Recently, Netflix has been making a big splash in the reality television scene. Shows like The Mole and Love Is Blind have been great, but there are also weirder hits on the platform in terms of their premises, including Is It Cake? and the long-running, now-classic Japanese reality hit, Old Enough! Even non-Netflix reality hits, like Dennis Rodman’s The Surreal Life, are pretty strange.
But none of these are even remotely close to the weirdest the medium can get, though. With over 30 years of history and tons of regional shows from around the world, there’s a never-ending supply of reality TV. Through the depths, these 10 come to the surface as some of the strangest and most unique. Some of them are hits, some of them flopped, but they’re all weird.
Joe Millionaire (2003 & 2022 - )
The original 2003 run of Joe Millionaire was a complete flop, and for good reason. The premise of the show surrounded several women competing for the hand of a millionaire bachelor. The only catch was that he wasn’t a millionaire at all, he was just pretending. The women who competed didn’t know this and were furious when they found out.
Since this show was such a complete mess (often described as “Gaslighting: The Reality Show”), it’s surprising that it returned. More than that, the 2022 relaunch, subtitled For Richer Or Poorer, has proven quite popular. It alters the formula so that there are two bachelors and one is a millionaire. The contestants are aware of this and must guess which one it is, which creates a much more compelling (and less heinous) game.
Worst Driver (2002 - )
This reality series is actually quite popular and has spawned several regional variations, but the original was British. Terrible drivers chosen by viewers were forced to compete in challenges in order to “earn back their driver’s license,” according to the host. The participant who did the worst would be hit with the show’s titular designation.
Reality TV often celebrates professionals, so a “worst” show is strange, but not uncommon. What makes the show truly bizarre is its lack of apparent safety and weird spin-offs. The Netherlands edition of the show famously had a competitor hit a cameraman and the host with their car. Canada had a spin-off about terrible handymen, extending the celebration of poor skill to electric wiring, of all things.
Whisker Wars (2011 - )
Technically this show is listed as still running, but the third season has been in development hell for years and is unlikely to surface. Whisker Wars is a reality show about the cutthroat (pun intended) world of competitive facial hair growing. Eighty hopefuls from around the United States compete in regional championships in hopes of going to the World Series.
It’s a bizarre premise, and also bizarrely patriotic. The show's framing is very in favor of the Americans overthrowing the Norwegian champions, as if a facial hair competition was worth that level of enthusiasm. The show is very serious about beards, which does give it an odd charm. For the most part, though, the show is about as entertaining as watching hair grow.
The Interception (1997 - 1998)
This show has to be one of the most dangerous ever put on television. This Russian reality show from the '90s offered players a free car right out of the gate. It seems like a great deal until one learns the catch. Players had to then evade the Russian police in a car chase for 35 minutes in order to keep it.
The show was actually created in concert with Russian law enforcement. It was supposed to discourage carjacking, which had become rampant at the time. The show was incredibly popular but ended up being canceled. Rates of carjacking stayed the same, and given that the chases were done in real Moscow streets, the show was canceled due to the risks outweighing the benefits.
90 Day Fiancé (2014 - )
This is another show that’s quite popular, but is really bizarre when one stops to think about it. 90 Day Fiancé is an American reality show about the process of naturalization. Couples, where one member is not a U.S. citizen, are chosen and given a K-1 visa card. Before it expires, they must plan and execute their wedding.
It’s super strange to dole out visas, something tons of people even risk their lives to obtain, as a reality show premise. Additionally, the show has been accused of essentially creating “mail-order brides,” although officially all couples in the show’s history are real people in a relationship. That being said, 90 Day Fiancé has tons of storylines, and even a few spin-offs, so it’s definitely a reality hit for sure.
Penitents Compete (2009)
This Turkish reality show is legendary for being a TV series so controversial that it never made it to air, despite episodes being filmed. Images from the show are scarce online, with the logo (composed of symbols representing various religions) being one of the few remaining images. The show had a panel consisting of a Jewish rabbi, Christian priest, Buddhist monk, and Muslim Imam.
These four religious authorities would then be presented with 10 atheists every week. They would then compete to convert the skeptics to their religion. The concept is incredibly audacious, as religion is a recipe for controversy on reality TV. As the show never aired, there’s no way to know it was inflammable as it seemed.
Sexy Beasts (2014 - 2021)
Reality shows about dating can often be accused of being superficial, as appearance might matter the most in a speedy TV shoot setting. To combat this, there is a variety of dating shows that obscure their players, such as Mr. Personality and Love Is Blind. But by far, the weirdest of this genre is Sexy Beasts.
The daters in this British show all wear various animal and monster costumes. These completely obscure the face, allowing their personalities to shine through. As most of the contestants created their own costumes, they usually had pretty interesting personalities. This helped the show do pretty well, even though everyone usually looked really weird.
Sperm Race (2005)
Much like Penitents Compete, this pilot never ended up airing. Unlike it, though, it apparently did see some small distribution in its native country of Germany. The pilot centers around a sperm donation clinic.
Several men donate to this clinic, and then their sperm “compete” in a challenge to see which one can fertilize an egg the fastest. This was likely meant as an advertisement for the clinic in question. Still, it’s a bizarre show that used something very private as the basis for a competition, so it was unsurprising that it was never picked up.
I Wanna Marry “Harry” (2014)
I Wanna Marry “Harry” had a very similar setup to Joe Millionaire. A bunch of women competed for the hand of a rich man, in this case, Prince Harry, who was actually an imposter. The show took careful detail never to actually lie about the imposter's identity.
Later episodes involved participants openly questioning it, but those later episodes were never broadcast. The show wasn’t a ratings hit and some involved spoke negatively about their experience. Given the low ratings and the actual prince's marriage, this one is unlikely to return with a twist like Joe Millionaire did.
Susunu! Denpa Shōnen (1998 - 1999)
Susunu! Denpa Shōnen almost feels like a horror story than a real reality show that was broadcast and was popular. This '90s Japanese program is mostly remembered for its "Prize Life" segment, where a young comedian named Nasubi was forced to live naked in an apartment for a year. He could only live on sweepstakes prizes, with no other food or drinks.
This segment was well-publicized, but it was not the only one. Other segments include one where two comedians were trapped on a desert island and another where comedians were forced to backpack across Afro-Eurasia. There was an attempt to bring the show to an international audience, but the conditions the stars were under were so harsh that some compared it to torture. Some also compared this reality show to The Truman Show, so it's not surprising it only ran for two years.