The 40 most popular 2000s reality TV shows, ranked. Click any show for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


Infinite Challenge
2005 · KR
Infinite Challenge has been reported as the first "Real-Variety" show in Korean television history. The program is largely unscripted, and follows a similar format of challenge-based Reality Television programs, familiar to the audiences in the West, but the challenges are often silly, absurd, or impossible to achieve, so the program takes on the aspect of a satirical comedy variety show, rather than a more standard reality or contest program. In order to achieve its comedic purposes its 6 hosts and staff continuously proclaim, the elements of this show are the 3-Ds, Dirty, Dangerous, and Difficult.


RuPaul's Drag Race
2009 · US
Join RuPaul, the world's most famous drag queen, as the host, mentor and judge for the ultimate in drag queen competitions. The top drag queens in the U.S. will vie for drag stardom as RuPaul, in full glamazon drag, will reign supreme in all judging and eliminations while helping guide the contestants as they prepare for each challenge.


Survivor
2000 · US
A reality show contest where sixteen or more castaways split between two or more “Tribes” are taken to a remote isolated location and are forced to live off the land with meager supplies for roughly 39 days. Frequent physical challenges are used to pit the tribes against each other for rewards, such as food or luxuries, or for “Immunity”, forcing the other tribe to attend “Tribal Council”, where they must vote off one of their players.


Dancing with the Stars
2005 · US
The competition sees celebrities perform choreographed dance routines which are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts and voted on by viewers. Enjoy sizzling salsas, sambas and spray-tans as they vie for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy.


TV Animal Farm
2001 · KR
No overview available


2 Days and 1 Night
2007 · KR
2 Days & 1 Night is a South Korean reality-variety show with the motto "real wild road variety." Its main concept is to recommend various places of interest that viewers can visit in South Korea.


Big Brother
2000 · US
American version of the reality game show which follows a group of HouseGuests living together 24 hours a day in the "Big Brother" house, isolated from the outside world but under constant surveillance with no privacy for three months.


Show! Music Core
2005 · KR
Show! Music Core is a music show that has been aired since 2005. Not like any other music shows, this show doesn't include any charts or awards. There are a few segments such as This Week's Hot 3, Chart Up Core and Core of Rising Stars.


Big Brother
2000 · UK
A British reality television game show in which a number of contestants live in an isolated house for several weeks, trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize at the end of the run.


WWE Superstars
2009 · US
WWE Superstars is a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that originally aired on WGN America in the United States. It debuted on April 16, 2009 and ended its domestic broadcasting on April 7, 2011. After the final domestic TV broadcast the show moved to an internet broadcast format while maintaining a traditional television broadcast in international markets. The show features mid-to-low card WWE superstars and divas, in a format similar to the former show WWE Heat which served the same purpose. Big names such as John Cena and Randy Orton previously appeared on the show at its beginning. The show also previously featured talent from the now-defunct ECW brand.


Project Runway
2004 · US
Aspiring fashion designers compete for a chance to break into the industry. Each week, a designer is eliminated from the competition after exhibiting their work in front of a judges' panel.


The Amazing Race
2001 · US
This reality competition sees teams embark on a trek around the world to amazing destinations where they must compete in a series of challenges, some mental and some physical. Only when the tasks are completed will they learn of their next location. Teams who are the farthest behind will gradually be eliminated as the contest progresses, with the first team to arrive at the final destination winning the race and the $1 million prize.


America's Got Talent
2006 · US
A weekly talent competition where an array of performers – from singers and dancers, to comedians and novelty acts – vie for a $1 million cash prize.


Hell's Kitchen
2005 · US
Aspiring restaurateurs brave Ramsay and his fiery command of the kitchen as he puts the competitors through an intense culinary academy to prove they possess the right combination of ingredients to win a life-changing grand prize.


American Idol
2002 · US
Each year, hopeful singers from all over the country audition to be part of one of the biggest shows in American television history. Who will become the new American Idol?


Top Gear
2002 · UK
This fast-paced and stunt-filled motor show tests whether cars, both mundane and extraordinary, live up to their manufacturers' claims. The long-running show travels to locations around the world, performing extreme stunts and challenges to see what the featured cars are capable of doing. The current hosts are Paddy McGuinness, Chris Harris and Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff.


Keeping Up with the Kardashians
2007 · US
A peek inside the exploits and privileged private lives of the blended Kardashian-Jenner family, including sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloé.


Pinoy Big Brother
2005 · PH
The Philippine adaptation of the reality game show "Big Brother" features Filipino housemates live together, share their stories and build meaningful relationships as they do tasks and challenges supervised by Big Brother. Every week a nomination is done, and the public decides who gets evicted and eventually become the Big Winner of the program.


Saturday Kitchen Live
2002 · UK
Saturday Kitchen Live is a 90 minute cookery programme, which is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday mornings. Matt Tebbutt is the predominant presenter. Andi Oliver and Michel Roux Jr. have also presented several episodes. Previous presenters have included Antony Worrall Thompson and Gregg Wallace. The programme is currently produced by Cactus TV. The programme has also aired on RTÉ One in Ireland on Saturday mornings, the episodes shown are several months old.


House Hunters International
2006 · US
This spin-off of the wildly popular House Hunters goes around the globe. Home hunters and their realtors check out all sorts of architectural styles and work through the quirks of buying real estate in other countries.


Chopped
2009 · US
A high energy, fast paced cooking competition that challenges four up-and-coming chefs to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, a contestant gets “chopped” by our panel of esteemed culinary luminaries until the last man or woman left standing claims victory.


America's Next Top Model
2003 · US
Aspiring models compete for a chance to break into the business with a panel of judges critiquing their progress throughout the competition.


Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
2007 · US
Host Guy Fieri takes a cross-country road trip to visit some of America's classic "greasy spoon" restaurants — diners, drive-ins and dives — that have been doing it right for decades.


We Got Married
2008 · KR
We Got Married is a South Korean reality variety show, one segment of the Sunday Sunday Night program. First broadcast in 2008, the show pairs up Korean celebrities to show what life would be like if they were married. Each week, couples are assigned missions to complete, with candid interviews of the participants to reveal their thoughts and feelings.


Shark Tank
2009 · US
Aspiring entrepreneurs pitch various business ideas to "The Sharks" -- tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons -- in hopes of landing an investment.


The Ultimate Fighter
2005 · US
The next generation of UFC stars are produced in an intense elimination tournament that separates the contenders from the pretenders.


Die Küchenschlacht
2008 · DE
No overview available


Strictly Come Dancing
2004 · UK
A dance competition where celebrities compete to be crowned the winner. Who is kicked out of the competition each week is decided by the judges scores and viewer votes. Are today's celebrities fleet of foot or do they have two left feet?


Ghost Adventures
2008 · US
Paranormal investigator Zak Bagans and his crew, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin, search for haunted locations both domestically and internationally. During their investigations, Zak and crew acquaint themselves with the general area; interview locals about the hauntings; and go face-to-face with the evil spirits who reportedly haunt these locations.


Pawn Stars
2009 · US
Go inside the colorful world of the pawn business. At the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop on the outskirts of Las Vegas, generations of the Harrison family run the family business, and there’s clashing and camaraderie every step of the way.


So You Think You Can Dance
2005 · US
Dancers selected in open auditions across America take part in a rigorous competition designed to best display their talents, training and personalities to a panel of judges and viewers as they strive to win votes and avoid elimination.


Big Brother
2000 · DE
100 days, 24-hour surveillance, a container and no contact with the outside world: the residents live together in their new shared flat in a container for 100 days and are under 24-hour camera surveillance. Big Brother sees everything. Big Brother sets the rules. Big Brother is unpredictable.


The X Factor
2004 · UK
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent, contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions.


Escape to the Country
2002 · UK
The property show that helps prospective buyers find their dream home in the country.


Top Chef
2006 · US
An American reality competition show in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges and are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants eliminated in each episode.


Big Brother
2001 · AU
Big Brother is an Australian reality show based on the international Big Brother format created by John de Mol. Following the premise of other versions of the format, the show features a group of contestants, known as "housemates" who live together in a specially constructed house that is isolated from the outside world. The housemates are continuously monitored during their stay in the house by live television cameras as well as personal audio microphones. Throughout the course of the competition, housemates are evicted from the house - eliminated from the competition. The last remaining housemate wins the competition and is awarded a cash prize.


Big Brother's Little Brother
2001 · UK
Each week, the housemate evicted from the Big Brother house the previous week traditionally spends another week on Big Brother's Little Brother, answering questions and taking part in Call BBLB along with other features. The show also boasts celebrity guests and experts who come in to discuss and analyse the remaining Big Brother housemates.


Celebrity Big Brother
2001 · UK
Celebrity Big Brother is a British reality television game show in which a number of celebrity contestants live in an isolated house trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize being donated to the winner's nominated charity at the end of the run.


Bargain Hunt
2000 · UK
Two teams of amateur collectors have an hour at an antiques fair in which to acquire the best bargains possible.


A Fazenda
2009 · BR
A Fazenda is the current Brazilian version of the The Farm reality television show based on the Swedish television series of the same name that was originally created in 2001 by Strix and produced in association with Sony Entertainment and Endemol. The show is based on a group of celebrities living together twenty-four hours a day in a Farm, isolated from the outside world while having all their steps followed by cameras around-the-clock, with no privacy for three months. The contestants compete for the chance to win the grand prize by avoiding weekly eviction, until the last celebrity remains at the end of the season that can claim the grand prize. The show is presented by news reporter Britto Junior alongside actress Chris Couto and directed by Rodrigo Carelli. Record's website and a Record-owned pay-per-view channel offer round-the-clock coverage.
The 2000s were cable television's breakthrough — HBO and its imitators proved that serialized, morally complicated drama could be the most ambitious storytelling around.
Reality television spans competition formats, documentary-style follow shows, and dating series. It's the most-watched and least-written-about corner of TV, and its formats travel internationally better than almost anything else.