The golden buzzer has spoken — “America’s Got Talent” has been crowned America’s favorite reality TV show, according to a new survey.
A poll of 2,000 U.S. reality TV fans split evenly by generation (500 Gen Z, 500 millennials, 500 Gen X and 500 baby boomers) looked at America’s obsession with reality TV and took a deep dive into the greatest shows of all time.
Results found that the U.S. is particularly obsessed with talent, as “America’s Got Talent” (42%) was followed by “American Idol” (33%) in the No. 2 spot.
“Family Feud” (31%) fell into third, with MTV’s classic “Catfish” (29%) and TLC’s drama-dripping “90-Day Fiancé” series rounding out the top five.
The average American watches reality TV four days per week, though 31% admit to doing so every single day. This totals an average of 10 hours of reality TV viewing each week, with 20% logging between 10 and 18 hours.
For most, watching reality TV gives them “me time” or a chance to relax and unwind (64%), while another 10% say they watch to keep up with their favorite celebrities and personalities.
Results also found that HGTV is still popular, especially among female respondents, as women are more likely than men to enjoy House Hunters (17% vs 12%) and Love It or List It (17% vs 10%).
Looking generationally, “Impractical Jokers” (32%), “60 Days In” (31%), “1,000 lb Sisters” (30%), “The Kardashians” (29%) and “American Ninja Warrior” (25%) have an overwhelmingly Gen Z audience.
Interestingly, baby boomers have a slight edge over the younger generations when it comes to both “The Bachelor” (20%) and “The Bachelorette” (21%). They also prefer the classic “Survivor” (27%), “Judge Judy” (24%), “Master Chef” (23%) and “House Hunters” (21%).
When it comes to reality TV shows that are no longer airing, the top five included: “Deal or No Deal” (30%), “The Jerry Springer Show” (26%), “Wife Swap” (24%), “Fear Factor” (24%) and “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” (23%).
Millennials most lament the loss of “MTV Cribs” (34%), while Gen Z misses “America’s Next Top Model” (30%) and “Jersey Shore” (29%).
Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of JaM Cellars, the makers of Butter wines, results also revealed that 61% of respondents prefer modern, currently running reality TV shows to older, classic reruns.
Interestingly, 66% of baby boomers prefer new, modern shows, more than any other generation.
More than three-quarters (76%) prefer to rotate between different shows rather than watch the same one and another 59% prefer to stream their content rather than watch it live on cable.
This may be because 64% would rather binge-watch an entire season than watch one episode at a time.
More than two in five (43%) of respondents polled would like to be a participant on their favorite reality TV show.
The top shows Americans would like to participate in include: Family Feud (15%), Big Brother (9%), America’s Got Talent (9%), Deal or No Deal (8%) and even 60 Days In (7%) or Survivor (6%).
“Apparently America’s favorite reality TV viewing experience is to tune into ‘America’s Got Talent’, get the girls over for a watch party, pour some wine and binge watch a season (or two),” shared Michele Truchard, Co-Founder JaM Cellars, the makers of Butter wines. “I think this finding speaks to this genre of shows that have become such a cultural and social phenomenon that we enjoy sharing with each other—and making it an every-day special occasion with food and a glass of wine.”
The survey, which only polled Americans ages 21+, also revealed that 59% of female respondents are likely to include watching reality TV in a “girls night in.”
Another 39% have watch parties, with essentials such as soda (67%), chips and dip (64%), finger foods (53%) and wine (48%).
In fact, more than half (52%) are likely to sip on a glass of wine while catching up on their reality TV shows.
And while 41% are likely to indulge alone, others enjoy watching with their partner (27%) or their friends (21%).
The top three types of wine Americans are sipping on include moscato (28%), rosé (18%) and chardonnay (13%).
Others enjoy cabernet sauvignon (9%), pinot noir (7%) and bubbles (7%).
When asked what wine they’d pair with different types of reality TV shows, red wine varieties came out on top across the board and are most likely to be paired with documentary-style reality TV (45%), such as Big Brother or The Kardashians.
Those who selected white wine are most often watching game shows or competition-style reality TV (32%), such as Family Feud or the Amazing Race and rosé drinkers opt for talent shows (19%), such as America’s Got Talent, American Idol or Dancing with the Stars.
Sparkling wine drinkers, on the other hand, tend to enjoy physical endurance reality TV (15%), such as Survivor, Wipeout or American Ninja Warrior.
Regardless of their preference, eight in 10 wine-drinking reality TV show viewers believe that sipping on a glass only makes them enjoy watching more.
“It’s so interesting to see different reality TV watchers choose their favorite wines to watch with. Each show has its own personality, mood and occasion and wine has that same versatility,” added Truchard, the “M” in “JaM Cellars”. “There really is a reality TV ‘me-time’ moment for everyone—whether that’s a glass of Chardonnay with reality favorite America’s Got Talent, Sauv Blanc with Amazing Race or maybe sipping Pinot Noir to The Kardashians. Whichever is your favorite, there’s something for everyone.”
AMERICA’S TOP 30 FAVORITE REALITY TV SHOWS
“America’s Got Talent” – 42%
“American Idol” – 33%
“Family Feud” – 31%
“Catfish” – 29%
“90 Day Fiancé” series – 28%
“Hell’s Kitchen” – 27%
“The Voice” – 27%
“Shark Tank” – 25%
“Pawn Stars” – 22%
“Impractical Jokers” – 22%
“Judge Judy” – 21%
“The Masked Singer” – 21%
“Survivor” – 21%
“60 Days In” – 21%
“1,000 lb Sisters” – 20%
“Master Chef” – 20%
“Dancing With the Stars” – 20%
“Real Housewives” series – 20%
“My 600 lb Life” – 20%
“The Kardashians” – 20%
“American Ninja Warrior” – 20%
“Big Brother” – 19%
“Storage Wars” – 19%
“Dr. Pimple Popper” – 19%
“The Bachelor” – 17%
“The Bachelorette” – 17%
“Chopped” – 17%
“Top Chef” – 17%
“Naked and Afraid” – 17%
“Love Island” – 16%
AMERICA’S FAVORITE WINES TO SIP WHILE WATCHING REALITY TV
Red wine – documentary-style reality TV, such as Big Brother or The Kardashians (45%)
White wine – game shows or competition-style reality TV, such as Family Feud or the Amazing Race (32%)
Rosé wine – talent reality TV, such as America’s Got Talent, American Idol or Dancing With the Stars (19%)
Sparkling wine – physical endurance reality TV, such as Survivor or American Ninja Warrior (15%)
Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 reality TV fans, ages 21+ split evenly by generation (500 Gen Z, 500 millennials, 500 Gen X and 500 baby boomers); the survey was commissioned by JaM Cellars and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between July 23 and July 30, 2024.
