“Guilty pleasure” can mean different things to different people, and some people shun the concept altogether, saying if something is pleasurable then it’s not guilty. But when it comes to publicly admitting (as I can) that you have spent your free time watching Tool Academy, we can all agree that’s not a proud moment.
Team PopWatch wants to celebrate the most embarrassing delights in the world of reality TV, so today we’re kicking off our Reality TV Guilty Pleasure Showdown. It’ll be just the thing to cure your wintertime blues. We’ve had many impassioned (and surreal) discussions over the past few months about which shows should make the cut for the 32 in this competition. So the criteria we used were shows that we knew were a certain level of bad, but that we genuinely enjoyed watching. There were almost real tears in the meeting room when Joe Millionaire and I’m with Busey were cut but in the end these 32 selections inspired the most passion in us — and hopefully will inspire you to vote for your favorites.
Obviously, some of the kingpins of reality TV aren’t included. Shows such as The Bachelor, Jon & Kate Plus Eight, Dancing with the Stars, America’s Next Top Model, Wife Swap, What not to Wear, and The Real Housewives of New York and Orange County have been left off this list because they seemed like the untouchable all-stars. To be sure, anything with a rose ceremony is guilty, but these shows have reached a level of cultural acceptance that makes them seem less guilty (or maybe that’s just at the EW office).
Like our recent Guilty Pleasures contest on Music Mix, we’ve created an NCAA-style bracket of our 32 competitors (click on the image below to enlarge). We have four categories — Relationships, “Real” Lives, Celeb-Reality, and Competition — and the best from each group will square off for the ultimate crown*.
(click to enlarge)
Click here for revised bracket showing Semifinals Matchups.
We’ll run two match-ups each weekday, so come back and vote for your favorites and please comment about why you vote for which show (we’re planning a gallery of best fan comments). We’ll have preliminary voting through Christmas, and then PopWatch will reveal the final four the first week of January. Vote for the greatest guilty TV pleasure – i.e. the ones you can’t live without – not the one that feels the guiltiest. We can’t wait to see if the Kardashians smackdown Bridezillas, or if Temptation Island has more nostalgic fans than The Anna Nicole Show. – Wendy Mitchell
*Just to be clear, there is no crown. But the winner gets bragging rights!
We’ll link to all the matchups here:
Quarterfinals, Relationships: Flavor of Love vs. My Antonio POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, Relationships: Rock of Love vs. Momma’s Boys POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, Relationships, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila vs. Temptation Island POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, Relationships: Cheaters vs. For the Love of Ray J POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, “Real” Lives: Real Housewives of Atlanta vs. New Jersey POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, “Real” Lives: The Hills vs. Dog The Bounty Hunter POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, “Real” Lives: Bridezillas vs. Say Yes To The Dress POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, “Real” Lives: My Super Sweet 16 vs. NYC Prep POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, Celeb-Reality: Keeping up with the Kardashians vs. The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, Celeb-Reality: Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica vs. Britney & Kevin: Chaotic POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, Celeb-Reality: Being Bobby Brown vs. The Anna Nicole Show POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, Celeb-Reality: Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew vs. The Surreal Life POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, Competition: Celebrity Apprentice vs. Celebrity Mole POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, Competition: I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here vs. Paris Hilton’s New BFF POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, Competition: Bromance vs. Tool Academy POLL NOW CLOSED
Quarterfinals, Competition: Real World/Road Rules Challenge vs. WipeOut POLL NOW CLOSED
Semifinals, Relationships: Flavor of Love vs. Temptation Island POLL NOW CLOSED
Semifinals, Relationships: Cheaters vs. Rock of Love POLL NOW CLOSED
Semifinals, “Real” Lives: The Real Housewives of New Jersey vs. Say Yes to the Dress POLL NOW CLOSED
Semifinals, “Real” Lives: My Super Sweet 16 vs. Dog the Bounty Hunter POLL NOW CLOSED
Comments (1-15) of 38 Add your comment
Flava FLAV! Lol I just found out that you can buy the Flavor of love seasons on DVD. I’m getting them for my best friend for Christmas.
ha i got them for my bestfriend for christmas already
The term guilty pleasure is something people use to justify their own horrible taste. If you are watching Tool Academy or Shot Of Love you are part of the problem, not the solution.
Dood – You’re commenting on EW’s message board. I’m sure you’re not sitting around listening to Tchaikovsky and reading Chaucer all day.
Zing!
Phish doesn’t have a reality show, do they?
Ha, that’s exactly what I was thinking! Let’s hope there are no Brody Jenner phreaks out there to hijack the voting.
How can you leave off “I’m with Busey”? That show was hilarious. To this day I wish that show was still on the air.
Out of the entire list the only show that I actually watch is the RW/RR Challenge. Where’s Hell’s Kitchen?
It’s the only one I watch too.
I filled it out. and I came to Rock of Love and Tool Academy. Can’t decide which is a bigger train wreck (not that I’m above actually watching it)
Temptation Island is my all time fav. It was the beginning of the guilty pleasure reality shows.
I always thought I watched too much cr*p but I am proud to say that I have only watched from afar two of these show: Wipeout and Dr Drew. My honor is safe!
How could you put RW/RR Challenge against Wipeout in the first round? Those are two of my favorites!
I have watched at least one season of 15 shows on this list and a couple episodes of some of the others. Thank you internet anonymity.
That hardest match for me to choose from is “Real World/Road Rules Challenge” vs. “Wipeout”. I love BOTH shows. Ugh.
Wipeout was better when it MXC. The best part of MXC is you aren’t sure if the translation is accurate and either way the competition is impossible to understand yet hard not to watch.
Real World/ Road Rules Challenge all the way!
I didn’t see the Osborne’s? That show cracked me up. Wipeout is priceless! I can actually watch it with my 9 and 6 year, every other show on the list is a show after bedtime. RW/RR they are looking rough!
absolutely the Osbournes, the shot of Sharon throwing a ham over the fence at he neighbor was one of the highlights of reality TV
Another missing entry – Bad Girls Club!! How is that not in the bracket (especially as the new season kicks off tonight)? 7 girls who live in a house, get drunk, and fight… HI-larious. Hi, if I won’t admit to my friends I watch it, isn’t that, by definition, a guilty pleasure?
Hahahah the new season starts tonight at 9 central lol
Yes – Another glaring omission. Far more “guiltier” than the likes of JANICE DICKINSON SHOW or BROMANCE
Reality TV is for people who enjoy watching other people’s lives fall apart or humiliate themselves in front of millions… it’s sad that this is a form of entertainment and that it garnishes any kind of attention from anyone.
Personally, I don’t watch any of those programs. I refuse to lower myself to those standards.
Good for you!
WHERE IS BIG BROTHER?!