The most popular reality TV shows of 2023 have been revealed. And here’s a shocker: The top two spots don’t involve a Real Housewives or Bachelor show star.
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Find out the 20 most popular reality TV shows of the past year. And discover which networks scored big.
Two Most Popular Reality TV Shows Of 2023 Revealed
Real Housewives stars love to shine in the spotlight. And Bachelor cast members bask in the limelight as well. But in 2023, the two reality TV shows with the highest average weekly viewers didn’t feature Real Housewives OR Bachelors.
And per Forbes, the Discovery Channel produced the top two most popular reality TV shows of the year: Gold Rush and Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing. Now in season 14, Gold Rush features miners in Alaska. And it attracted an average of 1.93 million weekly viewers, making it number one among reality series in Nielsen’s data calculations for 2023.
However, Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing also appealed to viewers during the past year. This spinoff of Naked and Afraid features men and women combos left in the wild. And the couples must survive for 21 days without receiving any water, food or clothes to help them. It attracted an average of 1.87 million viewers each week.
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Bravo Scores Big In 2023
However, the Bravo network also did well in the past year. And Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules tied with Below Deck tied for the third highest average with 1.87 million weekly viewers. Also featuring in Nielsen’s Top 20 list: Four Real Housewives shows. Those included Real Housewives of, respectively, Beverly Hills, New Jersey, Orange County and Atlanta.
In addition, multiple versions of Below Deck, such as Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Down Under appealed to viewers. But while Bravo scored 11 total shows in the top 20, Discovery Channel came close with seven shows in the Top 20.
And a big surprise involved the Golden Bachelor. This newcomer turned out to become the leader in the Bachelor franchise shows. And the Golden Bachelor averaged 5.9 million viewers each week throughout its nine-episode season. However, The Bachelor followed, with an average of 3.8 million viewers each week.
TLC Lands Two Shows In Top 20
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And TLC scored two shows in Nielsen’s Top 20 reality series list. 1000-Lb Sisters took the number five spot. And 90 Day Fiancé ranked at number seven.
In all, the top 10 list included 1. “Gold Rush” (Discovery); 2. “Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing” (Discovery), and in a tie for third place, “Below Deck” (Bravo) and “Vanderpump Rules” (Bravo). Fifth place went to “100-Lb. Sisters” (TLC), with 6. “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” (Bravo) 7. “90 Day Fiancé” (TLC) 8. “Real Housewives of New Jersey” (Bravo) 9. “Below Deck Mediterranean” (Bravo), and 10. “Project Runway” (Bravo).
And in the final half of the top 20, “Real Housewives of OC” (Bravo) took the 11th spot. “Mystery Blind Frog Ranch” (Discovery) ranked at 12, with “Top Chef” (Bravo) in 13 and “Below Deck Sailing Yacht” (Bravo) at spot 14. “Real Housewives Atlanta” (Bravo) took spot 15, with “Below Deck Down Under” (Bravo) at 16, “Homestead Rescue” (Discovery) at 17, “Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail” (Discovery) at 18, “Naked and Afraid: Castaways” (Discovery) at 19, and “Naked and Afraid” (Discovery) at the end of the top 20.
Tell us what you think. Which show in the top 20 ranks as your favorite? And after you share your views, check back on our site for more reality TV news.