In my opinion, summer reality shows are the best reality TV shows. They’re often an escape from a dull summer, an excuse to stay inside, or a return to an annual obsession. It’s when the genre offers some of its best content. With the ongoing 2023 WGA writers’ strike, the fall 2023 TV schedule may also have many new, exciting reality series. However, it would surprise me if any new fall reality shows are as good as the ones during the hottest season of the year.
There are so many new summer reality TV shows that I’m looking forward to watching or at least giving the a try. Let’s look at some of them and discuss why I’m excited to check them out.
The Big D (June 14)
According to TVLine, TBS initially planned to air The Big D, but the project was canceled last year. Now it will premiere on June 14 on the USA Network. Bachelorette stars Jojo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers will host. It’s a dating show that follows singles on an island looking for romance.
The twist is that their exes will be along for the journey. Yes, the D stands for divorce. It will follow six divorced couples looking for love with other divorcees. Like any good dating series, there will be eliminations and challenges.
It sounds extremely dysfunctional and chaotic, and who doesn’t love a messy reality TV dating show? The drama seems inevitable. Additionally, there may be a few actual romances thrown in to please sentimental viewers. According to the official USA Network site, The Big D will be available to cable subscribers and to stream on Peacock.
True Crime Story: Look Into My Eyes (June 15)
True Crime Story: Look Into My Eyes is a four-part docuseries that focuses on Dr. George Kennedy. For a decade, he was a beloved high school principal in Florida who practiced hypnosis on his students. However, things took a turn when several students died in suspicious ways.
I am not a huge consumer of true crime shows, movies, documentaries, or docuseries, but I occasionally watch them. This is one that interests me as someone who knows nothing about this case. I’m curious to see what happened, why, and what the results were.
This is a Sundance TV show, but it will also be available on AMC+. The first part airs on June 15.
Morimoto's Sushi Master (June 16)
Chef Masaharu Morimoto is one of the most renowned chefs across the globe. He’s also one of the most famous Iron Chefs. He's appeared on plenty of great cooking competitions for decades, but Morimoto’s Sushi Master may be one of his most exciting yet. It follows eight chefs over the course of six episodes as they complete a series of sushi-related challenges.
According to Eater, it’s the first reality TV show to focus only on sushi. Lyrica Okano will host, and Morimoto, Kenji Lopez-Alt, and Dakota Weiss will judge the dishes and challenges. This not only seems like a fun and interesting premise but also a cooking show that will teach as well as entertain. It’s also a little bit innovative, because of the sushi focus.
Morimoto’s Sushi Master premieres on The Roku Channel on June 16.
Secret Chef (June 29)
Here, ten contestants who vary in expertise will compete in a series of challenges, then blind taste and judge each other’s foods. They will also be isolated and assigned secret aliases while they cook and judge the dishes.
Secret Chef sounds a lot like the great Netflix series Pressure Cooker. I loved that show, so I’m very curious to see how this compares. It’s not completely anonymous, as the contestants will interact, so there may be some alliances formed and things of that nature. This is a Hulu original series produced by chef David Chang, who may also act as a host or occasionally make guest appearances. It premieres on June 29.
Hack My Home (July 7)
Netflix has a pretty interesting collection of home improvement and renovation shows. They’re adding to that collection with the new series, Hack My Home. It features eight half-hour episodes with a four-person design team. Every episode revolves around families who are having conflicts because of home problems, such as not having enough space.
The team works to find a solution and give the home a much-needed makeover. This seems similar to Queer Eye, in a feel-good TV way. It looks wholesome, has the potential to produce really amazing renovations, and may be perfect for people who enjoy good HGTV shows.
Hack My Home streams on Netflix on July 7.
The Prank Panel (July 9)
Once upon a time, prank shows such as Punk’d were huge. The craze has died down a lot, but shows like Freevee’s Jury Duty show that they can still be fun, and even heartwarming, when done in a non-mean-spirited way. The Prank Panel is attempting to continue this resurrection, with Eric André, Gabourey Sidibe, and Johnny Knoxville hosting and assisting with the pranks.
Each week, they help execute pranks on unsuspecting family and friends of the person who initiates the prank, and after they plead their cases, the panel has to choose people to help perform. Knoxville is one of the kings of pranking people, while we know how well André can pull off a prank, and Sidibe is just hilarious, so The Prank Panel seems like it will be a good time.
The premiere episode is already on Hulu, but the show doesn’t officially premiere on ABC until July 9.
Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge (July 16)
In honor of the release of the Barbie movie, HGTV has a special all about creating the Barbie dream house in real life. Ashley Graham will host and eight different HGTV teams will work to create this real-life Barbie mansion. This will be a series with weekly episodes, challenges, and celebrity guests and judges.
If you like renovation shows, this seems like a dream idea, because people will already be buzzing from the movie and want more content that reminds them of the iconic doll. Additionally, I just want to see the final results. Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge premieres on July 16, a few days before Barbie hits theaters.
Superfan (August 9)
CBS’s latest reality show allows fans to prove their devotion by competing in a series of competitions to prove they’re the biggest fan of a certain music superstar. The first season will feature LL Cool J, Pitbull, Gloria Estefan, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, and Shania Twain. Keltie Knight and Nate Burleson will host.
Superfan premieres on August 9 on CBS. Then it will likely be available on Paramount+ the following day. I am interested in this series because I’m curious about how everything works in this show. The description of the challenges seems a bit vague, but like it’ll be a hybrid of performing, trivia, and maybe a silly challenge to mix things up. It also has the potential to be a very fun series where we see the depths that fans will go to to meet their idol.
The Big Nailed It Challenge (Late Summer 2023)
The Nailed It! franchise will grow a little bigger with an upcoming spin-off called The Big Nailed It Challenge. Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres return to host and judge this new show, where contestants will be inexperienced bakers looking to win a cash prize.
Variety reports that it will involve ten cooks competing over ten episodes for the prize. They will also be mentored by world-renowned pastry chefs. As someone who used to be a dedicated Nailed It! fan, I have always believed that if the contestants had enough time, some could actually be really good at these creations. This spinoff will either prove or disprove my theory.
As of May 2023, Netflix has not announced an official premiere date, but it’s scheduled to premiere late in summer 2023.
There are plenty of great new summer reality TV shows coming out soon. Additionally, there have also been some ones that have already premiered, such as Match Me Abroad, The Ride, and Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars. So much reality TV, and so little time.
