The 20 best reality shows of the 2000s

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie deserve the world. Watching these two live in small towns across the United States was all sorts of hilarious. Seeing how out of touch people can be might not be as entertaining today, so we need to thank our lucky stars that we were able to appreciate it for what it was in the 2000s. 

Another show that might not be as appreciated today as it was in its time, What Not to Wear was wild. It plucked unsuspecting people from their daily lives and forced them to receive a makeover and throw away all their clothes and shoes. Imagine learning all your friends and family thought you dressed poorly. A truly insane concept.

There’s a reason The Bachelor has been on as long as it has, and there’s a reason it’s gotten so many spin-offs. The Bachelor is more than just reality television at this point; it’s a cultural phenomenon. Bachelor Nation is as wide and deep as the MCU or the Bravo Universe, and it all started with Chris Harrison and Bachelor Mansion. 

If there’s any reality show from the 2000s that was truly problematic, it was America’s Next Top Model . But that didn’t stop any of us from indulging. We eagerly watched Tyra Banks humiliate her contestants week after week. And though some of them went on to have moderate success, did any of the models become as famous as Tyra had hoped? The jury’s still out. 

Laguna Beach was in a class of its own when it came to reality shows of the 2000s. Until then, we weren’t invested in the lives of teenagers unless they were on Discovery or TLC. But television was forever changed once we saw privileged high schoolers arguing over their boyfriends and taking limos to prom. 

Whether you love them, hate them, or love to hate them, you can’t deny the impact the Kardashians have had on reality television and the world at large. Keeping Up with the Kardashians ran well into the next decade, and now they’re back with their own Hulu show, The Kardashians. They’re reality TV royalty. 

All documentary series need subjects who live their lives in ways that the ordinary don’t. And three women living in a mansion in California and dating the same man who’s at least 50 years their senior is definitely out of the ordinary. Not to mention it was Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. We couldn’t get enough of that show. 

Punk’d was so prevalent in the 2000s that even regular people were asking if they were being punked. If we had been celebrities at that time, we would’ve been afraid of Ashton Kutcher, too. We'll never quite understand how he pulled off these pranks, but we’re thankful we were able to watch it unfold. 

Before the Kardashians came along, we had The Osbournes . Ozzy Osbourne and his family starred in a documentary series about their lives. It mostly consisted of Ozzy mumbling something to Sharon and her dismissing whatever he was concerned about, but it also had moments with their children that were genuinely endearing. 

There’s something so intriguing about seeing where celebrities live, and thanks to Cribs, we got up close and personal looks into their houses. This is another show that probably wouldn’t go over too well today, and thanks to social media, we don’t really need it, but man, was it awesome at the time. 

Yes, people are still watching Survivor. This show premiered in the year 2000, making it one of the longest-running shows in history. Fun fact: a past contestant is Mike White, writer of School of Rock and creator of The White Lotus. Why he chose to participate in this show when he already had a career in Hollywood is beyond us, but we respect it. 

We aren’t exactly sure why, but watching potential suitors sit together on a bus while they attempted to date the same person one after another was endlessly entertaining. It could be the cheesy pickup lines they used or the ridiculous personal information shared on the screen. Whatever it was, it kept us glued to the screen.

When Public Enemy formed, we doubt they envisioned Flavor Flav having his own VH1 reality show in the 2000s, where he searched for the love of his life. Although he didn’t find her, he did find Tiffany Pollard, aka New York, and he deserves all the awards in the world for that. 

Everybody’s favorite family of multiples turned out to be a heartbreaking story. Still, when they first entered our television screens, they were an adorable group of twins and sextuplets who, aside from having so many siblings of the same age, seemed to be pretty normal kids. Things certainly went awry, but before that, Jon & Kate Plus 8 was one of the sweetest reality shows on TV. 

We have Laguna Beach to thank for our obsession with privileged teenagers. Watching the girls on My Super Sweet 16 plan their parties was dramatic and entertaining, and we couldn’t wait to see which celebrity attended to perform. But the best part? Seeing whether or not they got their BMW at the end. 

The Real Housewives of Orange County has been on since 2006. It launched a reality television phenomenon that needs to be studied. There have since been nine other American cities to host a franchise, as well as several international cities, and each one has been iconic in its own right. But we have to give credit where credit’s due, and that’s to the OGs of the OC. 

Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica wasn’t on for long, and it’s obvious why. Viewers could clearly see that these two weren’t meant to be together, but we enjoyed it while it lasted, and we’ll never forget Jessica asking Nick whether she was eating chicken or fish. 

MTV and VH1 have lost their status as the best networks for reality television, but in the 2000s, the two were in fierce competition. One of MTV’s best shows (though it originally aired on ABC) was Making the Band, which brought us bands like O-Town and Danity Kane. While neither made particularly impactful music, they made 2000s music, and all 2000s music is worth celebrating. 

In retrospect, Trading Spaces seems like nothing more than a fever dream. And whenever clips resurface online, we’re vindicated. Trading Spaces, hosted by Paige Davis, forced people who were semi-unhappy with a room in their home to swap with a neighbor who was equally unhappy with a room in their home and take one niche interest of the couple to use as the inspiration for new decor. It was usually strange and sometimes downright disastrous, but it was always great television. 

Did Fear Factor force us to face our trauma, or did it just create more trauma? Either way, we couldn’t look away. Mostly we were just thankful we were on the other side of the television. Of all the reality shows of the 2000s, this is one we will happily leave in the past. That being said, it was a favorite.