Image via Complex Original
Who doesn't enjoy watching people embarrass themselves on camera in "real life"?
There's virtually no escaping the guilty pleasure of reality television, and the genre has evolved dramatically since the days of shows like The Simple Life and Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Now more than ever producers are coming up with seriously off-the-wall concepts to keep the genre of reality television exciting, fresh, and most importantly, completely insane. Here are 10 examples that prove people will watch just about anything.
Dating Naked (VH1)
Premiere date: July 2014
As if dating wasn't hard enough, VH1 has taken the liberty of making it even harder. In this social experiment, daring daters head to a remote island where they date naked in an attempt to "bare it all." In an age where people are constantly constructing the images of themselves they want people to see on social media, Dating Naked forces romantic hopefuls to strip down to the good stuff—both literally and figuratively. Two contestants are set up on a total of three dates, two other selections and one together. At the end, the original contestants must choose who they want to date off the island.
Girlfriend Intervention (Lifetime)
Premiere date: August 2014
With a tagline like "Trapped inside every White girl is a Black woman ready to bust out," how could this show not be a little insane? Girlfriend Intervention is a panel of four black women who judge frumpy white women in hopes of altering their style, spirit, and home decor. The initial consultation reads a little junior high as the four judges crack jokes on the woman of choice. Soul Coach for the show, Bad Girls Club alum Tanisha Thomas, even says "You're officially not Black, whether you like it or not." Who approved this?
Real World Ex-plosion (MTV)
Premiere date: January 2013
Be honest, The Real World got more lackluster every season. The producers must have been on to us because they upped the ante with their 29th season. The Real World Ex-plosion starts off as any typical season. Seven strangers, all attractive, meet and fall in love in about three days. Once they got comfortable, the producers threw in all of their exes to coexist in the same house with their former flames and new hookups. Extremely messy, yet extremely entertaining.
Married at First Sight (FYI)
Premiere date: July 2014
Married at First Sight is just as crazy as it sounds. Six participants are so ready to be married that they agree to marry someone the minute they meet. A team of doctors scientifically match three couples and the result is basically an old-fashioned arranged marriage 2014 style. Cameras follow the newlyweds as they continue to get acquainted and after weeks of a marital mashup must decide if they want to stay together or divorce. True romance.
Sunset Daze (WEtv)
Premiere date: April 2014
Ever wonder what would happen if Jersey Shore collided with Golden Girls? Yeah, neither did we. But producers at WEtv created Sunset Daze anyway. It's a reality series highlighting nine retirees all over the age of 60 at Sun City Grand retirement home in Arizona. The clan of senior citizens showed that age shouldn't slow you down. Dating, drinking, and hot tubs kept these mature socialites young.
Whisker Wars (IFC)
Premiere date: August 2011
That's right, you guessed it. This is a show all about facial hair. The series documents the world of competitive beard growing. Phil Olsen, founder of Beard Team USA, travels across the country to recruit new members to dethrone Germany in what is considered to be the "Beard Olympics."
Amish in the City (UPN)
Premiere date: July 2004
Before Amish reality shows like Breaking Amish and Amish Mafia debuted in 2012, there was Amish in the City. Five Amish teens were taken to Los Angeles to live alongside "mainstream" teens during their rumspringa—a period where they veer off Amish rule and decide whether or not they will continue their lives under the Amish church. What's more American than taking something sacred and commercializing it?
Naked and Afraid (Discovery)
Premiere date: June 2013
In this show, every week a man and woman are dropped on an island with nothing to their name. The duo is expected to survive on these extreme islands without clothes, water, or food for a total of 21 days. Sound like a plan? Maybe for a cash prize? The most insane part of it all is, they're doing it for free.
Bridalplasty (E!)
Premiere date: November 2010
Bridalplasty was E!'s version of a mashup between The Swan and Bridezillas. Twelve contestants competed for a chance to win their dream wedding along with the plastic surgery procedures on their wish list. Throughout the competition, the bride who won the weekly challenge would receive one procedure of plastic surgery. Away from their fiancés for four months, the winner reveals her look to her husband on the day of their wedding. Hopefully he still likes what's under the veil.
Wife Swap (ABC)
Premiere date: September 2004
Get your minds out of the gutter. Wife Swap sounds like it could be an entirely different type of show, but ABC had good intentions. Every week, two families from completely different backgrounds would swap wives, where initially the guest-mothers would be forced to play by the rules of another family. Later, the swapped wives incorporate their own rules for their new families. After the two weeks were over, both couples meet up and discuss what they should work on in their households. They all had one thing in common: being totally crazy for wanting to be on this show.