Reality television is a unique media type, where viewers get to watch participants being entirely themselves in real-world situations and social interactions. In some cases, shows reach out to celebrities and ask them to be in specially-curated versions of their programs.
Seeing celebrities in the familiar framework of already existing reality TV shows can be an unexpected treat for fans, making many of them highly rated. Whether the celebrities are completing challenges on a game show or trying their hand at a skill like cooking or dancing, viewers get to see a new side to their favorite actors and musicians.
The Celebrity Apprentice (2008 - 2017) - 4.8
Donald Trump's claim to reality TV fame is The Apprentice. However, many qualified stars and entrepreneurs have hosted since him. On The Apprentice, aspiring business people form two "corporations" and participate in challenges and eliminations to become "The Apprentice" and win a $250,000 contract to promote one of Trump's properties.
The celebrity version of the show, The Celebrity Apprentice, had stars competing for charitable donations to their chosen cause, along with "The Apprentice" title. What made this version so great was the charity aspect of the show, knowing that the stars were competing for something larger than themselves. It was also a chance to see wildly different celebrities, like Gibert Gottfried and Kevin Jonas, interact with each other, making for some great laughs.
Celebrity Big Brother (2018 - ) - 5.5
Big Brother is one of the most popular reality TV shows airing today, with viewers even tuning into live streams of the contestants that air 24/7. The show features a group of "House Guests" who stay in the Big Brother House and are monitored on camera as they compete to be "Head of Household," participate in challenges, and host eliminations by voting.
Who doesn't want to see celebrities roll themselves around in giant dice or get into a showmance with a stuffed owl named Orwell, like Meta did? The celebrity edition of Big Brother is similar but not identical to the normal format. Instead of three months, it takes place over one and the prize is $250,000 instead of $500,000. Again, this money goes towards a charity of the winner's choosing, which fans love.
Celebrity MasterChef (2006 - ) - 5.8
Viewers might be shocked to learn how many celebrities consider themselves amateur chefs. John Torode and Gregg Wallace act as judges for stars who vie for the celebrity version of the coveted culinary title of "Master Chef."
While watching Gordon Ramsay, who has made audiences gasp, laugh, and cry tears of joy through some of his nicest moments, deal with celebrities is very entertaining, the show highlights the trials and tribulations that stars face competing in a field that is not their primary focus in life. Teamwork and grace under pressure during the different challenges throw the celebrities for loops they never expected, which makes getting hooked on the show very easy.
Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew (2008 - 2012) - 6.0
In this show, Dr. Drew Pinsky and the staff at the Pasadena Recovery Center treat celebrities who have addictions and document their experiences. Unlike other celebrity versions of TV series, this show started out focusing on celebrity participants, and then became Rehab With Dr. Drew, helping non-famous people.
Dealing with addiction and starting the journey to recovery can be very difficult and seeing celebrities struggle with the same things and persevere (or fail and pick themselves back up again) can be incredibly motivating and inspiring to people who look up to them as role models, or for others just wanting to feel less alone.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: Celebrity Edition (1999 - ) - 6.3
The hit game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has featured celebrity editions of the show for prominent stars and public figures to answer questions in the hopes of winning money for a charity that's important to them.
A harsh criticism that many stars face is that they're not very smart or that their expertise isn't practical in the real world, so celebrities have a chance to show off their knowledge of a variety of topics and try their hardest to avoid becoming one of the biggest fails on the history of the show. Notable contestants on the show have been Queen Latifah, Alec Baldwin, and Ray Romano.
Celebrity Family Feud (2008 - ) - 6.3
Family Feud, the outrageously fun game show hosted by Steve Harvey and his plethora of amazing suits, is yet another game show with a celebrity version. However, instead of actual families competing for correct answers, the opposing teams are comprised of groups of different celebrities who work together as a unit.
Family Feud is always full of laughs, as the timer and pressure of the questions lead to some pretty hilarious answers by flustered contestants, which is true for celebrities as well -- they've even inspired some of the best celebrity impersonations in the SNL Family Feud sketches. Like many celebrity editions of reality TV shows, these stars are working together to win money for charitable causes, and that makes them all the more enthusiastic.
Celebrity Mole: Hawaii & Yucatan (2003 - 2004) - 7.5
The Mole is a game show that was hosted by Anderson Cooper and then Ahmad Rashād, in which players have to work together to decipher riddles and figure out puzzles, as well as compete in physical challenges to win a large cash prize. The entertaining twist is that one player among them is "The Mole" and tasked with sabotaging the team's progress.
The celebrity contestants included Dennis Rodman, Kathy Griffin, Stephen Baldwin, Princess Diaries' Erik von Detten and more, who used their intellect and teamwork skills to try and figure out who the mole was. Seeing stars that have big personalities turn on each other in the hopes of finding the saboteur is hilarious and captivating to watch, which explains its great reception on IMDb.
The Great Celebrity Bake-Off (2018 - ) - 7.7
The Great Celebrity Bake-Off is the star-studded version of the incredibly popular British baking competition, The Great British Bake-Off, which raises money for the charity, Stand Up To Cancer. Like its parent show, competitors complete three challenges: signature, technical, and showstopper, and one of the celebrities is named "Star Baker."
Baking is very technical and there's a lot of pressure to make things perfect, which makes for great reality TV. Plus, getting to see a star's "signature" baked treat feels like a peek into their lives and passions. Not to mention the fact that Stand Up To Cancer is a great cause, and celebrities willing to beat eggs to oblivion and pipe meticulous frosting for cancer patients are worth watching.
Celebrity Undercover Boss (2018) - 8.0
Undercover Boss is an opportunity for heads of companies to put on a fun disguise and get an eye-opening look at how their company functions at different levels. The original series has been airing since 2010 and even inspired one of the best SNL Star Wars skits with Kylo Ren as the boss.
In Celebrity Undercover Boss, the celebrity puts on a disguise and finds talented but undiscovered people in their field. It's entertaining and amazing to see people get the recognition they deserve, and from celebrities, no less. Stars like Idina Menzel and Jewel have brought attention to singers and athletes, like Gabby Douglas and Deion Sanders, put the spotlight on worthy and aspiring athletes.
Chopped Tournament Of Stars (2014) - 8.4
In Chopped Tournament Of Stars, more stars compete for $50,000 to go to important charities. This iteration of TV's Chopped, one of TV's best-rated cooking competition shows, features actors, comedians, athletes, and Rachael vs Guy winners, who try their hands at basket-themed appetizers, entrees, and desserts.
It's always fun to see celebrities showcase their hobbies and special talents, so seeing High School Musical favorite Lucas Grabeel grilling kale for the first time, or comedian Sinbad thinking that polenta was cheese for half a round, humanizes them in an entertaining and endearing way.