Dark Side of Reality TV — Season 1
Putting the "Real" in Reality.
About this season
Dive deep beyond the infamous makeovers, romances and eliminations that helped define an entire TV genre, to bring you stories you've never heard before from producers, contestants and crew, painting a realer version of the reality world.
Episodes (10)
1. The Swan
Aired 3 September 2024 • 44 min
"The Swan" is supposed to be fairytale makeover television, but when the cast discover they're really contestants in a plastic surgery face-off, it becomes a grueling nightmare.
2. Kid Nation
Aired 17 September 2024 • 44 min
When 40 children are chosen from America's best and brightest to form their own society in the middle of the New Mexico desert, it quickly descends into Lord of the Flies 2.0.
3. Joe Millionaire
Aired 24 September 2024 • 44 min
It's TV's biggest ever bait and switch - 20 women are deceived into believing their would-be suitor is worth millions, and made to look like gold diggers in front of 70m viewers.
4. The Surreal Life
Aired 1 October 2024 • 44 min
Seven celebs spend ten days together in a Hollywood mansion, but what starts as a social experiment gets out of hand after producers cast personalities that explode on contact.
5. Hell's Kitchen
Aired 8 October 2024 • 44 min
The meanest man on television runs his contestants through a verbal assault course as they vye for a dream job working under him. But is this a cooking contest, or just a game show?
6. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Aired 15 October 2024 • 44 min
Gifting new homes to families in dire straits seems anything but dark; but viewers don't get to see how the houses become money-pits, that lead to family fallout and massive debt.
7. Survivor - Season One
Aired 22 October 2024 • 44 min
It kickstarted a TV revolution, and gave rise to reality's first villain. But was the real winner of Survivor's first season Richard Hatch, or the show's creator, Mark Burnett?
8. The Real Housewives
Aired 29 October 2024 • 44 min
Over 20 years after it first aired, and with a franchise on almost every continent, how did a show about housewives create some of the most compelling and controversial TV ever?
9. Toddlers & Tiaras
Aired 12 November 2024 • 44 min
TLC's tantrum-filled pageant show was controversial from the start, but were these toddlers and their moms organically outrageous, or did producers juice things up for television?
10. America's Next Top Model
Aired 19 November 2024 • 44 min
Tyra Banks promises to give aspiring models the tools they needed to succeed in a tough industry; exploring how the show impacted their careers and lives.