When Bravo began promoting "The Real Housewives of Orange County" TV series in 2006, the producers and the network hyped the series as a "documentary" hybrid of ABC's monster hit "Desperate Housewives" and Fox's equally popular "The OC." The emphasis on "real" did not suggest "average and ordinary"; instead, it suggested "real" as opposed to the housewives on Wisteria Lane and all the pretty people in the rest of the prime real estate south of Los Angeles and north of Camp Pendleton. In its first several seasons, "The Real Housewives of Orange County" TV show beguiled and enraged viewers with its emphasis on five frighteningly wealthy women ensconced inside an exclusive gated community and addicted to shopping, tanning, and their own petty dramas: for example, should a smart-mouthed, disrespectful daughter get a new BMW or a new Mercedes for her sixteenth birthday? In subsequent seasons, reality has caught-up with the housewives, who have been forced to down-size and down-scale in the wake of job losses, foreclosures, marital problems, and other genuine crises in the lives of "real" housewives.

"Hoarders" is a reality TV series that premiered on A&E in 2009. The show follows people who struggle with compulsive hoarding, a mental health disorder characterized by excessive collecting and inability to discard items that others might consider worthless. Each episode focuses on a different hoarder and their journey to clean up their homes, often with the help of professional organizers and mental health experts.

"The Climb" is a television series that follows the story of two friends, who are trying to make it in the world of rock climbing. The show is a dramedy, a mix of drama and comedy, and is set in New York City. The main characters are Kate and Michael, who are both passionate about climbing, but have very different personalities.

Imported in USA from Great Britain, "Undercover Boss TV show" works on a simple, delectably ironic premise: For a week, the CEO of a major American company goes into stealth mode, impersonating a brand new employee at his own company. The bigger the company, the more the premise works, because most rank-and-file workers could not distinguish between photos of their CEOs and headshots of Carl Rove. CEOs typically spend an entire week going from one entry-level position to another. They go in equipped with plausible back-stories and perfectly plausible explanations for the presence of a film crew; the best of them act just as surprised to see the cameras as all of their co-workers. If the work-a-day grind fails to serve-up "organic" drama, the producers stage challenging situations to develop both the action and the bond between boss and worker. At the end of the undercover week, employees learn "the new guy's" true identity, and the boss rewards employees who have done well or refers struggling workers for more training.

"Beyond Scared Straight" is a reality television show that was broadcasted on A&E Network. The show features teenagers who are taken to prisons and jails to meet with inmates and to experience the harsh reality of life behind bars. The aim of the show is to deter young people from committing crimes by showing them the consequences of their actions.

After a hiatus of several years Fear Factor is back bigger and more daring than ever before. Reality shows are so popular today, mainly because they give viewers a glimpse into lives of real people who are living real events most of us seldom encounter (or would ever choose to). With a theme similar to the enormously popular Survivor, Fear Factor makes reality stars out of everyday people who can stand the test of some pretty dangerous stunts and dares when they compete against one another for a monetary reward. The prize of $50,000 is a big incentive and one that makes otherwise sensible folks take risks most of us are barely able to watch! Now there are four teams, each consisting of two people to a team who have been involved in some previous relationship with each other. Not being able to complete a stunt spells elimination and as host Joe Rogan says in a disclaimer "The stunts were supervised and designed by professionals! They're extremely dangerous & shouldn't be attempted by anyone at any time or anywhere!"