Dancing with the Stars had its biggest year in nearly a decade, Duck Dynasty and Ice Road Truckers returned, and the Chrisley family was back on television after being pardoned by the former host of The Apprentice.
Suffice to say, 2025 was a strange year for the unscripted television landscape, which feels like it’s taking a leaf (or a duck whistle) out of the early aughts. The messy reality series is clearly back, as evidenced by the success of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
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This trend is set to continue in 2026, particularly at Disney, which is exploring spinoffs for its cast of dirty soda-drinking ladies, is bringing Brooks Nader and her sisters back for a second run with a new showrunner and potentially a new production company, and is developing another show with the Kardashian family.
Netflix is also getting in on the action, and Bravo is as busy as ever with the Housewives, a new season of Vanderpump Rules, more Below Deck, and plenty of spinoffs.
Classic IP is going to be big in the coming months and years, with remakes of Star Search, Fear Factor, and American Gladiators, while Netflix is basing reality shows on Clue, Monopoly, and Willy Wonka, and NBC is trying to turn Wordle into a game show with the ever-present Jimmy Fallon.
The Bachelorette is also poised to have its biggest season in years with the introduction of the Mormon wife, Taylor Frankie Paul. Amazon will be hoping MrBeast can replicate the success of Beast Games, and there’ll be tears in Washington, DC, as Netflix’s Queer Eye is coming to an end after 10 seasons.
Find Deadline’s most anticipated reality TV shows and when they premiere or return below.
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‘The Valley: Persian Style’ (Bravo) — January 8
Image Credit: Shayan Asgharnia/Bravo After spinning off Vanderpump Rules into The Valley, to follow some of its main cast members after growing out of the original concept of the Bravo reality series, the network is looking to do the same with Shahs of Sunset. The Valley: Persian Style will follow a similar trajectory starring Mercedeh Javid, Golnesa Gharachedaghi and Reza Farahan as they grow their family in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley, where the drama only intensifies as more people are added to the mix.
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‘Fear Factor: House Of Fear’ (Fox) — January 14
Image Credit: Fox Fear Factor is back with House of Fear, returning more than 20 years after its initial NBC run. Johnny Knoxville replaces Joe Rogan to host the Endemol Shine North America-produced series, which will see a new group of strangers facing stunts, challenges and twisted games. There are snakes, fire and massive leaps, but there’s also a new twist – the group is living together, Big Brother-style, and is voting to eliminate contestants one at a time.
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‘Star Search’ (Netflix) — January 20
Image Credit: Netflix Star Search, hosted by Ed McMahon, aired in syndication from 1983-1995, and CBS tapped Arsenio Hall to host a 2003 remake. Netflix is now giving entertainers another shot to become the next Britney Spears, Beyoncé or Adam Sandler (who all appeared on the original). Hosted by Anthony Anderson, the series, which includes categories including singing, dancing and comedy, will introduce live fan voting for the first time and will air twice a week. Deadline understands that the streamer is in talks with some pretty A-list stars to judge the show, which comes from Jesse Collins Entertainment.
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‘The Greatest Average American’ (ABC) — February 25
Image Credit: ABC Nate Bargatze is a great get for ABC to host a game show. The man, who was the highest-grossing stand-up comic last year is bringing his everyman brand to The Greatest Average America, which will feature trivia and challenges for contestants to try to guess how everyday Americans think and live. The prize? The average American salary $67,920. The series will launch after the two-episode premiere of the reboot of Scrubs. It comes from game show veteran John Quinn, who is the showrunner of The Price is Right, Disney Television Alternative, in association with Nateland and Da Da Productions.
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‘The Traitors’ (NBC)
Image Credit: NBC Alan Cumming has spent plenty of time around celebrities at the castle in the Scottish Highlands for Peacock’s The Traitors, which has been renewed through Season 5. Now, he’s also going to be joined by civilians and this iteration will air on NBC. The broadcast version of the show, which is based on Dutch format De Verraders, will likely look a lot like the British version of the show, which airs on the BBC and mostly airs without famous people. Production is expected to start in May.
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‘Love Overboard’ (Hulu)
Image Credit: Alex Stone Alex Cooper, the millennial star behind the hugely successful podcast Call Her Daddy, is moving into television. Cooper is producing a dating series, Love Overboard, for Hulu, a move that the Disney-owned streamer hopes will bring in her legion of fans. Hosted by The Bachelorette star Gabby Windey, the series follows a group of sexy singles who are looking to find love on the high seas. Produced by Cooper’s Unwell, Jeff Jenkins Productions, 3BMG, and Walt Disney Television Alternative. Jenkins told Deadline that Cooper was a “dynamite, amazing young lady to be partnered with”. Elsewhere on the streamer’s slate, it is also launching That Thrifting Show, an unscripted design competition series hosted and executive-produced by Lara Spencer.
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‘American Gladiators’ (Prime Video)
Image Credit: Tony Duffy/Allsport American Gladiators, created by Johnny C. Ferraro and Dann Carr, originally ran in syndication from 1989 to 1996, before airing two seasons on NBC in 2008. Following the success of a British reboot for the BBC, the franchise is back, and it’s going to be streaming. The series, which filmed at Aren’Ice in Cergy, France, is hosted by WWE wrestler Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin with Rocsi Diaz and Chris Rose also joining as 16 Gladiators battle it out.
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‘In The City’ (Bravo)
Image Credit: Bravo In the same vein as The Valley, following cast members of Vanderpump Rules who outgrew the original concept of the reality series, In the City will do the same with the stars of Summer House. The new Bravo spinoff will follow Kyle Cooke, Amanda Batula, and Lindsay Hubbard into the fall season and trade the lush Hamptons coastal life for the gritty concrete jungle of NYC. Viewers will gain more insight into Hubbard’s home life as a new mother, and Cooke and Batula will continue to open up about their marriage as they balance their work lives and their desire to grow their family. The show has already been filmed in its entirety and is expected to air in the first half of 2026.
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‘Calabasas Confidential’ (Netflix)
Image Credit: Netflix Netflix, which has been creating its own universe of reality stars, recently debuted Members Only: Palm Beach, a look at a crazy cast of characters around Donald Trump territory. It is now heading to Kardashian country with its next reality series: Calabasas Confidential. The series, which comes from Spoke Studios, follows a group of childhood friends, exes and rivals as they return to their hillside mansions after four years at college. Head of unscripted Jeff Gaspin has strong hopes for its slate in 2026. “When someone in their 20s comes to visit Los Angeles, there’s two places they want to go, and it’s not Disneyland or Universal: It’s Calabasas and Erewhon. It kind of blows my mind,” he told Deadline.
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‘Age Of Attraction’ (Netflix)
Image Credit: River Callaway/Penske Media Love Is Blind has clearly been Netflix’s biggest hit in the unscripted space over the years. It is now trying to replicate that dating success with Age of Attraction. While Love Is Blind aimed to see if looks weren’t a factor, Age of Attraction will ask a similar question about age. The series, which comes from Velvet Hammer Media and was filmed in Whistler and Vancouver, features daters ranging from 22 to 59. It is hosted by Bachelor Nation star Nick Viall, 45, and his 27-year old wife Natalie Joy.
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‘The Golden Ticket’ (Netflix)
Image Credit: Netflix Netflix has been loving the production bake-off lately and one of its biggest new shows came out of such a competition: The Golden Ticket. The series, which is produced by Fremantle’s Eureka Productions, will see a group of contestants have the chance to enter Wonka’s Chocolate Factory but only players who find a golden ticket after adapting, strategizing and withstanding the unknown will gain entry. Gaspin called the social experiment a “one-of-a-kind reality competition [that] blends adventure, strategy, and social dynamics”.
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‘The Real Housewives Of Rhode Island’ (Bravo)
Image Credit: Bravo As Bravo continues to figure out what will happen to the beloved Real Housewives of New Jersey, it has expanded the franchise to The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, following a group of women with Italian roots. Announced during BravoCon 2025, the cast of the new series includes Alicia Carmody, Rosie DiMare, Ashley Iaconetti, Liz McGraw, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Kelsey Swanson, and Jo-Ellen Tiberi. Dolores Catania, who Bravo viewers know from RHONJ and the winner of The Traitors Season 3, will also join the cast as a friend. RHORI is produced by Amazon-owned Evolution Media, which is already behind The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Real Housewives of Orange County.
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Kevin Hart Comedy Competition Series (Netflix)
Image Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Last Comic Standing, which was a comedy competition series, ran for nine seasons on NBC. Netflix is now looking to find its own rising stand-ups in a new series exec produced by Kevin Hart. The untitled series will see some comedy heavyweights guide contestants through a competition that pulls back the curtain on stand-up. It will see them go through open mics, bombed sets and rewrites in order to become a star. The eight-part series comes from Is It Cake? producer Alfred Street and Hartbeat.
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‘Match Game’ (ABC)
Image Credit: ABC Match Game has had many versions, including the most recent on ABC from 2016 to 2021. The Disney-owned network has seen the error of its ways and has ordered a new version, this time hosted by comedy legend Martin Short, who replaces Alec Baldwin. ABC hasn’t dated the series, which features four contestants each week vying for the chance to win $25,000, as they attempt to match the answers of six celebrities in a fill-in-the-blank game, but it was previously used as an off-season replacement. Match Game comes from American Idol producer Fremantle.
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‘Final Twist’ (CBS)
Image Credit: CBS Harlan Coben is known for his true-crime books such as Missing You and Fool Me Once, which have been successfully adapted for television. He is now moving into the unscripted space with Final Twist, a docuseries where he will explore tales of murder and high-profile crimes. Coben, who has sold over 90M books, will host the series. Jeff Zimbalist, who has produced Skywalkers: A Love Story and directed The Two Escobars and Pele: Birth of a Legend, will serve as showrunner on the project, which will air in midseason.
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‘Ladies Of London: The New Reign’ (Bravo)
Image Credit: Bravo In 2026, Bravo is resurrecting Ladies of London with The New Reign. The original series ran for three seasons on the network from 2014 to 2017, with breakout Caroline Stanbury going on to star in Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Dubai and make a guest appearance on Hayu’s The Real Housewives of London. Ladies of London: The New Reign will have a completely new cast with no ties to the original cast. The format follows a similar concept to The Real Housewives franchise, but set in London with a mix of English-born ladies and American expats. Bravo has yet to announce the names of the new ladies.
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‘America’s Culinary Cup’ (CBS)
Image Credit: Inez & Vinoodh Padma Lakshmi is getting back into the kitchen with a new cooking competition. The former Top Chef star is hosting America’s Culinary Cup, CBS’ first take on a cooking show in years. The series will feature “decorated” chefs as they compete for a $1M prize. Lakshmi recently said that it would be like the “Bocuse d’Or of America” – the Bocuse d’Or is a biennial world chef championship that takes place in France – and that “there’s no f*cking format”. The series, which will air midseason, comes from former NBCUniversal content chief Susan Rovner’s new company Aha Studios, and Lakshmi’s Delicious Entertainment.
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‘Modern Marvels’ (History)
Image Credit: History Modern Marvels was History Channel’s first and longest-running franchise. Launched as Time Machine on A&E in 1993 before moving to History in 1995, it has covered areas such as science, technology, engineering, architecture, manufacturing and agriculture with the focus on the history and production of items. There have been close to 700 episodes. Revived in 2021, the series returns as Modern Marvels: WWII with a three-part series.
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‘The Real Housewives: Ultimate Road Trip’ (Bravo)
Image Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images Announced at BravoCon 2025, The Real Housewives: Ultimate Road Trip is a new limited series to celebrate 20 years of The Real Housewives franchise. Expected to film at the beginning of 2026, the reality series will bring together an all-star cast starting in Orange County, where the franchise was born, and ending on the East Coast for an epic grand finale. Each stop will feature appearances by fan favorites from different cities to pay tribute to the past, embrace the present, and look toward the many miles still ahead. The Real Housewives: Ultimate Road Trip (WT) is produced by Shed Media, which is behind The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.