2020 has truly been a year where we've needed the escapism of reality TV [1] more than ever, and luckily, the year's new reality shows have definitely delivered! While there have absolutely been a few duds along the way, there have also been plenty of creative, intriguing, and just plain fun new reality shows debuting this year. We've seen new twists on old formats [2], heartfelt tearjerkers, impressive competitions [3], and wonderfully goofy games, all perfect for distracting from a pretty chaotic real world [4]. If you haven't caught up with the best new reality shows of 2020, now is the perfect time! Keep reading for our favourite new reality shows from this year, perfect for your next weekend marathon!
Bakeaway Camp with Martha Stewart
The original home-and-garden guru is back with a cheery, occasionally goofy cooking competition designed for Summer. Contestants not only compete in traditional challenge baking rounds, but also get personal advice and crash courses from Stewart herself.
Watch Bakeaway Camp with Martha Stewart on Food Network. [5]
Be Our Chef
Food plus Disney — is there anything cuter? In this family-centric cooking competition, five families are invited to compete with each other and create original dishes together, all inspired by Disney characters and movies.
Watch Be Our Chef on Disney+. [6]
The Big Flower Fight
Think The Great British Baking Show [7] but with flowers, and you've got this charmingly low-key new reality show from Netflix. Instead of over-produced intensity, this show is exactly the kind of comfort watch we crave: a light and heartfelt display of some seriously impressive talents.
Watch The Big Flower Fight on Netflix. [8]
Celebrity Watch Party
There truly is no other show that screams 2020 as much as Fox's tongue-in-cheek Celebrity Watch Party. It's exactly what it sounds like: a "watch party" where viewers at home get to watch a show or movie along with celebs and see how even famous people get caught up in their reactions just like the rest of us.
Watch Celebrity Watch Party on Fox. [9]
The Circle
It was only a matter of time before social media "influencer" culture got turned into a reality show! In this strategy game, contestants are isolated in individual "pods" and can only interact with each other online — but there's nothing stopping them from catfishing each other in order to win the show's popularity-based gameplay.
Watch The Circle on Netflix. [10]
Craftopia
HBO Max is joining the reality show game, and Craftopia is the heartfelt highlight of its early offerings. Kids ages nine to fifteen compete in a series of craft challenges, using only the provided supplies and their own brilliant imaginations.
Watch Craftopia on HBO Max. [11]
Dear...
Apple TV+'s docuseries takes a very different tactic than other reality shows. Instead of focusing on competition or high drama, it's more of an inspirational story. The premise is simple: ten groundbreaking figures, from several different fields, have their stories told and interwoven through letters written by people who have been inspired by them.
Watch Dear... on Apple TV+. [12]
Don't
ABC's latest epic game show takes a fun twist on the usual obstacle courses and games. Contestants succeed at the game by not doing something in each round, while navigating all sorts of ridiculous challenges. It's one part brainteaser, five parts silly Summer fun.
Watch Don't on ABC. [13]
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
This one isn't technically a "new" show, but a revival of a favourite from the early 2000s. The throwback show pretty much follows the original format: surprising a deserving family with a week-long total makeover of their home. It's always heartwarming to watch communities come together to work with the show to give back to one of their own.
Watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on HGTV. [14]
Floor Is Lava
Sometime, we just want our reality shows to be goofy, ridiculous fun, and that's exactly what you get from Netflix's surprise hit game show. The concept is hilariously simple: navigate an obstacle course without touching the goo-covered floor. It's playful and never too serious about itself, which is what makes it such a delight to watch!
Watch Floor Is Lava on Netflix. [15]
I Quit
If you've ever had that daydream of quitting a boring job to pursue a dream, Discovery's I Quit is for you! The docuseries follows six entrepreneurs who take that dream and make it a reality, quitting stable 9-to-5 jobs in order to build their own businesses from the ground up.
Watch I Quit on Discovery Channel. [16]
Lego Masters
Who knew that your childhood playtime could win you big bucks? Lego Masters shows off the skills of some of the best Lego builders in the country as they work through a series of increasingly tough challenges for the chance at $100,000 and the title of "Lego Master."
Watch Lego Masters on Fox. [17]
Love on the Spectrum
Instead of spinning everything into #drama and scandal, Love on the Spectrum focuses more on human connection and new experiences, and it's all the better for it. The show follows a cast of people, all of whom are on the autism spectrum, who are diving into the dating pool.
Watch Love on the Spectrum on Netflix. [18]
Love Is Blind
It seems like ages ago that we were all talking about Netflix's buzzy new dating show, but it really was just a few months ago! The new twist on the dating format isolated all the contestants for the first stage of the competition, first watching as they fell in love without ever seeing each other, then following their attempts to actually make it to the altar once they were back in the real world.
Watch Love Is Blind on Netflix. [19]
Making the Cut
For everyone who wished Project Runway had a little more about the actual business of fashion, Making the Cut is the perfect fit. Not only are these designers tested on their style and sewing skills, but equally on the ins and outs of actually running a fashion business in the modern world.
Watch Making the Cut on Amazon Prime. [20]
Next In Fashion
While some reality shows showcase the best amateurs, Next in Fashion is all about the pros. A group of designers and stylists compete in trend-based challenges for the chance to debut a collection with a luxury online retailer — plus a big cash prize!
Watch Next in Fashion on Netflix. [21]
Spy Games
Who hasn't imagined being a spy at least once in their lives? Bravo's Spy Games gives contestants the chance to live out that thrilling fantasy just this once. Inspired by a World War II-era program that assessed civilians' aptitude for espionage, the show puts contestants through a series of challenges designed to figure out who'd be the best spy.
Watch Spy Games on Bravo. [22]
Say I Do
Ready to believe in true love? Netflix's sweet reality series technically centres on grooms-to-be getting expert advice to put together the perfect proposal, but the real heartwarming moments come from getting to learn about these beautiful love stories.
Watch Say I Do on Netflix. [23]
We're Here
HBO Max's buzzy new show features three former RuPaul's Drag Race contestants on a road-trip style series. Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O'Hara, and Shangela travel to small towns across America to recruit residents for one-night-only drag shows. Instead of a traditional season finale, however, the first season wraps with a Zoom discussion between the trio about their personal drag journeys.
Watch We're Here on HBO Max. [24]
Down to Earth with Zac Efron
We didn't have "Zac Efron [25] nature show" on our 2020 bingo card, but it was definitely a very good surprise! Efron takes viewers with him and his team as they travel around the world, visiting interesting locations and meeting new people in search of healthier, more sustainable, more earth-friendly ways to live.
Watch Down to Earth with Zac Efron on Netflix. [26]
Immigration Nation
Netflix's harrowing docuseries is one of the must-see unscripted programs of the year. It's a tense and sometimes difficult watch, following the stories of immigrants and ICE agents alike as it delves deeper into questions about the place of immigrants in America and the heartbreaking realities at the border.
Watch Immigration Nation on Netflix. [27]
Home
Apple TV+ goes around the world in this very cool reality/documentary series. Each episode features one extraordinary, unusual home and the people who built it and/or live in it. The show travels around the world, showing off architectural marvels while also focusing on all the different definitions and images the word "home" can mean.
Watch Home on Apple TV+. [28]
Hillary
One of the year's buzziest docuseries is undoubtedly Hulu's Hillary, a limited series focusing on Hillary Clinton's life, career, the 2016 election, and the fallout in the last four years. It's a complicated portrait of one of the most public figures in the modern world, and while it's not a "reality" show in the usual sense of the world, it's painfully real too often.
Watch Hillary on Hulu. [29]