Reality-TV has been a staple of the entertainment landscape for over 20 years now, beginning in many ways with The Real World on MTV, one of the most addictive reality shows ever made. As the format evolved in the early 2000s, a lot of shows aired across basic cable. But not all of them got their due.
While some reality shows continue to thrive on cable and streaming in one form or another, many were one or two season wonders that were quickly forgotten. Others were successful but never really got the appreciation or recognition they deserved.
Project Runway (2004 - )
Project Runway is, in many ways, a juggernaut. It's one of the longest-running reality TV franchises, spanning nearly 20 years on the Bravo network and now Amazon Prime.
While some things about Project Runway haven't aged well, the show is somewhat underrated. The diverse casts, the LGBTQ+ representation, and the commitment to art and education were all unusual for the time and, in some ways, even today. The show's value gets lost in the glitzy fashion, but it's an important series in a lot of ways.
Road Rules (1995 - 2007)
The Real World touched off the explosion of reality TV in the late 90s and MTV capitalized on it immediately with Road Rules. This show used The Real World's concept of strangers living in a house together and took it on the road, where strangers traveled together to a new place, each season.
Early seasons did have some familiarity, as stars from previous seasons of The Real World participated in the show. The group traveled together in an RV and had to complete challenges in the hopes of winning the competition. The series ran for 14 seasons, beginning in the 90s and spanning most of the 2000s, and was a huge success for the network.
The Osbournes (2002 - 2005)
Ozzy Osbourne is an iconic rock singer with an infamous past that includes such stunts as biting the head off of a bat. He may have been an unusual choice for a reality show, but The Osbournes, one of many rock star oriented reality shows in the 2000s, is a classic.
The focus on Ozzy and his wife, Sharon, and their two children, Kelly and Jack, provided a lot of laughs and pathos. Sharon continues to be a reality TV celebrity, taking part in shows like The Talk and The X-Factor.
Rock Of Love With Bret Michaels (2007 - 2009)
Another rock star based reality show was Rock of Love With Bret Michaels, which was a forerunner, of sorts, for The Bachelor model. In 2007, Poison frontman Bret Michaels searched for a new girlfriend on the VH1 series, a quest that went on for three seasons.
Bret Michaels starred in other reality shows, including later seasons of The Apprentice. He was one of a number of such shows on VH1 that focused on musicians and their lives, like the series Flavor Of Love, which featured Public Enemy member, Flavor Flav.
My Fair Brady (2005 - 2008)
The Brady Bunch is one of the most iconic sitcoms in television history, and a vintage sitcom that WandaVision lovingly references. Its cultural cachet led to My Fair Brady, in which Peter Brady actor, Christopher Knight, and model, Adrianne Curry lived out their lives for the cameras.
The couple fell in love on another reality show, The Surreal Life. My Fair Brady lasted for three seasons on VH1. Sadly, Curry and Knight called it quits in 2013.
Date My Mom (2004 - 2006)
Another dating show with a unique twist was Date My Mom. This 2004 MTV reality TV series had contestants go on dates with three different mothers who were actually trying to set up their sons or daughters. The contestant had to choose their date blind from only a description provided by the moms.
The show ran for two seasons on the network. At the end of each episode, the contestant makes their choice and explains to the other moms why they didn't get picked.
Rock The Cradle (2008)
The focus on famous musicians continued in Rock The Cradle, except this time, the subject was the children of famous rock stars. This six-week singing competition never produced any stars of the caliber of the first 10 American Idol winners, but the show was interesting for the personality and dynamics.
The show ran for one season in 2008. Ryan Devlin served as host of the show, alongside a panel of judges that included singer Belinda Carlisle, actress Jamie King, June Ambrose, and Larry Rudolph.
Scream Queens (2008 - 2010)
One of the more unique reality shows of the 2000s was Scream Queens. Instead of a competition searching for the next big singer, this show sought the next famous horror movie scream queen. The show had a very specific goal: it followed a group of upcoming actresses as they competed for a role in the Saw franchise.
Actress Tanedra Howard won the first season and gained a role in Saw VI, one of the best entries in the Saw franchise. The series lasted for two seasons.
Who Wants To Be A Superhero? (2006 - 2007)
It seems like everyone wants to be a superhero these days, thanks to the proliferation of the genre in movies and television. In 2006, legendary comic book creator Stan Lee hosted a reality show called Who Wants To Be A Superhero? that looked for the next big star.
Contestants competed in full costume as their alter egos in the hopes of being the star of a Dark Horse comic book and SyFy movie. The superhero Feedback won the first season and was made into an action figure by Shocker Toys. He also appeared in the 2007 SyFy channel film, Mega Snake.
Project Greenlight (2001 - 2015)
Project Greenlight never produced a successful movie and, in many ways, it is the documentation of how not to make an independent movie. Still, the reality TV show created by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck that meant to give filmmakers a chance with their scripts provided great insight into the trials and tribulations of independent filmmaking.
The show ran for four seasons across HBO and then Bravo, with the third season production, Feast, being the most financially successful of the individual projects.