4 Strategy Reality TV Shows You Need On Your Watchlist

With a Bachelor fall and a Love Island summer, dating shows have dominated the reality TV landscape this past year. As much as I love screaming “Go get your man!” at the TV and anxiously biting my nails during the final rose ceremony, the surge in romantic reality shows has unfortunately overshadowed my all-time favorite reality TV genre: strategy.

But don’t worry—if you also find yourself craving clever alliances, intense competitions, and mind-bending game tactics, there are still plenty of strategic reality TV gems to add to your watchlist.

With only one season out so far, this is a great starting choice. At the beginning of the show, players are presented with a unique proposition: everyone can share the prize money equally—but only if they ALL agree to do so. Not surprisingly, tension builds as contestants face the ultimate prisoner’s dilemma of whether to stick together for a guaranteed payout or betray fellow players to earn more for themselves. Trust is broken, backs are stabbed, and there’s even a hint of romance.

Despite this show’s premise of contestants “murdering” each other and brutally eliminating other players one at a time (often with a lot of crying involved), it’s my ultimate comfort watch. A select group of players are secretly selected as traitors, gradually murdering the “faithful” while the faithful try to uncover who the traitors are and vote them off. If there is just one traitor left at the end of the game, they take the entire prize pot. There are seasons from all corners of the world, but I think UK season one takes the crown.

With some of the most cutthroat gameplay I’ve ever seen, The Mole is nothing short of brutal. Competitors begin with no money in the pot, and they must earn it all through a series of intense, often physical, challenges. The twist? Like The Traitors, there’s a player, selected by producers, who secretly works against the team to lose money in the pot. The second twist? Players who aren’t the mole sometimes pretend to be the mole to throw off other players and, as a result, the audience. I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused while watching a show, but I promise, the satisfying “aha” moments make it all worth it.

With its seventh season released earlier this week, this show has managed to keep me hooked for years. Contestants only communicate with one another through a social media platform called “The Circle,” so they never meet face-to-face the entire show. Whether they’re pretending to be someone they’re not or scrambling to figure out who’s real and who’s a catfish, the show is a hilarious and witty game of deception, alliances, and, of course, some classic reality TV dramatic reveals.

Grab your popcorn, turn on one of these shows, and buckle up to watch some of the best drama and entertainment to ever grace the TV screen. Trust me—you won’t regret it!