The top 20 reality TV shows to stream right now

Question

What's your idea of the perfect reality TV show? Posh, young, beautiful people being unbelievably bitchy as their raunchy love triangles unfold? 

Or are you gripped by the allure of 'property porn' and luxury living? Maybe the dating game, with its drama and intrigue, is your thing. 

Or perhaps jaw-dropping extreme physical contests grab your attention. Whatever your preference, the choices have never been wider or more outlandish. Here our critics pick their top 20 shows you can stream now.

Selling Sunset
Meet the elite Los Angeles real estate brokers at The Oppenheim Group

Year: 2019-

Certificate: 12

Watch now on Netflix

The perfect reality show mash up; it has 'property porn', luxury living and a cast of beautiful women who fall out on a regular basis. Selling Sunset unfolds in the world of The Oppenheim Group, a luxury Los Angeles estate agency which sells only the most exclusive of properties. Many of the estate agents are former models; they are all beautiful and have an incredible ability to wear heels even on building sites. But the real drama happens when they party together, fall out, make up and retort wonderfully catty remarks. 

In series six, we see Chrishell navigating the office implications of a new love and the arrival of a new agent, Bre - who seems destined to create waves in the office. 'I'm a hate it or love it kind of gal. I'm definitely bringing my full personality,' the model-turned-Oppenheim employee declared, and drama followed. In the latest seventh series, the agents go on a trip to Mexico, and it doesn't go well - in fact, it results in a huge fight, which is very much par for the course... (Seven series) 








Made In Chelsea
Follow the antics of posh twenty-somethings in the exclusive London borough

Year: 2011-

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Channel 4

This outrageously addictive scripted reality series lets us peek into the privileged lives of the SW3 set. The posh cast are young, beautiful and - of course - bitchy, and over 27 series we've watched their soap opera-style dramas and love triangles play out across Chelsea hotspots, country piles (the MIC set love a shooting weekend) and other plush locations like the south of France and New York, which feature in spin-off episodes.

Lots of the show's personalities have gone on to bigger things, including influencer Millie Mackintosh (who famously threw a cocktail over her now-husband Hugo Taylor), I'm A Celebrity winner Sam Thompson and Chelsea's original rogue, Spencer Matthews. (27 series)  





Love Island
Sexy dating show that has become a cultural phenomenon

Year: 2015-

Love Island started life as a celebrity dating show, which ran for two series between 2005 and 2006, but it was the 2015 relaunch that really brought the show to the public's attention. The series sees hot and horny singletons living together in a luxury villa in Mallorca, where passions are ignited under the sun. Although the contestants claim they are looking for love, most are purely interested in boosting their Instagram followers and securing themselves lucrative careers once they leave the villa. 

The first five series were presented by Caroline Flack, until she stepped down just before her tragic death. Laura Whitmore took over for three series, then Maya Jama took on the role. One of the highlights of the show is the narration provided by Scottish comedian Iain Stirling, which also hits the mark. All series, plus the various spin-offs and international versions are available on ITVX. But be warned, they can get pretty raunchy at times. (Ten series)





The Kardashians
Glitzy, feud-filled follow-up to Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Year: 2022-

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Disney+

What is there to say about the return of the Kardashians other than get ready for more glitz, glamour and family feuding? Their fourth series since they moved from E! to Hulu in the US (Disney+ in the UK), it seems likely that this ten-part run could cover the somewhat surprising coupling of Kylie Jenner with movie star Timothée Chalamet, the acting exploits of Kim on American Horror Story, and the news that Kourtney and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker are expecting a child together. 

And what about the continued fallout from Kim's divorce from Kanye West, which was finalised towards the end of 2022? 

It all seems distinctly possible but one thing is for certain - this latest series will continue to display the considerably bigger-budget approach that's been the hallmark of the shift from E! since the start. That hugely impressive opening drone shot that took us around the Kardashians' empire, way back in the opening episode of series one, set the standard for what's followed since. (Four series, with series five launching on Thursday) 







Below Deck Down Under
Sunny real-life spin-off series following yacht crews behaving badly

Year: 2022-

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Hayu

Filmed onboard a large luxury yacht off the coast of Australia, this addition to the Below Deck reality franchise follows the same successful formula, mixing the crew's on-duty efforts to satisfy the whims of demanding charter customers with their usually raunchy and frequently raucous off-duty activities. 

Well, if you throw a bunch of attractive single twentysomethings together in a confined space you have to expect some drama, and the odd love triangle or two. Or three. Picture Love Island crossed with Downton Abbey on a very snazzy boat and you're getting close to the feel of this strangely addictive show. (Two series) 







Love Is Blind
Netflix's bold dating show returns for a fourth series

Year: 2020-

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Netflix

Like many reality shows, Netflix's bold dating series started out more like a social experiment based around a question: Is love blind? Its romantic hopefuls are tired of searching for love through apps where they are judged first on appearance, and long for something more meaningful. On the show, they talk in private pods without being able to see each other, and slowly fall in love through a series of increasingly intimate conversations. If they find the one they want to spend the rest of their lives with, they get engaged - and only then do these couples meet in person. And the experiment doesn't end there.

Also like many reality shows, deap-throating it's become more of a circus as it's gone on - the contenders from series two onwards all know what they're in for - but it's still a fascinating idea. A UK version is due in 2024. (Six series) 











The Real Housewives Of New Jersey
Feisty spin-off series of the US reality show

Year: 2009-

Certificate: 18

Watch now on Hayu

This branch of the Real Housewives franchise has its own brand of Sopranos-esque charm. Not in the sense that they keep killing each other, but in the salty language the women, such as Brooklyn-born Nicole Mauriello and her twin sister Teresa Aprea, have used on the show down the years. Honestly, if you thought things could get feisty on the New York series, that's nothing compared to the venom with which words get thrown about here.

And it's not out of the question that they might try to kill each other one day, either. The 13th series adds a couple of additional housewives into the mix: Danielle Cabral, who 'loves to be extra', and mum-of-three Rachel Fuda.