American Idol is a television singing competition series, founded by Simon Fuller, and manufactured by Fremantle and Nineteen Entertainment. It ran on Fox for 15 seasons, beginning on June 11, 2002, and ending on April 7, 2016. After 2016, the show remained on indefinite hiatus for 2 years till 11 March, 2018, when a reboot started airing on ABC.

American Idol began as a spin-off of the Idols concept - modeled after the British television program Pop Idol. In a blink of an eye, the show quickly became the most popular series in American television history. The show’s ultimate goal is to find recording stars from undiscovered singing talents. The winner will be decided by American fans via Internet, phone, and SMS text voting.

American Idol's success has been dubbed "unprecedented in the history of television." According to a rival television executive, the program was "the most influential show in television history." It established itself as a renowned springboard for many musicians' ascension to stardom.

Seasons: 20

Highest ratings: 38 million viewers/episode

The Simple Life is a reality television series shown in the United States from 2 December, 2003 to August 5, 2007. The first 3 seasons were aired on Fox, while the latter two were broadcast on E!

The series follows two affluent celebrities, Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie. Both tried to find manual and low-paying jobs such as room cleaning, agricultural labor, fast-food restaurant service, and camp counselor employment. The show achieved critical success and some awards.

NBC presented the reality series I Want To Be a Hilton in 2005. I Want to Be a Hilton inverted the concept of The Simple Life. Led by Kathy Hilton (Paris Hilton's mother), the program followed various candidates from rural and suburban regions as they tried to do many jobs, from dog trimming to arranging a charity event - while still learning proper etiquette and manners. The competition's winner earned a prize package of $200,000, which included a new apartment, clothes, and the ability to live like a member of elite society for a year. Paris and Nicky made a cameo appearance in one episode, as did Paris's dog Tink (who featured in The Simple Life).

Seasons: 5

Highest ratings: 13.3 million viewers/episode

Survivor is the American adaptation of the worldwide Survivor reality television franchise, which originated from the Swedish series Expedition Robinson. This television program throws a bunch of strangers in a remote area, and forces them to fend for themselves when it comes to food, fire, and shelter.

To get the prizes and avoid elimination, the contestants have to participate in activities that assess their physical capabilities (running and swimming) as well as their cerebral aptitude (puzzles and endurance trials). In each stage, the participants are ousted from the game if their fellows vote them out. The procedures repeat until only one person remains and is crowned "Sole Survivor". The winner also receives the ultimate reward of $1,000,000.

The American adaptation of Survivor was a smash hit. From 2001 through 2006, its first 11 seasons were consistently ranked in the top 10 most-watched television programs. It is widely regarded as the pioneer of American reality television, and is considered one of the greatest programs of the decade.

Seasons: 42

Highest ratings: 7.29 million viewers/episode

America's Got Talent (commonly shortened as AGT) is a television talent show competition in the United States. It is a spin-off of Simon Cowell's worldwide Got Talent franchise. The program draws a diverse group of performers from both the US and other countries. These contestants exhibit a range of abilities, including dancing, singing, magic, comedy, stunts, and other genres. Each of them has to impress a judging panel in order to earn a spot in the final segments of a season.

Those who want to advance to the live rounds must battle for both public and judges’ votes. Here, the winner earns a substantial monetary reward distributed over time, as well as the opportunity to headline a performance in Las Vegas (this reward started to be available from the third season onwards)

NBC has had ratings success with America's Got Talent, averaging millions of people every season. In 2013, a guidebook titled Inside AGT: America's Got Talent: The Untold Stories was published, detailing the show's seasons, competitors, judges, and production procedures.

Seasons: 17

Highest ratings: 7.29 million viewers/episode

MasterChef is a reality television program inspired from the British version of the same name. It is open to both amateurs and home cooks. Manufactured by One Potato Two Potato, the show premiered on the Fox network on July 27, 2010, right after the professional food competition Hell's Kitchen.

The series' first five seasons featured renowned chefs Gordon Ramsay (co-creator of both MasterChef and Hell's Kitchen), as well as Graham Elliot, and businessman Joe Bastianich. Christina Tosi, a pastry chef, briefly replaced Bastianich from seasons seven to eight. Later on, Elliot stepped down as a judge in season 7. In lieu of a third member in the judge panel, a series of special guests was introduced. One of them was Aarón Sanchez, who has taken over as a permanent judge since Season 8.

Bastianich returned to the show as a permanent judge in season nine, succeeding Tosi. On September 19, 2018, the series was extended for a tenth season, and broadcasted on May 29, 2019. Ramsay, Bastianich and Sanchez reprised their roles as judges and have kept their roles to the present.

Seasons: 19

Highest ratings: 3.518 million viewers/ episode

Hell's Kitchen is a reality TV program in America. Its progressive elimination system reduces a group of 20 contestants to 12. Then these remaining 12 participants fight against each other to become the sole champion of the season. The US edition of Hell's Kitchen maintains the same concept as the UK version. The only major difference is that it is broadcast on tape delay rather than live. Therefore, there is no audience involvement in the elimination processes. Also, the cooks in the US version are not famous like those in the UK format.

Each episode begins with a competition and a dessert buffet, followed by the elimination of one (or more) chefs. Once there are only five or six chefs left, they are combined into a single squad (before that, participants often compete in teams) and outfitted with black-paneled coats. From this point on, they compete individually in numerous challenges in order to earn a spot for the finale.

The show is filmed in Hell's Kitchen - a converted facility in Los Angeles - which houses restaurants, dual kitchens, and a dormitory for the cooks during their time on the show. Whether they succeed or fail, everyone would be rewarded with a knife set at the end of the episode.

Season: 20

Highest ratings: 2.76 million viewers/ episode

Keeping Up with the Kardashians (commonly shortened as KUWTK) is a reality television show about the professional and personal life of the Kardashian–Jenner family. Ryan Seacrest (who also acted as executive producer) conceived the show's idea. The series started on the E! cable channel on 14 October, 2007, and lasted for 20 seasons, making it one of the lengthiest reality television shows in the United States. On March 18, 2021, the last season was launched.

Since the show's debut, Keeping Up with the Kardashians received widespread criticism. It is often condemned for placing a heavy emphasis on the "rich for being rich" notion, and for seeming to make up some elements of its stories. Numerous reviewers have remarked on the show's intellectual deficiency.

Nevertheless, several commentators lauded the reality show as a "cult favorite" and appreciated the family's prosperity. Despite the bad critiques, Keeping Up with the Kardashians still amassed a large following, becoming one of the platform's most profitable programs and earning multiple audience awards.

Seasons: 20

Highest ratings: 2.4 million viewers/episode

The show Love Island follows a group of participants (dubbed Islanders). Completely isolated from the world, they gather together in a mansion in Hawaii, under continual camera monitoring. To stay in the villa, Islanders must form bonds with one another - whether for love, friendship, or survival. The ultimate winning pair would win $100,000.

The Islanders pair up on the first day based on initial impressions. However, throughout the course of the show, they can "re-couple” if they are not happy with their current partnership. Otherwise, they are allowed to remain with their chosen partners.

Any Islander who stays unmarried after the mating season would be expelled from the island and "dumped." Islanders will also be ousted by a public vote, organized via a Love Island cellphone app. To be more specific, the public would vote for the best pair. Couples with Couples with the fewest votes face elimination. Sometimes, several twists arise, in which the islanders are forced to get rid of each other.

Seasons: 3

Highest ratings: 1.81 million viewers/episode

America's Next Top Model is a reality television show - as well as a collaborative competition - in which aspiring models fight for the honor of "America's Next Top Model". The winner also gains the opportunity to begin their modeling careers. Each season of America's Next Top Model consists of nine to sixteen episodes, and begins with ten to sixteen participants.

Each week, contestants are assessed on multiple factors, including their overall look, task participations, and the best photograph from the photo session. Also, in each week, one competitor will be removed. In rarer instances, the judging panel might either agree on the double expulsion (eliminating two contestants) or no elimination at all.

America's Next Top Model celebrated its tenth cycle with a special segment titled America's Next Top Model: Exposed. It was aired on the CW on Wednesdays, February 6 & 13, 2008. The segment revisited the show's most dramatic catfights and blunders. It also highlighted some most unforgettable photo sessions, and included parts about the show's defining events from seasons 1 to 9.

Seasons: 24

Highest ratings: 1.3 million viewers/episode

Too Hot to Handle is a Fremantle-based reality television matchmaking game program, produced by Talkback and Thames. The show's first season, distributed by Charlie Bennett and Laura Gibson, premiered on Netflix on 17 April, 2020.

Too Hot To Handle, hosted by a digital assistant named "Lana," follows ten adults, who have all been involved in pointless flings and are incapable of forming long-lasting relationships. They are trapped in a mansion for four weeks, and forced to attend various workshops while being prohibited from kissing, sexual contact, or self-gratification. The participants begin with a $100,000 main prize, which is lowered to $50,000 if a rule is violated.

In January 2021, the show was revived for two further seasons, all of which were shot concurrently in the Caicos Islands during the COVID-19 epidemic. The first portion of the second season premiered on June 23, 2021, with the second half following on 30 June, 2021. The third season was scheduled to premiere on January 19, 2022.

Seasons: 3

Highest ratings: N/A

Viewership: 51 million viewers