The Best Reality TV Shows On Netflix

Best Reality TV On Netflix back with the ex

10. Back With The Ex

Format: Australian ex-couples get back together and try to make a relationship work, while the producers frustrate their attempts to reconnect by putting them through tests of loyalty and encouraging them to cheat.

Back With The Ex is fundamentally flawed for a reality TV show. Yes, we have drama, and arguments, and “love”. But the show is about the difficult and realistic trials of a relationship; it’s not starry eyed, it’s not set in an incredible beach-side mansion, many of the contestants are neither young nor beautiful, and there’s no big cash prize at the end. But that’s precisely why we watch reality TV, escapism. We want to be in the imaginary land where everyone looks incredible, it never rains, and nobody has to work. So, hard pass on Back With The Ex.

Rating 1/10

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9. Sexy Beasts

Format: Couples meet each other for the first time while wearing animal masks and prosthetic makeup. The idea is “can you fall in love without knowing what they look like”, and the answer is “yes, as long as they turn out to be beautiful”.

An interesting premise but in execution, it doesn’t work. The conversation they have while in disguise are awkward, there’s no drama between cast members, and the producers weren’t brave enough to put anyone genuinely unattractive behind one of the “Sexy Beast” masks. So all the beautiful people are pretty happy when they realize they’ve been speaking to beautiful people the whole time. Also, the masks are fairly disturbing, so a lot of viewers will reject it on that basis alone.

Rating: 2/10

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8. The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move On

Format: A group of couples is brought together who have one thing in common. One of the partners is scared of commitment and doesn’t want to get married yet but the other does. The partners who want to marry are giving their other halves an ultimatum: go away and date someone else, then if you still don’t want to marry me, we’re done.

This is a depressing watch. At best, it’s an experiment in polyamory for a struggling couple, but at it’s worse, it’s just watching someone cheat on their partner because they don’t have the emotional energy or fortitude to break up. One by one, the couples fall. But that being said, you should watch the first three episodes to enjoy one of the most awkward and terrible proposals you’ll ever see.

Rating: 3/10

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7. Love Is Blind

Format: In Love Is Blind, a group of young single men, and young single women, are introduced to each other through an opaque wall. So they can hear each other but never see each other. Then, the men have to choose one of the women to propose to, and in the second half of the show, they meet face to face and prepare for the wedding.

What starts as a novel and interesting concept deteriorates fairly rapidly when they return to the real world to prepare for their weddings. Except for a few sweet couples, everyone else on the show regrets their decision, and we have to watch them return to work and slowly grow annoyed with each other. Sure, they have loud arguments. But these aren’t dramatic or scandalous arguments, they’re simply mundane. Clearly, the producers weren’t aware that you can’t bring the boring hum-drum of everyday life into a show like this.

Rating: 5/10

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6. Indian Matchmaking

Format: Singles (from India, obviously) meet up at a party, and then the host chooses a select few contestants from the party who he’s going to “help find love”. Then, with the aide of two fashion specialists, they set about trying to set up the young hopefuls on a series of dates.

The host is a real delight, and single-handedly elevates the show beyond mere watchability into the realm of enjoyment. But this show is designed to appeal to Indian sensibilities, so you should expect it to be more conservative than the other shows on the list. We’re not going to be seeing any infrared footage of bedrooms so to speak.

Rating: 6/10

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5. Dating Around

Format: This is the simplest show. Just watch people go on dates in lovely restaurants. Sometimes the same character reappears on a new date, but there’s no overarching competition or running story.

Dating Around is basically the reality TV show for people who think they’re too good for reality TV. So there’s no drama, no gratuitous shots of the contestants bending over, and everyone on the show seems distinctly middle-class. It’s a pleasant watch, the conversation is good, and when the couples do find that “spark”, the emotion feels authentic and satisfying. Not a binge-watch though.

Rating: 6/10

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4. Love Never Lies

Format: Take a group of couples to a “love Island” style resort, split them up, film them betraying each other’s trust, and then play the footage back to them. That’s Love Never Lies in a nutshell for you.

This kind of show is crucially dependent on a cast stupid enough to repeatedly be caught cheating. Even a moderately intelligent individual would remember that they’re living in a house bugged with cameras and microphones. Needless to say, the casting director fulfilled their role admirably, and the show is a great success. It’s definitely on the trashier end of the spectrum, but if you’re up for that kind of evening, this will definitely keep you entertained for a few hours.

Rating: 7/10

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3. Too Hot To Handle

Format: Contestants arrive at a fantasy island (a large AirBnB in the south of Spain) thinking they’re going to be on a show that encourages them to couple up and get intimate. But then the host walks out and surprises them: they’re actually on a show where they can’t engage in any sexual activity. There is a $100,000 prize pool that will be shared at the end of the show, but each time the contestants are romantic with each other a fine is deducted from the shared prize pool. Basically, we’re going to be watching singles sneak off to try and secretly be intimate with each other while avoiding the rest of the group.

This is a solid but unoriginal show. We get everything we’re after; the sunny weather, the beautiful people, the drama, and the cringe flirting. But Too Hot To Handle doesn’t do any of it exceptionally well, and the cast members are fairly forgettable, with the exception of one unbelievably awkward surfer dude.

Rating: 7/10

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2. Love On The Spectrum

Format: We follow singles with autism through a documentary style dating show. They find dates through a specialist agency, and then we follow up with a few of the couples who kept seeing each other.

Let’s deal with the elephant in the room: how is this filmed? Are we voyeurs spying on people with autism, or is it tastefully done? Well it’s certainly more tasteful than the UK show who sold them the format, which was originally titled (I kid you not) “The Undateables”. No, the Netflix version is compassionate and sweet without being patronizing, and because they go on Netflix-funded dates in Australia, the location makes for a relaxing watch. We’ve rated it so highly because one couple in particular on this show is more clearly in love than any other couple from any other show on this list, and their tenderness for each other will affect even the most cynical viewers.

Rating: 8/10

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1. The Circle: A Social Media Competition

Format: The show takes place in a hotel, where each of the contestants have a room to themselves, but they cannot leave or see each other. Instead, they have to talk to each other via text message on a social media platform called “the Circle”. Each week, the most popular contestants become influencers and get special benefits, while the least popular are voted off the show.

Okay, okay, it’s not strictly dating, but there’s lots of romance, and more importantly, the Circle is a fantastic concept. Some viewers will never get over the initial hump of having to watch the contestants talk to each other over a messenger service rather than face-to-face. But if you can still enjoy the show with this in mind, then you’re in for a wild ride.

The best part of the Circle is that you can go on to the show and pretend to be someone else. So most of the show is about watching these few liars try and keep up the act of being someone else (usually they pick a young, attractive woman) before getting caught. If they make it to the end without being caught they usually win the prize. Some episodes are hit-and-miss, but the Circle has produced some exceptional moments of reality TV. Must watch.

Rating: 9/10

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