22 reality shows that changed television, for better or worse

Jeff Probst signed on to host a show where ordinary people are tossed in the wilderness and told to survive. This simple concept has kept fans glued to CBS since 2000. That’s an insane amount of not only seasons and locations but also twists, turns, and drama when it comes to the competition and contestants.

The early 2000s birthed the idea that people could be famous for literally nothing, and no one did that quite as well at the start of it all than Paris Hilton. The hotel heiress and Nicole Richie only had their family name as their claim to fame, but they taught modern-day influencers how to utilize nothing and turn it into a career, and it started with The Simple Life.

Star Search walked so that American Idol could soar because what Idol had that its predecessor did not were Simon Cowell and the auditions. American Idol  was top-tier water cooler talk whether people were at work, school, or the bus. It was one of the last moments in modern times where almost everyone was glued to the same thing on television because people had to be able to discuss the best and — let’s be honest — the worst auditions. Oh, and the show itself delivered incredible talent in those early years, like Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, Chris Daughtry, and Jennifer Hudson.

Baking influencers may not be where they are today without Duff Goldman’s Ace of Cakes from back in the day, a show that featured his bakery doing elaborately shaped cakes.

Laguna Beach wasn’t MTV’s first foray into reality, but it definitely felt like the turning point for the music-based network in the 2000s.

Not every reality show has a real-world impact. This is why people have been addicted to the good and the bad that has spawned from the ideas pitched on Shark Tank over the years.

Once upon a time, TLC actually taught viewers about things like rare diseases, but then one day, it decided to spread something of its own: reality TV that, in hindsight, featured people that were, um, not the greatest. Dark Side of the 2000s explored the nightmares that spawned from Jon and Kate Plus 8, which was the show that eventually led to a huge onslaught of other families being followed by the network, including the Duggars. For those who don’t know the drama of that family, check out Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets on Amazon Prime.

LGBTQ+ people have had to fight for their place on television for a very long time, and only in the last 20 years have they really started to find their footing thanks to shows like Will & Grace and Queer as Folk, but around that same time, a reality show featuring five gay men making over the lives of hopeless hetero men became an instant fan favorite. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy ran for five seasons, and in 2018, the original cast gave their blessing and passed the torch to a new crop of people to take the revamped Queer Eye to Netflix.

Celebrities doing random things on television dates back pretty far. Does anyone remember Battle of the Network Stars? Dancing with the Stars just took that concept and placed it in a lavish ballroom where everyone from athletes to former child stars could dance their hearts out for a trophy that looked like it rolled out of Studio 54.

One day, both MTV and VH1 agreed that perhaps music on television wasn’t for them and decided to go hard with reality programs. Some may argue with this, but while there was a lot of not-so-great programming at that time, Flavor of Love was not that. Plus, without it, society would not have the gift that is Tiffany Pollard, AKA New York.

The crass “reality” and outlandish spectacles of The Jerry Springer Show had helped lay the foundation for every reality show that followed.

Miami Ink was the first show about tattooing that really took off. So much so that it spawned spin-offs as well as inspiring others about the art form since initially debuting back in 2005.

Today, it seems like there’s a Housewives franchise in every major city, whether we like it or not, but it all started in Southern California’s OC.

Fox was a groundbreaking network in the ‘80s, producing content that strayed from the typical landscape at that time. Today, Fox is the home of a show where people like Rudy Giuliani sing while in elaborate, silly costumes that look like everything from ice cream cones to snails.

The Kardashians weren’t the first family of reality, nor were they the first people who had no legitimate skills to earn fame, but they were the first to take their reality show fame and spin it into an entertainment empire. Did the world need to keep up with them? No. Not at all, but they forced themselves on the world, and now, it feels like the world is stuck with them.

Steve Irwin was a spirited animal lover who pushed the limits to give audiences a closer look at wildlife. Pairing that with his invigorating personality made him a fan favorite around the world and made The Crocodile Hunter one of the most respected and beloved reality programs ever.

Reality TV would not be the same without the yelling and swearing of Gordon Ramsey, who was very much like the antithesis of every chef on Food Network.

MTV was onto something with The Real World, but wanting to keep up with the times, they allowed it to get too out of hand. So what started as intriguing television that featured people early in their careers, like Queer Eye's Karamo Brown, quickly turned into just another.

RuPaul has long since been known as the drag queen, a pop culture staple since dancing in The B-52's "Love Shack" video and then garnering a talk show in the '90s. However, RuPaul went from a world-known queen to an entertainment mogul after kicking off the ultimate drag competition show in 2009. Today, RuPaul's Drag Race isn't just an American series but has gone global with spinoffs in several countries, as well as countless other spin-offs, including Secret Celebrity and All-Stars.

The Dating Game and Love Connection set the stage for a show like The Bachelor, but that house full of single people vying for one person's heart went from a rose-filled gimmick to an addiction as the show hasn't lost steam since its debut in 2002. Plus, it's spawned several spinoffs, including The Bachelorette, which is just as popular.

Fox wasn’t doing TV like anyone else back in the day, and that’s because it took big swings. Not only with shows like The Simpsons and Married… with Children, but also a little show called Cops. It put audiences right in the middle of the action and was a staple of households across America for 35 seasons.

Fist pumping, tanning, and hair gel all existed long before Jersey Shore, but somehow, that crop of people cast on this MTV reality show managed to take ownership of those elements and honestly cast a spell over the world with their drunken antics for six seasons. Not to mention the seven or so spin-offs that came from it.