They’re outrageous, they’re controversial, they manage to bring viewers in every single year and make them sit with their eyes peeled for every little jaw-dropping moment. Reality television continues to tickle the minds of its ardent viewers, convincing them to tune in by introducing new gimmicks, setting up interpersonal clashes and trying to get them excited about every elimination, every rose, and every single possible victory. 

They have villains to hiss at, heroes to root for, and a never-ending cavalcade of drama to enjoy. While this world has spawned a whole lot of fascinating programming, 10 outings in particular stood out from the pack this year. They include everything from hot competition in a cold kitchen to another race around the world to a bunch of minor celebrities trapped in a backstabbing competition with one another. They’re certainly all quite different from each other, but nonetheless have made an important impact on 2025.

Here’s a complete list of the very best reality shows that graced television screens worldwide during this past year. You’ll find a wide variety of options, with something to please everyone and a whole lot of drama to soak in. They are listed from 10th to first place, in order of authorial preference.

“Top Chef” with the temperature turned way up, “Next Gen Chef” takes that high-pressure “yes chef” world made famous by shows like “The Bear” and adds an intense competitive element. Making its debut on Netflix, it ends up enchanting viewers through its sweaty, almost frantic pursuit of a cash prize and even gives audiences a peek into what it might be like working in a large commercial kitchen. Did we mention the equally-delicious backstabbing and the never-ending delight of watching contestants climb over each other to be the best? 

On top of that, there’s a strong “Top Chef” connection, and while alums of that series who work as judges on “Next Gen Chef” — such as Chef Kelsey Barnard Clark and Carlton McCoy — don’t quite have the same extreme personality as Gordon Ramsey, they’re still solid, serviceable faces who keep the party rolling. The fact that each and every chef represents the best of their fields helps make this such an exciting series.

Said cash prize totaled $500,000, but naturally the exposure was just as valuable to the mega-talented chefs who agreed to appear on the show. The fact that the series also had the backing of the Culinary Institute of America and was co-created by The Institute’s president, Timothy Ryan, adds an extra note of import and class to the proceedings. On top of that, it was filmed at their Hyde Park campus, a swanky locale in upstate New York that becomes a character in of itself as time goes on. All in all, it’s enough drama to make your mouth water.

• Creator: Dr. Timothy Ryan
• Cast: Kelsey Barnard Clark, Kwame Onwuachi, and Dale Talde
• Number of episodes: 8
• Where to watch: Netflix

It’s arguable that “Vanderpump Rules” — trying to stay just as salacious in its first two seasons post-Scandoval while entertaining the viewers it gained with the controversy — had a weaker year in 2025. And yet — even compared to its other Housewife-related shows — it’s still the most entertaining and fun outing in the entire bunch. It also rules the roost when it comes to “Real Housewife” spin-offs, and Season 12 has proved that keeping up with the family has never been more fun. 

The usual brew of interpersonal scandals, work events and disastrous meals that remain a hallmark of the show took center stage during Season 12. While this season saw some casting changes, with new servers starting at Sur and TomTom, making Lisa’s life a fresh sort of misery, the spirit of the show remained intact. But the more things change, the more they remain the same, and everyone still has to swim through the drama to get their day’s pay.

Fans know what to expect from the show by now, and during Season 12 they got to enjoy even more of the same high-octane interpersonal entanglements — whether it be a tryst gone wrong, a friendship gone by the wayside, or a meal turned into a catastrophe. There’s a reason why audiences keep coming back to this series.

• Creators: Alex Baskin, Lisa Vanderpump
• Cast: Lisa Vanderpump, Tom Sandoval, Scheana Shay
• Number of episodes: 229 
• Where to watch: Bravo, Peacock, Hulu

Fans got two doses of couples meeting and mating at first sight this year, with “Love Is Blind” debuting fresh go-rounds in both February and October. This double-shot of reality messiness definitely got tongues wagging; the series remains one of Netflix’s watershed programs. It appears that no matter the setting or how long the connection endures, watching couples lust, spark and fall in and out of love is definitely a watchable experience for fans every single time it happens. It helps that culture clashes, cheating issues and a million other compatibility problems help spice up the plot.

Season 8 was typical of the tumult that afflicts every single couple who find themselves on the program taking on the challenge of getting married on camera. Meeting without any idea what the other person looks like, some of the couples thrived on the lack of knowledge while others faltered. Only one married duo – Taylor Haag and Daniel Hastings — survived the season with an intact union. Not shocking, considering the show’s overall success rate. Season 9, which is set to begin airing very soon as of press time, seems to be going in the same direction, with plenty of drama to unfurl. But that, of course, is what makes “Love is Blind” so great — and why it continued to rule the streaming and Nielsen charts in 2025. 

• Creator: Chris Coelen
• Hosts: Nick Lachey, Vanessa Lachey
• Number of episodes: 122 
• Where to watch: Netflix

“Temptation Island” had a huge renaissance in America this year, with it and “Love Island: USA” becoming major juggernauts in the reality television show space and the subject of watercooler gossip. People love their romantic competitions to be salacious and fraught with infighting. No wonder fans tuned in — two of the couples split, two of them stayed together, but no one’s married yet.

That’s probably not surprising when one considers the fact that “Temptation Island” is built around the concept of cheating — or at least sowing your wild oats before settling down. The show takes a group of seemingly rock-solid couples on the verge of either something important or at an unstable moment in their relationship and places them on an island filled with attractive singles. They are then urged to date around, resulting in the partners either straying from their original unions or holding firm within them. There are games that encourage the exploration of the connection between the original couples while also coaxing new pairings into life.

The end result of this kind of monkeying around can be very hard on any relationship, let alone ones playing out in front of the camera. Indeed, only two couples stayed together during Season 9. Tyler and Ashley left the island with people who were not their original partners, while Grant and Tayler left the island alone. That’s the gamble one takes on “Temptation Island” — and one that fans hope players will take again and again.

• Creator: n/a
• Host: Mark L. Walberg
• Number of episodes: 98
• Where to watch: Netflix

It’s a game show where people guess what’s made out of cake and what isn’t — and it’s become a runaway hit for Netflix. “Is It Cake?” just grabbed a multi-holiday spin-off renewal, with regular specials for Halloween and Christmas coming up this year. While the main show hasn’t been renewed yet, the fourth season wrapped up during 2025, and it remains not just a great way to pass the time but one of the best reality shows to watch with your entire family — even if the notion of biting into a VCR seems utterly scary.

The concept is simple: contestants compete to figure out what’s an elaborately realistic cake and what’s not. Correct guesses bring about either a win or a delicious mess (or both) as teddy bears, roller skates and aquariums are revealed to be made of pastry, frosting and spun sugar. The choice between real and fake is often a matter of noticing how glossy something looks or probing for flaws which hint that the object in question is made of fondant and glaze. It might not be as thrilling as paragliding around the globe, but it’s one delightful, tasty ride.

• Creators: Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz
• Host: Mikey Day
• Number of episodes: 28, including holiday specials
• Where to watch: Netflix

“The Amazing Race” deserves credit for keeping fans entertained for decades. The formula has stayed simple — 12 teams, more or less, usually comprised of two people each, race around the world. They use their memories, bravery, toughness and ability to jog for the finish line to win a whole lot of cash. 

Some of the challenges involve extreme physical challenges like scaling the side of a building; some of them involve cooking and eating exotic cuisines, and sometimes they involve mastering dances or learning all about the culture in the country where they have landed. The partners can be parent and child, siblings, friends, or husband and wife — the number of combinations seems to be truly endless. The show has become such a bulwark and staple for CBS that they typically run two seasons every year — one in the fall and one in the spring. 

In 2025, the stakes were raised and new elements were tossed into the “Amazing Race” brew, including double eliminations, competitor votes and unique one-time challenges. The second 2025 season takes place entirely in Europe. Previously, the show has featured families competing, singles looking to find love, and celebrity versions featuring competitors from other reality shows. There’s a lot of effort put into keeping the show fresh and new, and these twists definitely play into that. It’s a grandaddy and a classic for a reason — and when every season is new there’s no wrong time to jump on ship.

• Creator: Elise Doganieri, Bertram van Munster
• Host: Phil Keoghan
• Number of episodes: 222 
• Where to watch: CBS, Hulu, Disney+, Paramount+

A year without “Below Deck” and its many spin-offs would be like a year without sunshine. Everyone knows what they’re tuning in for and why, and Bravo is always thrilled to supply its audience with more. Captain Kerry has smoothly stepped into the role of head skipper, adding a sense of calm and a lot of common practicality to the nonsense that often haunts his ship. 

There are still the typical challenges, like crew members who don’t know their job or their place well, demanding guests whose needs drive the crew crazy, or rich people who request inventive entertainment. Hookups and shipmances flourish or falter, and rivalries develop. Some will discover that life on the ocean isn’t for them — while others will become important fixtures aboard the ship and continue helping Kerry balance the drama with good seamanship and quality help.

During Season 12, Kerry shepherded a ship filled with adult film stars to a private celebration, coped with a spoiled dock party, and dealt with natural and manmade threats. His crew flailed, fought, and was insubordinate. Another season ended with the possibility that no one’s coming back, but as always, anticipate many of them returning. The pull of the ocean is just that strong.

• Creator: Mark Cronin
• Host: Kerry Titheradge
• Number of episodes: 191 
• Where to watch: Bravo, Peacock, Hulu

This series, along with “The Traitors,” was the most buzzed-about reality show of 2025. Loaded with bombshells, Season 7 of “Love Island USA” saw many a table turn, many a shocker wreck a relationship, and left many an audience member with their jaws on the floor. This is a season where two contestants were eliminated after their poor previous behavior on social media and in other places was revealed; it was a year where anything could and indeed did happen.

As always, the game show sets up a bunch of singles at a villa in an exotic locale. They have to partner up to avoid being eliminated, and then have to conquer a series of games and tests that prove or disprove their compatibility. $100,000 is on the line for the winners, and at the end of each episode everyone who’s not partnered up ends up being dumped. 

The public also votes both for who seems to be the most compatible couples and who will stay or go. They are also given the option to stay with or switch the partners they have. It’s all deliriously messy in the best of ways — and is anyone surprised that Season 7’s winners, Amaya and Bryan, have already broken up?

• Creators: Brent Baker, Mark Busk-Cowley, Tom Gould, and Joe Scarra
• Cast: Iain Stirling, Matthew Hoffman, Ariana Madix
• Number of episodes: 235
• Where to watch: Peacock, Hulu

Roaring into its second season, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” continues to draw in viewers who can’t believe the antics of the show’s housewives. More outrageous than most of the reality programs Hulu carries, there are so many shockers and so many twists during the second season that the wait for this fall’s third season feels interminable.

This candid reality show features the semi-scandalous lives of a group of MomTok-using influencers who all happen to be a part of the Mormon church. Taylor Frankie Paul, whose marriage includes swinging within groups of like-minded Mormons, is a major cast member. Drama and discord often reign between Paul and her friends, but the show also offers a glimpse into the lives of Mormon families that isn’t often presented by mainstream TV shows. Come for the scandal, stay to be educated — or at least titillated by these naïve yet wild ladies. 

• Creator: n/a
• Cast: Taylor Frankie Paul, Whitney Leavitt, Mikayla Mathews
• Number of episodes: 29 
• Where to watch: ABC, Hulu

Take one spiky and hilariously arch British actor, toss in a whole lot of reality show celebrities, actors, and even members of the aristocracy, and pit them against one another in a wicked, backstabbing-heavy competition to find out who’s true — and who’s a traitor. There’s a reason why tongues keep wagging about “The Traitors,” which has helped make Peacock an international obsession for reality show fans everywhere. Faithful or traitor, fans love every single member of the pack of performers — or love to loathe them. That’s why it’s the most important reality series on this list, and why everyone wants to watch shows just like it. 

It’s not just Alan Cumming who helps keep this series afloat. The conflict, the drama, and the humor — as well as the outsized personalities of the contestants — all make for an energetic blend of humor, thrills and cheerfully ridiculous drama. The series is going in a bold direction for next season, with no celebrity contestants, and it’s going to be on NBC after making quite a name for itself on Peacock. After the wild Season 3 it just had — featuring luminaries like Bob the Drag Queen, pro wrestler Nikki Bella and an assortment of other interesting oddballs — there’s no way it won’t be a big hit on the network.

• Creator: Marc Pos and Jasper Hoogendoorn
• Host: Alan Cumming
• Number of episodes: 37
• Where to watch: Peacock