Entertainment

13 Reality Shows You Won't Believe Aired on TV

EntertainmentPublished Apr 30, 2016
By Suzanne Kelleher
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If you love reality TV, then you already know that it's a Kardashian world, and we just live in it. But how far can networks push the envelope? Some reality shows are so quirky, dramatic, or downright odd, it's hard to believe they made it onto the airwaves in the first place.

The following reality shows prove that the antics of Kim, Khloe, and Caitlyn pale in comparison to what you can find on cable these days. 

Image via Discovery Channel

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'Vanilla Ice Goes Amish'
DIY Network

'Vanilla Ice Goes Amish'

Not content to merely show us how to make a small bathroom look bigger, the DIY Network has brought us Vanilla Ice Goes Amish, which follows rock-star home improvement expert Vanilla Ice (who knew?) as he travels to the largest Amish settlement in the US to discover the lost art of hand craftsmanship. Stop laughing, because Mr. "Ice, Ice Baby" is coming back for a third season in the fall of 2017.

2/13
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'Doomsday Preppers'
National Geographic Channel

'Doomsday Preppers'

This spring the National Geographic Channel will air the fifth season of Doomsday Preppers, a reality show that explores the lives of Americans preparing for the end of the world as we know it. One episode introduces Brian, who homeschools his seven kids in the art of surviving an apocalypse at his Doomsday Academy. Part of the fun: a lighthearted game of doomsday hide and seek in camo gear.

3/13
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'Sex Box'
WE tv

'Sex Box'

You just can't make this stuff up. In Sex Box, a controversial reality show created by Britain's Channel 4*,* contestants have sex in a soundproof box and then discuss their intimate exploits with a panel of experts. If it all sounds vaguely familiar, that may be because Sex Box aired briefly in the US on WE TV, the AMC-owned channel.

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'The Swan'
Fox Broadcasting Corporation

'The Swan'

What does it take to make an ugly girl look beautiful? Some plastic surgery and cosmetic work, of course. That was the blatantly shallow message behind Fox’s 2004 extreme makeover show The Swan, in which contestants agreed to go under the surgeon’s knife and those with the best outcomes then moved on to a pageant where only one was deemed "The Swan." The show was canceled after two seasons following drooping ratings and self-esteem, not to mention how much criticism The Swan received in the media.

More from The Stir: 20 Reality TV Stars Who Went From Nobody to 'Really Big Deal!'

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'Sperm Race'
Science Picture Co./Corbis

'Sperm Race'

Americans are not alone in their passion for nutty reality shows. A decade ago in Germany, 12 men competed in a TV pilot to see who had the fastest sperm. Producers of Sperm Race put the seed of each contestant into a test tube and appointed doctors to watch as the sperm swam toward a chemically enhanced substance that stood in for a female egg. The guy with the fastest sperm won a red Porsche. Alas, the pilot never made it to TV and so the public never got to actually witness the race.

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'Whisker Wars'
IFC

'Whisker Wars'

In its fifth year and going strong, IFC's Whisker Wars offers an inside look at the competitive world of facial hair growing (aka bearding) by following a group of hopefuls as they enter contests all over the country with the goal of getting to the world championships in Trondheim, Norway. Still skeptical? The show's Facebook page has over 35,000 followers.

7/13
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'Naked & Afraid'
Discovery Channel

'Naked & Afraid'

One man, one woman -- complete strangers, no less -- are dropped into the middle of the jungle for three weeks with no clothes, no food, and no shelter. Sound like fun? Now in its sixth season, Discovery Channel's Naked and Afraid is billed as the ultimate survivor challenge. What's not so ultimate is the lack of a prize for baring your, um, soul and completing the challenge.

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'Space Cadets'
Channel 4

'Space Cadets'

The award for the best prank reality show goes to Space Cadets, a program that aired in 2005 on Britain's Channel 4. The entire concept was an elaborate hoax on gullible contestants who answered an ad seeking "thrill seekers." The dozen contestants were tricked into thinking they would be embarking on a space mission, with the home audience watching and definitely laughing at, not with.

More from The StirThen & Now: 15 Famous Actresses Who Started Out on Soap Operas

9/13
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'Susunu! Denpa Shōnen'
Nihon TV

'Susunu! Denpa Shōnen'

This demented Japanese reality show was a real-life The Truman Show, only much, much meaner. In 1998, a struggling 23-year-old Japanese stand-up comedian auditioned for a vaguely worded job in showbiz. The gig was to be locked away, completely naked, in a one-bedroom apartment for as long as it took to win magazine contest prizes worth a million yen (about $10,000). He was told he might one day be on TV. It took him 10 months to earn the prizes, during which time, unbeknownst to him, his life was being broadcast on TV and watched by millions of people.

10/13
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'Kid Nation'
CBS

'Kid Nation'

Who thinks Lord of the Flies would make a great reality show? Evidently CBS thought so in 2007, when it aired Kid Nation. The concept: Forty kids, ages 8 to 15, spend 40 days without their parents in a New Mexico ghost town where they try to create a community and set up their own government. Unsurprisingly, the short-lived show caused controversy even before it premiered, with Variety's TV critic calling the trend of using kids as fodder for fun and profit "disturbing."

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'Lizard Lick Towing'
truTV

'Lizard Lick Towing'

Currently airing on truTV, this show falls firmly in the "redneck reality" genre. In Lizard Lick, North Carolina, repo agents Ron and Shirley, along with Ron's best friend, Bobby, run a towing company that repossesses vehicles in the area. Predictably, drama ensues as they deal with the backlash of drivers and others who try to stop them at their game.

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'Tool Academy'
VH1

'Tool Academy'

The ultimate ambush makeover show for men debuted in 2009. In VH1’s Tool Academy, a group of ne'er-do-wells think they are competing for the title of "Mr. Awesome," only to find out that they were duped by their girlfriends and enrolled on a competitive reality show whose objective was to turn them into upstanding gentlemen. As you can imagine, the motley crew was typically composed of liars, cheaters, slackers, con men, and disrespectful low lives. Each week, one contestant was eliminated until the last man standing won a $100,000 prize. Three seasons and several dozen tools later, the Tool Academy was canceled.

More from The Stir: Domestic Violence on Reality TV Gets Too Real

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'Mr. Personality'
Fox Broadcasting Company

'Mr. Personality'

At the same time The Bachelor and The Bachelorette took off, Fox Broadcasting offered up Mr. Personality, a Monica Lewinsky–hosted reality show in which a woman had to select a husband from 20 bachelors whose faces are covered by masks throughout the show, supposedly so she could choose based on personality instead of looks. Alas, it only lasted five episodes in 2003.

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