20 underrated reality shows with dedicated fan bases

TLC’s Seeking Sister Wife follows multiple families as one of the spouses searches for another wife. It’s not nearly as watched as Sister Wives, TLC’s most popular series about polygamy, but it’s got many dedicated fans eager to see if these families can find what they’re looking for. 

Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard is another version of Bravo’s Summer House, but, you guessed it, it takes place at Martha’s Vineyard. The cast is all-Black, and fans love it for its representation and classic Bravo drama. 

1000-Lb. Sisters follows Amy Slaton and Tammy Slaton, a pair of sisters living in Kentucky who together weigh over 1,000 pounds. The series documents their weight-loss journeys and personal lives, and it’s got legions of people who love the sisters and are curious about their road to leading healthier lives. 

When Worst Cooks in America first premiered, most people thought it might be funny to watch people who are truly terrible in the kitchen for an episode or two. Nearly 30 seasons later, it still has fans coming back to see what those terrible cooks are making next. This show might never go off the air. 

7 Little Johnstons follows a family of little people living their lives just the same way everyone else in America does, but its fan base finds it quite endearing. The series has been airing on TLC since 2015. 

Love on the Spectrum is a Netflix original series that follows young adults on the autism spectrum as they look for love. The show’s fans find it wholesome and sweet, and some couples are still together. 

Shauna Rae is a young adult who, due to complications from brain cancer treatments as a child, is still the size of a child. I Am Shauna Rae follows her as she tries to live like a regular person her age, and fans of the series are seriously invested in her journey. 

Long before the world was taken with Love is Blind, Lifetime was airing the Australian reality series Married At First Sight. The series is exactly what it sounds like: people who’ve never met agree to get married. The divorce rate is unsurprisingly high, but the concept is interesting, and fans love it. 

90 Day Fiancé keeps its loyal fan base interested by constantly offering a new iteration of the show. Fans watch whether the couples meet in the United States, go to a different country, or rewatch the show in bed. 

Too Hot to Handle is similar to Bachelor in Paradise, except contestants aren’t allowed to have sex with each other. In order to win $100,000, the hot singles have to remain celibate, and fans can’t get enough of the juicy drama. 

Fans are obsessed with the Plaths, the family documented in the TLC series Welcome to Plathville. Some have compared the family to the Duggars, but most find the family far more relatable while still wholesome and endearing. 

Love & Hip Hop has had many iterations over its decade on television, and all the while, its truest fans have stuck by it. Between different cities, different cast members, and different networks, this reality franchise has kept its dedicated fan base fed. 

Many reality TV fans aren’t familiar with the Baddies series because it airs on the Zeus Network rather than Bravo, TLC, MTV, or another network with large audiences, but those who do watch are highly invested because of the drama. It also keeps audiences interested as it switches locations each season, similar to The Real World. 

It’s hard to imagine that a Housewives city would be considered underrated, but such is the case with The Real Housewives of Miami. Not every Housewives fan watches every city, but fans of Miami know how good it is.

Anyone who likes reality shows that feature people from other reality shows will like Perfect Match. It’s a Netflix original dating series that essentially amounts to messy people dating each other on the beach. People love it. 

If you’ve never actually watched the show Floor Is Lava, you’ve probably seen someone playing it. The dedicated fan base is mostly made of kids and parents of kids, but they are so rabid about the series that they’ll rewatch episodes on end. 

The first season of Rhythm + Flow on Netflix garnered many dedicated fans who loved the judges and wanted to see undiscovered rap talent take the stage. After quite a few years off, the series was picked up for a second season, and fans were thrilled by the news, hoping more people would discover it. 

The Circle is another Netflix original with swaths of loyal fans. It’s a competition series where contestants aren’t allowed to meet each other in person and can only communicate through a special social media platform. After watching one episode, you’ll understand why fans are obsessed. 

Are You The One? is an MTV original in which the contestants work together to correctly identify everybody’s perfect match. It sounds tough, but the contestants have had an unbelievable success rate in past seasons. The series doesn’t get the same buzz as other reality dating series, but its fan base is very loyal. 

The Traitors is popular around the world thanks to its various international versions, but in the United States, it’s just starting to pick up steam. It’s a reality TV fan’s dream of a series, as its contestants are stars from other reality series, and it’s a giant murder mystery game in Scotland. How could it be better?