If there’s one sure-fire way of bonding with your new housemates, it’s hate-watching a reality show - nothing brings strangers together quite like shared hatred. Still, the question remains – which one to choose?
TV is flooded with reality shows, with new ones being released seemingly every other week. Whilst there is plenty of genuinely great reality TV, Drag Race, The Great British Bake Off or MasterChef to name just a few, when trying to alleviate the awkwardness of the first few days in your new flat, you don’t want Emmy winners – you want a show that is objectively terrible. Here are a few options to get you started.
Channel 4’s recent release, Married at First Sight UK - a spin-off of the American original - is quickly setting itself up as the ultimate guilty pleasure watch. The show follows a group of singles about to walk down the aisle to marry (as the title suggests) a complete stranger. Whilst the American version has been around since 2014, it’s only this year that the UK has been given its very own show and it does not disappoint. Despite the countless fights, deception, toxicity and truly incredible amount of drama, somehow you can’t help but route for the couples. If you are looking for a show which is so bad you can’t stop watching, this one is for you.
One of the more popular reality shows released by the streaming giant in recent years, Netflix’s Too Hot to Handle has taken the wide world of island dating competitions by storm. After a day or so left to mingle in paradise, the group of singles are informed by an AI cone named Lana that in order to win $100,000, they must not partake in any kind of physical contact with each other. The aim of the show is to promote a focus on their emotional rather than physical connections, although as you can imagine, that is not what happens. If you’re looking for a show that is so ridiculous it becomes strangely touching, this is the one for you.
This final recommendation is possibly one of the weirdest shows to come out in recent years, Sexy Beasts. It’s terrible, which makes it perfect. Narrated by Rob Delaney, the show sees a group of singles eager to leave the superficiality of modern dating behind. Donning intricate prosthetics, we see the cast endeavour to determine their emotional attraction to each other whilst trying to ignore the terrifying physical appearance of their partners. If you want to watch a devil and a baboon attempt to kiss through three inches of latex, this is the show for you.
Whichever reality show you choose to hate-bond over, just remember the one cardinal rule: the worse, the better.
