Take out your trash
April 24, 2012 4:38 PM Subscribe
What are this year's (or last year's) campest, trashiest reality shows from the US?
Not mainstream juggernauts like American Idol and Amazing Race. Looking for the kooky, kitsch or fringe classics, like Extreme Couponing: All Stars, Freaky Eaters or the sorely missed Girls Next Door.
Not mainstream juggernauts like American Idol and Amazing Race. Looking for the kooky, kitsch or fringe classics, like Extreme Couponing: All Stars, Freaky Eaters or the sorely missed Girls Next Door.
Shahs of Sunset is pretty ridic in the "Girls next door" vein. Its like "how many stereotypes can we fit in a half hour- and the answer is none, none more stereotypes."
posted by JPD at 4:44 PM on April 24, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by JPD at 4:44 PM on April 24, 2012 [6 favorites]
Rupaul's Drag Race has GOT to fit in here.
posted by AlliKat75 at 4:47 PM on April 24, 2012 [8 favorites]
posted by AlliKat75 at 4:47 PM on April 24, 2012 [8 favorites]
also, you might want to watch some past episodes of the soup, they feature a lot of the great weird ones.
posted by nadawi at 4:50 PM on April 24, 2012
posted by nadawi at 4:50 PM on April 24, 2012
Storage Wars.
Also My Strange Addiction is arguably the oddest show I've ever seen.
Also seconding Billy the Exterminator and Duck Dynasty.
posted by Lutoslawski at 5:03 PM on April 24, 2012
Also My Strange Addiction is arguably the oddest show I've ever seen.
Also seconding Billy the Exterminator and Duck Dynasty.
posted by Lutoslawski at 5:03 PM on April 24, 2012
TLC's My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding should be a must-see! Despite the title, most of the people aren't Roma.
posted by Ideefixe at 5:04 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Ideefixe at 5:04 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
There's Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC, but they just started a sort of spinoff called Eden's World on Logo, in which Eden Wood, who "retired" at the age of 6 (and is now... 7), goes around the country with her entourage to advise other kiddie beauty pageant contestants, while she waltzes into New York studios looking like Belle Watling from Gone With The Wind.
Also, she raps.
posted by Madamina at 5:19 PM on April 24, 2012 [3 favorites]
Also, she raps.
posted by Madamina at 5:19 PM on April 24, 2012 [3 favorites]
I assume you've seen the train wreck that is Toddlers and Tiaras?
posted by Rock Steady at 5:20 PM on April 24, 2012
posted by Rock Steady at 5:20 PM on April 24, 2012
Jerseylicious. I find it more entertaining than Jersey shore although you could not force me to explain why (thus proving I've thought about it).
posted by sm1tten at 5:34 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by sm1tten at 5:34 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
not from the last year or two, but i'm a celebrity get me out of here UK edition can be pretty wonderful and trashy - i liked the season with shaun ryder on it.
posted by nadawi at 5:37 PM on April 24, 2012
posted by nadawi at 5:37 PM on April 24, 2012
For trashy people from England, you can't beat The Only Way is Essex. It's on Hulu now.
I also vote for RuPaul's Drag Race.
posted by apricot at 5:41 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
I also vote for RuPaul's Drag Race.
posted by apricot at 5:41 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
Seconding Jersylicious. That show is really painful to watch.
I don't think it's still on, but the show "Tool Academy" had some ridiculous characters on it, particularly the first season.
The travel channel has just started a rip-off of Storage Wars called "Baggage Battles". Basically the same premise, but for unclaimed luggage at airports. I haven't seen it yet, but I do not have high hopes.
TruTV had a show called "Rehab: Party at the HardRock" that followed around some hotel staff at a giant weekly party.
Oh, one of the classics of trashy tv is "Operation Repo" (also TruTV), but that was mostly scripted.
I almost hate to mention it in the same context as all of these trashy shows, but "Parking Wars" is actually a legitimately good reality-ish show. Definitely off-beat in terms of subject matter.
This question is reminding me just how much really bad TV I used to watch
posted by kiltedtaco at 5:57 PM on April 24, 2012
I don't think it's still on, but the show "Tool Academy" had some ridiculous characters on it, particularly the first season.
The travel channel has just started a rip-off of Storage Wars called "Baggage Battles". Basically the same premise, but for unclaimed luggage at airports. I haven't seen it yet, but I do not have high hopes.
TruTV had a show called "Rehab: Party at the HardRock" that followed around some hotel staff at a giant weekly party.
Oh, one of the classics of trashy tv is "Operation Repo" (also TruTV), but that was mostly scripted.
I almost hate to mention it in the same context as all of these trashy shows, but "Parking Wars" is actually a legitimately good reality-ish show. Definitely off-beat in terms of subject matter.
This question is reminding me just how much really bad TV I used to watch
posted by kiltedtaco at 5:57 PM on April 24, 2012
Cheaters
posted by lalala1234 at 6:04 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by lalala1234 at 6:04 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
It's not all that new, but it's hard to get trashier than Bridezillas
posted by Mchelly at 6:05 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Mchelly at 6:05 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
If you can get hold of it, the British show Snog, Marry, Avoid. Seriously weird, and definitely trashy.
posted by lollusc at 6:22 PM on April 24, 2012
posted by lollusc at 6:22 PM on April 24, 2012
Pregnant in Heels was a super-indulgent show that made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.
posted by wallaby at 6:29 PM on April 24, 2012
posted by wallaby at 6:29 PM on April 24, 2012
Doomsday Preppers is fun.
posted by goshling at 6:29 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by goshling at 6:29 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
Bad girls club! It's on Oxygen, and I think there's a season running right now.
posted by itesser at 7:35 PM on April 24, 2012
posted by itesser at 7:35 PM on April 24, 2012
Ink Master (on Spike) and its clone Best Ink (on Oxygen)
posted by freshwater at 7:54 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by freshwater at 7:54 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
I like my trashy 'reality' in the forms of Say Yes To The Dress (NYC not ATL) and Paranormal State (which is the cheesiest).
posted by bibliogrrl at 8:32 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by bibliogrrl at 8:32 PM on April 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
Dog the Bounty Hunter - by god what utter trash.
Storage Wars is comparatively high-brow and does not belong on this list
posted by crazycanuck at 9:05 PM on April 24, 2012
Storage Wars is comparatively high-brow and does not belong on this list
posted by crazycanuck at 9:05 PM on April 24, 2012
> Storage Wars is comparatively high-brow and does not belong on this list
x2. As these things go, Storage Wars is actually quite tame and not at all trashy. The mix of personalities is interesting, but their actions are hardly salacious or even all that cutthroat. They view each other as competitors, but I think most regular viewers would agree it's a fairly friendly competition.
To me, trashy in this context means that I am watching the show just to see how fucked up these peoples lives are, typically because they consistently make poor decisions that cause them and others embarrassment, anguish, and unnecessary drama. Occasionally, in the case of a show like Hardcore Pawn, it's also about the many other dysfunctional people that traipse through the show trying to sell stolen goods or their mother's wedding ring so they can get their next fix, and then they get indignant when they are offered pennies on the dollar, or simply told, "No, we won't buy that." Trashy shows like that have a "car accident" quality about them that makes it hard to look away, but which also makes one want to take a shower or wash one's eyes out with bleach after each episode. That's trashy.
posted by mosk at 9:40 PM on April 24, 2012
x2. As these things go, Storage Wars is actually quite tame and not at all trashy. The mix of personalities is interesting, but their actions are hardly salacious or even all that cutthroat. They view each other as competitors, but I think most regular viewers would agree it's a fairly friendly competition.
To me, trashy in this context means that I am watching the show just to see how fucked up these peoples lives are, typically because they consistently make poor decisions that cause them and others embarrassment, anguish, and unnecessary drama. Occasionally, in the case of a show like Hardcore Pawn, it's also about the many other dysfunctional people that traipse through the show trying to sell stolen goods or their mother's wedding ring so they can get their next fix, and then they get indignant when they are offered pennies on the dollar, or simply told, "No, we won't buy that." Trashy shows like that have a "car accident" quality about them that makes it hard to look away, but which also makes one want to take a shower or wash one's eyes out with bleach after each episode. That's trashy.
posted by mosk at 9:40 PM on April 24, 2012
Oh, MAN, Hardcore Pawn is bad. At least Pawn Stars keeps up the illusion that they're some sort of dude core family business. On the one episode of Hardcore Pawn I saw, people were waiting for the place to open so they could pawn their toasters, a woman was buying a watch for her husband to replace the watch she'd pawned but couldn't afford to buy back, and a guy was returning to pick up his pawned PROSTHETIC LEG.
Really, you should just watch The Soup to get good ideas about what you're missing.
posted by Madamina at 10:00 PM on April 24, 2012
Really, you should just watch The Soup to get good ideas about what you're missing.
posted by Madamina at 10:00 PM on April 24, 2012
hands down, bad girls club has to be the trashiest reality show out there. Will make jersey shore seem high end. what i like about the show are the self-referential edits and jokes that the producers throw in. but the actual content (fighting, encouraging troubled young women to do nothing but drink and argue about nothing) is VERY trashy.
posted by lollipopgomez at 10:12 PM on April 24, 2012
posted by lollipopgomez at 10:12 PM on April 24, 2012
American Stuffers (Taxidermy!)
Doomsday Preppers (Tin-foil hats!)
Swamp people (Alligators!) is a few years into production, but not to be missed.
posted by ijoyner at 5:27 AM on April 25, 2012
Doomsday Preppers (Tin-foil hats!)
Swamp people (Alligators!) is a few years into production, but not to be missed.
posted by ijoyner at 5:27 AM on April 25, 2012
I had the misfortune of seeing a few episodes of Southern Fried Stings on truTV this past weekend. It was like a train wreck and I could not look away.
posted by crankylex at 6:11 AM on April 25, 2012
posted by crankylex at 6:11 AM on April 25, 2012
The most recent season was in 2010, but seriously, Solitary is the bizarrest reality series ever. It's strangely compelling.
posted by snorkmaiden at 8:21 AM on April 25, 2012
posted by snorkmaiden at 8:21 AM on April 25, 2012
Please don't watch Basketball Wives
posted by healthytext at 11:46 AM on May 22, 2012
posted by healthytext at 11:46 AM on May 22, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
Duck Dynasty
Billy the Exterminator
posted by inturnaround at 4:43 PM on April 24, 2012