Y ou’re on candid camera!” “Sashay away.” “Welcome to my crib.” These phrases, all popularised by reality TV shows, are now part of the public vernacular. For decades, reality series have dominated pop culture, providing an escape from everyday life and a window into the experiences of others. From fly-on-the-wall series like Candid Camera and Jersey Shore to long-running game shows such as Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune , competitions like American Idol and The X Factor to dating shows such as The Bachelor and Love is Blind , reality TV covers just about any person, place or thing you could imagine.
Otherwise known as ‘unscripted content’, reality TV programmes consistently rank among the most popular productions. According to Nielsen’s top ten report, Love Island USA was the most-streamed programme in America from 7-13 July 2025. On traditional TV, America’s Got Talent , Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? , Celebrity Family Feud , Big Brother and America’s Funniest Home Videos all found a spot in the top ten between 28 July and 3 August. Reality TV comes in all shapes and sizes, and each format requires a distinct filming technique. For some programmes, that’s a single handheld camera and a street team; for others, there are hundreds of devices set up, designed to surveil participants. We go behind the scenes on four distinct
reality programmes – Mr Beast’s videos, The Great Pottery Throw Down , Chopper Cops and Bauer sucht Frau – to discover how they are made. Beast mode Inspired by Netflix’s scripted series Squid Game , Beast Games is a reality competition created and hosted by Mr Beast, otherwise known as Jimmy Donaldson. This Prime Video original series follows 1000 contestants who compete for a $5m cash prize – the largest lump sum in reality TV history. But Beast Games didn’t appear out of thin air; Mr Beast has been posting elaborate YouTube videos on his channel since 2012, and has since grown his following to 421 million subscribers – the most of any YouTuber. He uses his channel for
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