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10 addictive reality series to binge

Cape Town - The Bachelor turned sweet 16 this year, and, now in its 22nd season, is still in the top 20 of the most-watched TV shows in the States. It’s clear that reality TV ain’t going nowhere, and though we’re a little shy to admit it, we’re relieved.

These immensely bingeable shows are available on Showmax, DStv Now, Netflix and Amazon Prime for your guilty pleasure weekend binge sesh. Don’t worry, we won’t tell.

1. Survivor, S32: Brains vs Brawn vs Beauty (Showmax)

First and only on Showmax in South Africa, this instalment of Survivor, set on an island in Cambodia, splits the castaways up into three teams, depending on their strongest attribute: Intelligence, athleticism, and, yes, attractiveness. This was the most gruelling season of the long-running reality show, with more medical evacuations than ever before, and some of the most astoundingly shameless backstabbing we’ve seen. And by Survivor standards, that’s saying a lot.

2. Livin’ the Dream with Somizi, S1 (Showmax)

He's famous, he's fabulous, he's Somizi Mhlongo! Get an inside look at the highs and lows of his fast-paced and flamboyant celebrity lifestyle. Somgaga’s going to get roasted by a panel of SA celebs in the highly anticipated Comedy Central Roast of Somizi, in partnership with Showmax, on 26 April (you can still enter to win tickets to the live event at the Lyric Theatre in Joburg - click here to enter. The competition closes on Monday, 23 April.) The Roast hits DStv subscribers’ screens on 7 May, and the full, uncensored version, with no burn held back, comes to Showmax on 8 May. Binge the first season of Somgaga’s reality show in preparation.

3. Becoming Mrs Jones (Showmax)

Minnie Dlamini tied the knot in 2017, and this three-part reality series gives you an all-access pass to the build-up to her wedding to Quinton Jones. See the trials, the tribulations, the challenges, the triumphs, and, most of all, the love that led her up the aisle to the altar to become his wife. This is romance, people, in real life.

4. Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week, S1-2 (Showmax)

How tough and fit are you? Tough enough to attempt special forces training? The contestants of this show think so, but not all of them are going to make it. In Season 2, contestants must survive the training of SA's Recces, Poland's GROM, the US Green Berets and more! Not everyone makes it through hell week. Would you?

5. Grand Designs: House of the Year, S1 (Showmax)

Coming to Showmax on Monday, 23 April

Step into some of the UK's most stylish homes and get design inspiration as hilariously snarky and eminently knowledgeable host Kevin McCloud visits award-winning houses in Britain in line for the title as the Royal Institute of British Architects’ best new home of 2015. Which abode will make the cut?

6. Masterchef Australia, S9 (DStv Now)

Judges Gary, George and Matt return to put the Masterchef contestants through their paces in the kitchen in the ninth season of this massively popular cooking show. For the first time, contestants stand the chance to win a “power pin”, which gives them a coveted extra 15 minutes of cooking in any challenge they choose leading up to the finale. But how much of an advantage does this really give them? Find out by streaming the latest episodes on DStv Now.

7. Date My Family, S5 (DStv Now)

You’re single. You’re looking for love. Would you trust your parents, siblings, aunties, granny or uncle to assess a potential partner for you? The singletons on this controversial show clearly do - and the scandals and drama that erupt in almost every episode set Twitter on fire. Ever heard of “slay gogos”? Us neither - until we saw the latest episode of Date My Family. Stream it on DStv Now to find out what it means.

8. Shark Tank, S7-8 (Netflix)

So, this is pretty much exactly like that other reality show where hopeful entrepreneurs present their fledgling businesses to a panel of ruthless, wealthy judges who can choose whether or not to invest in each contestant’s enterprise. But this one is set in the US, not the UK, and the ideas are even more outlandish - from a reinvention of hummus to “fillet mignon jerky” (that’s like artisanal biltong, right?) to the business of eyelash extensions. Ashton Kutcher guest stars in episode 1, so whatever you do, don’t skip that one.

9. Ultimate Beastmaster (Netflix)

This series is like a more entertaining version of the Olympics, with the top amateur athletes from countries all over the world competing for cash prizes and national glory in the most obscenely dangerous obstacle course you’ve ever seen. It’s called The Beast, and beating the course wins you $10 000. Who’d you think would do better - a pole dancer, a boxer or a mechanic? Our money’s on the pole dancer.

10. Jay Leno’s Garage, S1-2 (Amazon Prime)

The actor, comedian and talk show host is a famed petrolhead with a personal collection of over 200 vehicles. In this high-octane series, Leno travels around the States to introduce viewers to automobiles that interest him, from muscle cars to Tonka Trucks to the latest range of driverless cars. Along the way, he ropes in his famous friends (Laurence Fishburne, Keanu Reeves and even people who weren’t involved in the Matrix, such as Francis Ford Coppola) to share their automotive passion.

DStv Premium subscribers get Showmax at no extra cost and DStv Compact subscribers get Showmax at only R49 per month. Here’s how

Not a DStv Premium subscriber? Sign up to Showmax now and you’ll get a 14-day free trial »

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