We’re very familiar with scripted televisions shows ending. There is only so long that a story can go on before it needs an ending — though sometimes, shows end up getting canceled before that proper ending. Things are a bit different with reality TV shows. There isn’t a story line to wrap up as the cast changes every season. Even if it’s the same cast, if you’re just following their day-to-day life — and their day-to-day life is continuing — why wouldn’t the show? That’s why some reality TV shows have gone on for a long time. Too long, some might say.
There are definitely still some addictive reality TV shows that never get old, but there are a lot more that need to end. These shows have had plenty of time in the spotlight, are getting redundant, and it’s time they wrap things up so we can see some fresh and exciting stuff on TV. Have a look at 16 reality TV shows that seriously need to end.
The Bachelor
The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and all of the spin-offs should be the first to do. The Bachelor has been on since 2002. At first, we believed there was a chance that maybe one or two people could find true love on reality TV, but as the show has gone on, the contestants have just gotten crazier and the chances of soulmates connecting even smaller. Now, we expect most of them to “be there for the wrong reasons” and maybe one or two — if we’re lucky — are there for love.
Survivor
Survivor is pretty much the OG reality TV show. It has been on since 2000. People who were born then are now legally adults. The show is in season 36. At this point, we’re pretty sure there aren’t many “unexplored” corners of the world they can go to. We know the show’s tagline is “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast,” but does that have to extend to the show beating all the other realty TV shows? Nah. Let Jeff Probst retire.
Big Brother
Big Brother is another one of those reality TV shows that seem to have been on for-ev-er. If you want specifics, it has been on since 2000 and spawned various spin-offs. Having a bunch of random people live together and compete in crazy challenges did initially seem like an interesting concept, but 19 seasons on, it almost feels scripted. You know there will be drama, showmances, and backstabbing. Just like we know someone is going to come back to the house just to cause trouble. Also, they keep having repeat contestants, which kind of takes the fun out of meeting a whole new group of people every summer.
American Idol
We know that American Idol has just gotten rebooted, but, did it really need to? Yes, it might be on a new network and there might be more new judges, but they’ve tried the new judge thing before. Many times. Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson are still the golden trio. Even if the show had them, it’s doubtful it would deserve a comeback. After all, how many AI winners can you say have found major success minus Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks? There are 16 seasons of winners (and runners up) to deal with.
Teen Mom
Teen Mom has never been without controversy since it went on the air in 2009. The show is currently in its seventh season, but it seems like there have been 27 seasons. And can we just talk about the premise? Showing the lives of teens dealing with pregnancies might have been insightful, but what about the cost to the actual people on the shows? There is enough evidence to show that the people on the show are struggling enough and fame probably just adds more problems. Plus, they’re not even teens anymore! You’re basically just watching a group of rich twentysomethings raise their kids now with all their Instagram sponsorships and MTV salaries.
Real World
Real World is one of the winners of the longest-running reality TV shows given that it has been on since 1992. No, that is not a typo. Shouldn’t that be enough of a reason to let it go? That’s 33 seasons, which means that it has been on almost as long as some of the longest-running scripted TV shows. It might be going for a 50-season record, but let’s not have it go on that long, okay? We’ve seen all of the “real” stuff by now. The volatile casting has gotten predictable and watching drunk people make mistakes isn’t as fun as it used to be.
Keeping Up With The Kardashians
The Kardashian-Jenners have been taking over E! since 2007. There have been 14 seasons of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, but we’ve also had a few different spin-off seasons and wedding specials that make it feel much, much longer. We already get more than enough of them from social media, paparazzi photos, magazine covers and their 280 business ventures, so can we at least make our TVs Kardashian-free? There’s really nothing new to watch that we didn’t read about online four months before.
Toddlers & Tiaras
Childhood beauty pageants are already questionable to begin with. But a reality TV version? Add in the fact that TLC has had a history with reality shows ending badly with various controversies and it’s pretty obvious this was always a bad idea. Toddlers & Tiaras has been on since 2009 which means that some of the former contestants are already adults. Isn’t that a clear sign that the show has been on long enough? Can we also just stop for a second and think of the children?
The Amazing Race
When does a race not become a race anymore and it just becomes a long, never-ending journey? You might be wondering that yourself if you’re been watching The Amazing Race since is premiered in 2001. Yes, there have been 30 seasons with different contestants, but it’s all basically the same thing after a while. Plus, the show normally gives us an irritating sense of wanderlust.
Revenge Body
Do we really need to explain this one? It’s called Revenge Body. There was enough controversy about the show before it even premiered in 2017 given its premise. If you’re not familiar with it, the show is with Khloe Kardashian and it involves people getting makeovers with the help of a glam squad and trainers to take control of their lives and basically thumb their noses at the doubters/haters/exes. Helping people get confidence is great, but doing it with makeovers? Yeah… Can we choose a less problematic show?
Project Runway
Think back to the start of Project Runway. Do you remember it? It was a show about who could design the best clothes in some seriously difficult time constraints while under the guidance of the all-knowing Tim Gunn. A lot has changed since the show premiered in 2004. It has gone to different networks and had a few different judge changes. It’s also launched a few different spin-offs. The biggest change of them all is that it’s less about the clothes and more about the drama between the people. There was enough drama with people worrying they were going to finish their sewing. We don’t need people throwing irons and making “cutting” threats.
Married At First Sight
Once you read the title, do we really need to elaborate on this one? Married At First Sight sounds like a bad idea no matter the situation. It’s even worse when you add “reality TV show” to the end of it. It’s another new show given that it has only been on since 2014, but isn’t that enough time already? Shouldn’t we stop it now before anymore poor people get married without having ever met their match? There has been enough evidence to show this doesn’t benefit anyone.
Real Housewives
It seems like 75 percent of the stuff on TV is Real Housewives related. And all the spin-offs are pretty much the same whether the housewives are in Atlanta, New York or Paducah. It’s about people living in fancy houses, fighting and trying to convey emotion on their Botoxed faces. It was entertaining at first, but at this point, if we’ve seen one dinner party fight, we’ve seen them all. Isn’t it about time to focus on someone else besides the housewives?
Naked And Afraid
There have been a few different reality TV shows involving naked people. Some of them have lasted, but others have long been forgotten about. Naked and Afraid has been on since 2013. It hasn’t been on as long as a lot of the rest of the shows on the list, but it’s time it has been put to bed. It’s bad enough that two people meet in wilderness and have to stay there for 21 days, but why do they have to do it naked?
So You Think You Can Dance
I think we have answered this question by now. Yes, a lot of America can dance, and they can do it very well. The show has been on since 2005 and it wrapped its 14th season in September. If you thought it was more like season 34, you’re not alone. As amazing as the performers are, all of the shows start to blur together after a while, especially when you add in all the other talent competitions that feature dancing. Let’s give the shows about dancing and singing a break and focus on some other talents, shall we?
America’s Next Top Model
It was a sad day when it was announced that America’s Next Top Model was getting canceled in 2016. Although in truth, even diehard ANTM fans saw it coming given that the original judges were long gone. Only four months after the news, it was announced the competition was coming back but without Tyra Banks. Now, she’s back and Rita Ora is out. But, the real issue is that we’ve yet to find a top model to rival the likes of Gigi Hadid and Gisele Bundchen. This newest season feels like the shell of the show that ANTM used to be.