Reality TV has been around since the early 1990s with the first high-profile series that purported to show real people living their lives, aptly called Real World. Since then, the genre has exploded to include everything from an intimate look into the lives of celebrities to competition series, talent shows, dating, and more.
When reality shows first became the ultimate guilty pleasure, tons of series launched in hopes of capitalizing on the success. Some were ridiculous in concept; others just believable enough to fly and capture the hearts of viewers. There has been so many reality TV shows that you might have forgotten these ten even existed.
Dating In The Dark
Before there was Love is Blind, there was Dating in the Dark. This dating series launched in 2009 and lasted for two seasons. It was actually very similar to Netflix's Love is Blind, with couples being sequestered from one another, only able to converse in person when together in a dark room. When they decide to go on a date, it, too, was in the dark.
No marriage proposals were required, but the reveals happened in a dark room with a two-way mirror where the lights come on for just a moment so one person could see the other but not give a reaction. They then decided to either head to a balcony to meet and continue dating or walk out the door.
Harry Loves Lisa
There have been so many reality shows filming the private lives of celebrities that it's tough to keep track of them all. And many follow the title style of "X loves Y," such as this one you probably forgot even existed. That's because it only lasted a single season of six episodes.
It followed the lives of actors Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna and their two preteen daughters. Neither of them, however, was popular enough to bring in a big enough audience who cared to see their behind-the-scenes.
My Super Sweet 16
this MTV show? It aired for 10 seasons but ended way back in 2008, which means you might very well have forgotten about it already. It documented the lives of wealthy and bratty teens from North America and the U.K. who were planning elaborate sweet 16 and sweet 15 (quinceanera) parties, on their rich parents' dimes, of course.
The show was so popular that it even spawned a few spin-offs, including My Super Sweet 21 and My Super Swag 18.
The Osbournes
This was the first reality TV series to jump into the intimate lives of a popular Hollywood family, and it kicked off the entire genre. But you might have forgotten about it by now since it aired for four seasons way back in the early '00s.
It became the most-viewed series ever for MTV at the time, thanks to the mumbling antics by Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne's firecracker personality. But it also showed some deep and tender moments, such as Sharon's battle with cancer and Ozzy's brush with death after having an ATV accident.
Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica
They were one of the early '00s pop power couples, Jessica Simpson a popular female singer and Nick Lachey a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. After getting married, they decided to put their lives on full display, which turned out to be a mistake.
The show focused a lot on portraying Jessica as a "dumb blonde" – that time when she thought tuna was actually chicken because it was called "chicken of the sea?" They ended up getting divorced not long after the show was canceled after three seasons.
The Simple Life
We don't hear much from Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie nowadays, and the two were inseparable back in the early '00s, living it up as wealthy socialites. The idea behind this series, which aired for five seasons from 2003-2007, was to watch the pair attempt to do manual, low-paying jobs, from cleaning to farming and waitressing. You know, the kinds of jobs they would never have to do, or ever actually do, in real life.
People seemed to love watching them joke their way through actual work, though, and the show might have gone on even longer had Paris and Nicole not had a falling out and gotten into trouble with the law.
Pimp My Ride
Another reality show from MTV, this one aired for six seasons from 2004-2007 and featured rapper Xzibit as the host. Each episode saw a different car being restored and customized until it was unrecognizable and fully tricked out.
The show spawned several iterations in other countries, including the U.K., Brazil, and Indonesia, as well as imitator shows like Trick My Truck on CMT.
Joe Millionaire
Joe was a middle-class construction worker but the opportunistic girls on this dating show didn't know that. They thought he was a handsome bachelor named Evan, who had just inherited millions of dollars. Once he fell for one he believed to be sincere and revealed the truth to her, would she still love him knowing he was broke?
The series, which aired for a single season in 2003, was really popular and even had a sequel later that year. Perhaps the show would have made people too suspicious to have continued on with subsequent seasons.
Date My Mom
Yes, there has been every type of dating show imaginable, including this one that aired on MTV from 2004 to 2006. A person aged 18-to-24 met with three moms who tried to convince them to choose their son or daughter to date. In the end, the person decided who they wanted to meet based on the dates they just had with the mothers. What?
Imagine going on a date with your significant other's mother before even meeting them, getting tattoos together, having lunch, or even playing sports. It's just weird. And people had alleged that the show was more scripted than reality, which may have led to its early cancellation.
Wife Swap
The American version of Wife Swap aired on ABC for four successful seasons followed by a reboot and a spin-off called Celebrity Wife Swap. And in fact, it has come back again for a twelfth season that debuted in February 2020, which you probably didn't even know about.
The concept of Wife Swap is as it sounds: two families swap wives for a few weeks and see how things go. But the two people are chosen from very different cultural backgrounds, social classes, and lifestyles, each given a household manual they must follow that explains how the family lives. Imagine, for example, a hippie vegan mother living with a wealthy meat-eating family, or a deeply religious mother moving in with a family of atheists.