The Best Reality TV Shows of 2020
A Disney-themed cooking show? We're so in.
Without reality TV, pop culture (and Instagram sponcon) just wouldn't be the same. Reality TV brought us gems like 90 Day Fiancé and the Real Housewives franchise. Where would Natasha Bedingfield's song "Unwritten" be without MTV's The Hills? How would we know if love is really blind without Netflix's Love Is Blind? (Okay, realty TV has also brought us show after show of stilted, scripted conversation and some unabashedly awful reality concepts, but that's a conversation for another day.) To love entertainment is to adore reality TV. There's something about coming home after a long day to lose yourself, wholeheartedly, in the drama of others. It's therapeutic. Whether it's a cooking show featuring tiny children or a fashion show in a country far away, reality TV lets us mentally check out for a while. And 2020 is a banner year for reality TV, thanks to innovative new shows like Family Karma and Flirty Dancing, Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum's Making the Cut, and the returns of old favorites like Extreme Makeover and Naked and Afraid. No matter what happens this year, you can rely on these shows for some top-notch binge-watching.
'Family Karma'
The new Bravo reality TV show follows a group of seven friends and their lives in Miami. It's the first reality show ever to feature an all Indian-American cast. (Finally!) If you love the drama on Vanderpump Rules or any of the Housewives' franchise, you're going to enjoy this.
Premieres on Bravo, March 8 at 8 p.m. ET
'Making the Cut'
There's always a new fashion reality show to obsess over, but Amazon Prime's Making the Cut is looking to break the mold. The show follows 12 fashion designers from all over the world as they vie to win $1 million and create an exclusive line for Amazon. And we haven't even mentioned the best part: All the looks from each episode will be able to purchase immediately, exclusively on Amazon.
Premieres on Amazon Prime March 27.
'Be Our Chef'
Hosted by Angela Kinsey (The Office), the new cooking competition show follows five families tasked with creating dishes inspired by Disney characters like Frozen's Olaf and Cinderella. As for the prize? The chance to have one of your dishes served at Disney World as a signature menu item. *Chef's kiss.*
Premieres on Disney+ March 27
'The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart'
This Bachelor spin-off follows 20 single musicians as they try to find love and launch a music career. Contestants will go on music-themed dates until they make a special connection with someone. The remaining couples will then go through musical challenges like singing together. It's a unique concept but we have no doubt Bachelor Nation will make it a runaway hit.
Premieres on ABC, April 13, 8 p.m. ET
'Love Is Blind'
The breakout reality hit of 2020, you're probably already on first-name terms with the contestants (sweet Mark! Fiery Amber! Lovely Cameron!). If you're not, stop reading this article right now and go catch up on this unmissable series.
'Flirty Dancing'
In FOX's adaptation of UK show Flirty Dancing, two strangers will learn a choreographed routine with a choreographer before they meet for the first time and perform it together. Each individual will perform with two different partners and then have to choose who they want to ask on a date. Did we mention that Jenna Dewan is hosting?
'Married at First Sight'
In the newest season of this hit series, five couples in Washington, D.C. will get married—but the first time they'll meet their partner will be when they're walking down the aisle. The couples have eight weeks to decided if they want to keep things going or get a divorce.
'Supernanny'
The queen of bringing families back together is back on our screens once again. In this 20-episode season, original host Jo Frost will enter dysfunctional family homes and provide guidance and tips to help the family reconnect.
'60 Days In'
If you’re a crime junkie, A&E’s 60 Days is a show about seven volunteers who enter prison for 60 days to uncover contraband or whatever other corruptions are going on among the prisoners. This season will be set at the Etowah County Detention Center in Alabama.
'My Feet Are Killing Me'
If you love watching medical transformations, allow us to introduce you to TLC’s My Feet Are Killing Me. Follow Dr. Ebonie Vincent and Dr. Brad Schaeffer as they tackle everything from fungus to toe amputations in this new medical series. Warning: Not for the faint of heart.
'Extreme Love'
This show is here to remind us that there really is someone out there for everyone. Extreme Love follows the stories of unusual relationships, from a mermaid couple to a man who fell in love with an airplane. As we said—someone for everyone!
'Naked and Afraid: Alone'
Spending three weeks naked and alone with a stranger on an island already sounds like something we don't want to do...but the idea of braving it alone is somehow worse. The Discovery channel is bringing back the survival show with a twist: they’ll be seasoned veterans of the show, but they’ll be 100 percent alone. We’ll miss watching people suffer together, but this sounds even crazier.
'Siesta Key'
The best way to sum up Siesta Key: It's a little like The Hills, in that we're following a group of early 20-somethings as they navigate love, work, friendship, and all that good stuff. The third season kicks off with the friends having to choose between Juliette and Alex after their nasty breakup. Oh, and have we mentioned that Robby Hayes from The Bachelorette shows up this season as a love interest? Things are about to get interesting.
'Family or Fiancé'
Newly engaged couples invite their families to live under one roof with them for three days, coming together to hear their concerns about their recent engagement. At the end of each visit, we find out if everyone in the family has given their blessing—and if they haven't, whether the couple will choose to continue with the wedding.
'Collector's Call'
You'll meet some of the biggest pop culture collectors alive in this series, hosted by The Facts of Life's Lisa Whelchel. And you'll learn about the largest collections out there, from KISS to Winnie the Pooh memorabilia, and find out if the collectors are willing to trade one of their prized possessions for something even cooler.
'Spy Games'
Inspired by the World War II program Station S, which picked a handful of ordinary citizens to train to become spies, 10 strangers will live and train together to become secret agents. The winner of the physical and mental competition will walk away with $100,000. One of the show’s producers is David Burris from Survivor, so that's something!
'Next In Fashion'
Hosted by Queer Eye’s Tan France and fashion It girl Alexa Chung, this fashion show will feature a group of designers competing to win challenges each week. The 10-episode series will end with one lucky person walking away with $250,000 and seeing their first collection live on Net-a-Porter. So, basically, living the dream.
'Girl Scout Cookie Championship'
Kick off the best time of the year, a.k.a. Girl Scout cookie selling season, by watching bakers turn Thin Mints into something even better. The host of this cooking show is none other than Alyson Hannigan from How I Met Your Mother. As for the prize, we’re talking a year supply of Girl Scouts cookies...and the trip of a lifetime.
'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'
The O.G. home makeover show is back, with Jesse Tyler Ferguson hosting. It'll feature guests from LeAnn Rimes to ex-host Ty Pennington. (We'll be over here yelling “MOVE THAT BUS!”)
'90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days'
In this prequel to TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé, we meet couples who are doing some serious long distance. In this reality-based series, we follow one partner in an international relationship as they set to travel to their loved one’s country for the first time to see if they can actually make the relationship work past a phone screen.
...
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter (subscribe here).
