The 11 Best Reality Shows From MTV’s Golden Era
Though MTV began as a channel that showcased music videos, it also brought us some of the most iconic — and unhinged — reality shows of all time. The network brought in new viewers with its reality series and is now even moving away from music programming. While MTV brought us years of reality gold, here are its best contributions to the genre.
‘The Real World’
When The Real World premiered in 1992, the reality television landscape was sparse. It was a breakthrough for the genre, but its premise was relatively simple: a group of strangers lived together in a house, navigating their daily lives and personal entanglements on camera.
While the first season took place in New York, the show moved to cities across the world in later seasons. The Real World is widely credited with kicking off the modern era of reality television. It also broke ground with the topics it covered; cast members openly discussed sex, politics, race, and sexuality. It ran until 2017, making it one of the longest-running reality series.
‘Wild n’ Out’
While Wild n’ Out is now airing on VH1, it premiered on MTV in 2005. The series, which was created by Nick Cannon, features Cannon and a celebrity guest leading teams of comedians through improvisational games. Each episode also features a musical performance.
Over the years, celebrity guests on Wild n’ Out include Kevin Hart, Kanye West, Mac Miller, Remy Ma, Iggy Azalea, and more.
‘MTV Cribs’
Every week, MTV Cribs welcomed viewers into the lavish homes of celebrities. The show aired from 2000 to 2010, with revivals in 2017 and 2021. Each episode began with the celebrity guest opening their front door and telling the camera, “Welcome to my crib.” The show allowed viewers to see the homes of stars like Mariah Carey, Simon Cowell, Usher, and Pamela Anderson.
MTV Cribs was aspirational content, but it wasn’t always honest. Several stars, including Kim Kardashian and 50 Cent, presented homes and possessions that they didn’t actually own.
‘Jersey Shore’
Any list of MTV’s best reality shows would be remiss without Jersey Shore. The long-running series became a cultural juggernaut after airing in 2009. Like The Real World, Jersey Shore featured a cast of people living, working, and partying together in a house.
Jersey Shore introduced viewers to Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, and Jenni “JWoww” Farley, all now household names. While the original series ended in 2012, it returned in 2018 with Jersey Shore: Family Vacation.
‘True Life’
True Life, which premiered in 1998, was a documentary series that presented a different topic every episode. In its over 300 episodes, True Life covered subjects such as addiction, plastic surgery, marriage, sexuality, mental health, pornography, and pets.
The series received praise for its in-depth look at topical issues, even picking up an Emmy award in 2009. It ran until 2017 and spawned a handful of documentary specials.
‘Teen Mom’
Teen Mom began as a spinoff of the controversial 16 & Pregnant. It followed Maci Bookout McKinney, Catelynn Lowell Baltierra, Amber Portwood, and Farrah Abraham as they navigated the difficulties of teenage motherhood.
Over the years, Teen Mom has expanded into the spin-offs Teen Mom 2, Teen Mom 3, Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant, Teen Mom: Young Moms Club, Teen Mom: Family Reunion, and Teen Mom: Girls’ Night In, and Teen Mom: Next Chapter.
‘Jackass’
Jackass is now a film franchise, but it got its start on MTV in 2000. The series featured a group of men, led by Johnny Knoxville, doing dangerous and disgusting pranks and stunts. Each episode featured warnings for viewers, but it immediately sparked controversy amid fears that people would attempt to recreate the stunts.
Jackass gave MTV its highest ratings in its history, but the network still worried about the safety of broadcasting this type of series. Jackass ended in 2003, and its stars expressed discontent with the network.
‘Laguna Beach’
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County premiered on MTV in 2004. The series followed a group of high school students at Laguna Beach High School as they completed their junior and senior years. It aired for three seasons, with a new cast joining in the final season after the original cast graduated.
While Laguna Beach was presented as reality television, many viewers believe the soapy drama between cast members was scripted. Years after the show aired, cast members confirmed the scripting allegations. They say that while they didn’t read from a script, producers often had them rehash old drama for the sake of storylines.
‘The Hills’
After Laguna Beach star Lauren Conrad graduated from high school, she moved to Los Angeles and got back in front of the camera on The Hills. The spinoff series followed Conrad, her roommate Heidi Montag, and friends Audrina Patridge and Whitney Port.
While The Hills was better-reviewed than Laguna Beach, it also faced scripting allegations. Still, some of the drama, like the bitter feud between Conrad and Montag, appears to have been real.
‘The Challenge’
The Challenge was a spinoff of The Real World and Road Rules, bringing in former cast members to compete in challenges. In its over-40 season run, The Challenge has made reality alums compete in strenuous daily challenges that stretch their physical and mental capacities. A team or cast member is then nominated to compete in an elimination round, after which the loser goes home.
While The Challenge initially only took contestants from The Real World and Road Rules, it has expanded to include reality stars from various shows and networks.
‘Catfish: The TV Show’
MTV just cancelled Catfish after nine seasons, but the show is still one of the best-known in the network’s history. In each episode, host Nev Schulman and his co-host — either Max Joseph or Kamie Crawford — investigated an online relationship. One member of a couple reached out to the show out of concern that their partner wasn’t who they claimed to be.
Schulman and his co-hosts looked into the potential catfish, often leading to a confrontation at the end of the episode. While the show featured many instances of deception, it also depicted some happy endings.
