Top 10 MTV Reality Shows of All Time
Real World, Pimp my ride, Made, Road Rules, The Hills, Catfish: The TV Show, Making the Band, The Challenge, My super sweet 16, Jackass, 16 and Pregnant, Jersey Shore are some of MTV's most successful and memorable shows! Even after they've long aired, we're still binging them!
#10: “Catfish: The TV Show” (2012-)
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In internet lingo a “catfish” is someone who hides behind fake social media profiles in order to dupe others into believing they are someone their not. The goal of “Catfish: The TV Show” – which is a follow up to a 2010 documentary film of the same name – is to help people in online relationships who think they might be getting “catfished”. Hosted by Nev Schulman and Max Joseph, two documentary filmmakers, the show is an honest look at the ups and downs of trying to find love in a digital age. “Catfish: The TV Show” continues to be an MTV staple.
#9: “Making the Band” (2000-09)
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“Making the Band” was a popular ABC show that made the jump to MTV in 2002. The show consisted of four iterations, with each one documenting the trials and tribulations of a group of young aspiring artists attempting to become the next big musical act. While the first iteration focused on the boy band O-Town, the show switched gears when Sean Combs come on board, and began searching for the next big hip-hop group. The hit MTV show was successful enough to remain on air for ten years, no small feat in world that was oversaturated with reality TV shows throughout the 2000’s.
#8: “The Challenge” (1998-)
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The second oldest show on our list, “The Challenge” has been an MTV mainstay for more than 19 years. The show is made up of contestants from other MTV reality shows as well with first-time cast members affectionately called ‘Fresh Meat”. Typically contestants will be divided into two teams and forced to compete against one another for cash prizes. The show is a petri dish of duplicitous characters, backstabbings and trash talk, which makes for some pretty darn good reality TV. With 30 seasons under its belt and counting, “The Challenge” shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon!
#7: “My Super Sweet 16” (2005-08, 2017-)
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Who wouldn’t want to watch the ridiculously over-the-top birthday celebrations of spoiled rich kids? Such is the premise of this classic MTV show, which points a camera at the excessive lives of American, Canadian and British teens – and the occasional 21 year old – and tells the world to eat its heart out. The show proved to be so popular, that after an eight-year hiatus it returned to MTV to entertain a whole new generation of viewers. Like it or not, “My Super Sweet 16” remains one of the networks biggest draws.
#6: “Jackass” (2000-02)
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It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than 15 years since this show was last on the air. The comic – and often dangerous- misadventures of Johnny Knoxville and his gang of crude daredevils captivated a generation and would ultimately spawn three theatrically released films and a number of TV spin-offs. “Jackass” was the definition of a TV show that you didn’t watch with your parents, as cast members went to incredible lengths to pull off dangerous stunts and humiliating pranks. Honestly, it’s a miracle this show lasted for three seasons, as it was constantly under attack from parents and even the occasional government official who felt it promoted dangerous behavior amongst children.
#5: “The Osbournes” (2002-05)
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Easily one of the most popular and recognizable MTV shows of all time, “The Osbournes” subjected viewers to the day-to-day shenanigans of famed Black Sabbath front man Ozzy Osbourne and his relationships with his wife Sharon and his teenage children Jack and Kelly. The show provided viewers with endless amounts of drama, as Ozzy and the gang were constantly at each other’s throats. The show, which lasted for four seasons, proved to be an enormous success both critically and commercially, winning a Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2002 and achieving some of the highest ratings in the network’s history.
#4: “16 and Pregnant” (2009-14)
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The title of this former MTV show leaves little to the imagination, as it’s a reality TV series that documents the lives of pregnant teenage girls. Viewers are invited into the lives of these young women, who despite the fact that they are still in high school, must learn to cope with the reality that they have a bun in the oven. The show’s documentary format and hard-hitting subject matter proved to be a hit with audiences, as it would ultimately last five seasons. The show spawned multiple spin-offs, including “Teen Mom”, which originally followed new mothers who had previously appeared on “16 and Pregnant”.
#3: “Jersey Shore” (2009-12)
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Drinking, fighting and hooking up… there, now you know what “Jersey Shore” was all about. The popular, albeit controversial MTV series dropped eight 20-something’s into a beautiful beach house on New Jersey’s famed Jersey Shore and let them do the rest. From Pauly D and Snookie to The Situation and JWoww, the show had no shortage of outlandish characters. The drama filled program was responsible for spawning a number of hit spin-offs, some of which are still on the air! A total guilty pleasure, “Jersey Shore” is the reality TV series you secretly wish never ended!
#2: “The Hills” (2006-10)
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A spin-off of “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County”, which followed the lives of several students enrolled at Laguna Beach High School, “The Hills” proved to be considerably more successful than its predecessor. Made up of cast members Lauren Conrad, Heidi Montag and Audrina Patridge as well as their respective friends and boyfriends, the show followed the young women as they searched for love and meaning while living and working in Los Angeles. While the show was criticized for allegedly fabricating storylines and relationships, the fact remains that it drew steady viewership for the better part of six seasons and is considered one of the most binge-worthy MTV reality series of all time.
Before we unveil our top picks, here are a few honorable mentions:
“Made” (2003-)
“Road Rules” (1995-2007)
“Pimp My Ride” (2004-07)
#1: “Real World” (1992-)
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You’d be hard pressed to find a list of the best MTV shows that doesn’t include “Real World”. The network’s longest running program dropped the “the” in 2013 and has continued to be one of the most popular reality shows on TV. While it’s undergone a number of changes since it first premiered more than 25 years ago, the basics have remained the same. It’s still a group of young adults living together while cameras film their every move. Throughout the years the show has been praised for its willingness to depict hard-hitting topics such as sexuality, death and substance abuse. While it’s considerably lighter nowadays, “Real World” is still one of television’s most addictive reality programs!
