eras of Survivor to choose from, some of the most strategic plays in reality TV history have come from the series. Survivor 47, the show’s next season, will premiere in the fall of 2024.

16 The Mole

2 Seasons

Although The Mole was once a 2000s reality series hosted by a baby-faced Anderson Cooper, the show was rebooted by Netflix in 2022 with a whole new style. The competition itself asks the players to work together to earn money for their prize pot in challenges, but one of the players in the group is the titular mole, sabotaging every move. The mole’s only job on the show is to derail challenges, keeping money out of the prize pot.

Throughout the season, players are eliminated by way of a nightly quiz that the players take to asses who they think the mole is. The player with the least accurate answers are eliminated from the game, while the rest move on to gather more data. With two seasons of the rebooted series on Netflix, The Mole feeds off an element of deception that viewers tend to find fascinating.

15 Physical: 100

2 Seasons

Another Netflix competition, Physical: 100 is a series that asks its competitors to show their best physical abilities, pitting them against one another until just one is left standing. A South Korean series, Physical: 100 employs some fascinating editing native to the South Korean style, which makes it a doubly interesting watch. The series brings together 100 of the fittest physical competitors in the world to test their strength and abilities, running on pure competition.

The first season of Physical: 100 was a major hit on Netflix, drawing in audiences from all over the reality TV space. The show created such buzz that Physical: 100 season 2 was greenlit quickly, bringing another season with a whole new theme of the show to the horizon. Showing off some of the most incredible physical feats on reality TV, Physical: 100 is well worth the watch.

14 Ultimate Beastmaster

3 Seasons

Another physically-inclined series, Ultimate Beastmaster is more in the vein of a traditional competition series than a pure test of physical strength. The competitors in the series are all traditional athletes who are competing against one another in an obstacle course, leading to a larger obstacle course called The Beast. Competitors must be fast, agile, and adaptable to make it through rounds of competition.

As Ultimate Beastmaster advances through rounds of the season, some competitors continue on while others don’t make it through the course in its entirety and are eliminated from the competition. While there’s a major sense of competition throughout the show, the competitors are also ive of one another in a way that’s quite touching to watch. The series is one of the few purely physical competition shows that is genuinely captivating.

13 The Amazing Race

36 Seasons

Another staple of reality TV competition, The Amazing Race is one of the long-standing competition shows that has been able to continue to adapt to the world as it’s carried on. Beginning in 2001, The Amazing Race has been able to capture some of the most incredible locations in the world through the lens of a reality TV competition. As the title states, the series is a large race around the world between teams of competitors that all have a pre-existing relationship.

Dealing with logistical issues surrounding flights, cars, buses, and trains, the competitors on The Amazing Race also have to deal with challenges set forth by the show. Completing detours and roadblocks, the teams have to work together to get through the race and find themselves first at the finish line. The longtime series has been to some incredible places through the years, and with The Amazing Race season 36 having just wrapped up, it’s still a staple of reality TV competition.

12 The Circle

6 Seasons

A Netflix original reality TV competition, The Circle uses isolation to its advantage, putting a fun new spin on the traditional strategy series. The competition brings several players into the game, giving them each an isolated apartment equipped with The Circle’s own brand of social media. The players must each set up a profile, then get to know each other through a series of chats, DMs, and games. Faced with ranking each other, some players are ranked high and become Influencers, while others rank low and get blocked from the game.

With different sets of twists and turns throughout each season, The Circle creates an isolated environment for its players where they can choose to enter the game as themselves of as catfish, using entirely fake names, photos, and details about their lives. Hoping to become the highest-rated player, The Circle contestants often struggle to keep themselves afloat as they move through the game. With six seasons, the Netflix competition is a fun watch.

11 American Ninja Warrior

16 Seasons

Much like Ultimate Beastmaster, American Ninja Warrior creates a massive obstacle course for its competitors to venture through, changing it up from season to season. One of the longest-running purely physical competition series, American Ninja Warrior can be an incredible series for those looking for inspiration. The competitors typically share their journeys to each stage of the competition, shedding light on the complexities of their lives outside of the sport.

Shining light on the competitors who fill ninja gyms throughout the US, American Ninja Warrior goes deeper than simply showing off incredible displays of strength. The series has been on for a stunning 16 seasons, and will likely continue on for a long while. With regular athletes who are featured on the series, American Ninja Warrior has managed to create a family from a group of incredible competitors.