7 Reality Shows That Take Weird To A Whole New Level

There are many ways to attract the spotlight, and being downright crazy is one of them. Some reality show stars have been known to go overboard with shocking revelations, actions, and ridiculous behavior. All for the sake of high eyeball numbers.

There are also cases where reality makers go further than just zooming in on the human drama and create a show where the bizarre is front and center. Here are seven zany examples.

Married At First Sight (2014-present)

Airs on: FYI & Lifetime

If you thought the days of newlyweds seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day were long gone, think again. On Married At First Sight, three to five couples are matched by relationship experts and married the day they meet. They then spend a honeymoon and a few weeks together before deciding whether or not to file for divorce. Needless to say, the majority of these couples end up divorced.

Sexy Beasts (2014-2021)

Aired on: BBC Three & Netflix

Sexy Beasts takes the dating game to a new level of the outlandish. In an attempt to emphasize personality over looks, the creators disguise the one eligible single and his/her three potential suitors in the costumes of various animals and monsters. The contestants tend to be quite charismatic, but the view is truly bizarre.

I Wanna Marry 'Harry' (2014)

Aired on: Fox

Did you know that before he married Meghan Markle, Prince Harry was looking for a wife on a reality show? That's fake news, of course. But the creators of I Wanna Marry Harry managed to convince twelve American girls that they were actually competing for the prince's heart. Harry was portrayed by a look-alike, Matthew Hicks. The bachelorettes later accused the production team of brainwashing them.

FBoy Island (2021-present)

Airs on: HBO Max, The CW

FBoy Island is a dating show mixed with a sort of mafia game. The three female contestants are placed on an island with 24 men, half of whom self-identify as 'nice guys' and the other half as 'fboys'. The bachelorettes must figure out who is who while going on dates and building relationships.

Alter Ego (2021)

Aired on: Fox

If you thought The Masked Singer was quirky, try another music competition, Alter Ego. Contestants sing and dance backstage, and motion-capture technology projects their surreal-looking avatars onto the stage. Then the judges (who are also an odd collection of celebrities, by the way) decide who is out.

Born In The Wild (2015)

Aired on: Lifetime

This show was not only freaky, but also quite dangerous. It featured families who decided to give birth to their children in the wilderness, without the help of medical professionals or modern technology. The main suspense was whether the mother and the newborn would be okay, and that's frankly very alarming.

Susunu! Denpa Shōnen (1998-2002)

Aired on: Nippon TV

Another notoriously disturbing reality show aired in Japan and was wildly popular, but failed to reach Western audiences because it was too harsh on the contestants, the unknown comedians who were placed in a sadistic environment or given torturous tasks.

The most notorious case is that of Nasubi, who was supposed to test whether a person could live on the then-popular sweepstakes winnings and ended up living naked in an empty apartment in inhumane conditions for 15 months. A story worthy of a horror movie.