Arguably television's first monster hit in the reality genre, another British import that found its proper home in America, a cultural phenomenon in its first two years, "Survivor" may have evolved into a cruel double entendre: After a decade on the air, "Survivor" describes not only the cast's situation but also the show's stubborn capacity for hanging on to its place in the CBS line-up by the slimmest of slim threads. "Survivor" is the MySpace of its niche: Do people still go there? Dropped into exotic wilderness settings"”places where their handhelds get absolutely no bars"”contestants vie for cash and prizes. The last survivor goes home with a cool million American dollars. As the physical, psychological, emotional, and intellectual trials and tests develop, contestants vote one another out of the competition. For the first half of each season, would-be survivors compete in teams; in the second half, they go solo in a full-on destruction derby. Observant viewers discern "Survivor" depends more on workplace treachery than anything anyone might have learned in Boy Scouts or Campfire Girls. Tribes, challenges, alliances, and immunities prove the wilderness differs very little from everyday life in major American corporations"”except the dress code encourages fashionable swimwear.

"Catfish: The TV Show" is an American reality TV series that premiered on MTV in 2012. The show is based on the 2010 documentary "Catfish," which follows filmmaker Nev Schulman as he discovers that the woman he's been talking to online is not who she claims to be. The TV show follows a similar format, as people who suspect that their online love interests may not be who they say they are seek Nev and his co-host's help to uncover the truth.

Not exactly on the cutting edge of "reality" programming, "If I Can Dream" nevertheless pushes the technological envelope as it works to make the real-life dramas imitate life as accurately as possible. The show still has potential to become "The Jersey Shore" with class and brains. In March, 2010, "If I Can Dream" debuted, showing specially chosen contestants pursuing their artistic, musical, dramatic, athletic, and creative gifts dreams, pushing themselves to break into the big time in their fields. In order to gain admission to the show's Hollywood, California home, contestants had to satisfy producers they really had legitimate shots at making their dreams come true. MySpace, PepsiCo, and Ford invested heavily in the project, gambling that it would revolutionize broadcasting by making optimum use of internet technology. At first, weekly episodes of "If I Can Dream" aired exclusively on Hulu. According to its website, "The "˜If I Can Dream' House is wired with 56 AXIS Q1755 H.264 cameras delivering content across 3 CDNs. Video feeds are available at both 500 Kbps and 1 Mbps. As designed, "˜If I Can Dream' will be the largest persistent live "˜event' produced by a media company."

House of Ho is a reality TV show on HBO Max that focuses on the lives of a Vietnamese American family in Houston. The show premiered in December 2020 and has been renewed for a second season, which was released in August 2022. The cast includes Binh Ho, Hue Ho, Judy Ho, Lesley Ho, Washington Ho, Aunt Tina, Cousin Sammy, and several other individuals.

As if anyone needs to be reminded, we love our fighting men (and women) and cannot wait for them to return home to us. This latest reality type show presented on the Lifetime Network could be considered a reality tearjerker because there are many crying children and adults involved. But these are all tears of joy because their loved ones have returned safely from active duty in the military. Whether they served in Afghanistan or Iraq, all they really want to do is return home safely and see their family again. Children miss their daddy or mommy and emotions run high in anticipation of their safe return. Now take those tender moments and put them onto the television screen before millions of viewers and you can see where this idea may get really personal. It's almost amazing how many of these veterans opt to put their family through the emotional intensity of their sudden arrival. The show brings these veterans home quite unannounced in order to see just how high their loved ones emotions can be. Hosted by Matthew Rogers (American Idol contestant).

"Next Level Chef" is an American cooking competition TV series that aired its first season in 2022. The show features 12 contestants who are divided into teams and face various culinary challenges to win a grand prize of $50,000. The contestants are guided by three expert judges, namely Iron Chef Cat Cora, chef and restaurateur Cliff Crooks, and food critic and author Lila Thulin. The show's host is James Beard Award-winning journalist and author David Tamarkin.