In 2022, HBO Max and Discovery merged. This led to the creation of just Max. The initial HBO Max subscription had some great original reality TV programming but gained many reality properties since the Discovery merger. The reality shows on Max blend HBO Max’s original reality TV shows and many of the ones available on Discovery Plus.
This makes Max one of the best streaming services to watch reality television. Hulu and Netflix also have a pretty extensive collection, but reality shows on Max offer a plethora of options. With so many reality shows on Max, the seemingly limitless possibilities can be overwhelming.
However, these few suggestions may help you figure out what reality shows to watch on Max.
90 Day Fiancé
90 Day Fiancé started with a simple premise: Americans marry their foreign-born mates in 90 days to secure a spousal visa. The hit TLC show launched in 2014. Since its inception, the show has evolved and now includes numerous spinoff series. It’s also now a show that focuses on heightened drama. The original series focused more on the natural drama that comes with the stress of marrying someone from another country.
Max has the original 90 Day Fiancé and all of its spinoff shows, including 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way, 90 Day: The Single Life, and the newest spin-off 90 Day: The Last Resort, which has plenty of drama including a cheating scandal.
All nine seasons of 90 Day Fiancé are available on Max. It’s such a popular series because it highlights the depths people go to to find love and make a marriage or relationship work. People who enjoy dating shows but wish they had more drama may enjoy the 90-Day Fiancé franchise.
Stream the 90 Day collection on Max.
Selena + Chef
Selena + Chef is hosted by Selena Gomez. Each episode features her learning to cook a dish with the help of a world-renowned chef. It’s a Max original series, so all four seasons are available to stream. It’s one of the few Max original reality TV shows, and it’s one of the best shows for beginner cooks. Gomez offers a relaxing setting as she struggles to learn to make dishes along with her viewers.
It’s a simple concept that works well. It’s partly because of Gomez’s enthusiasm to learn and partly because of the chefs who are eager to teach. Cooking show fans may enjoy Selena + Chef because it offers some useful cooking techniques.
Project Greenlight
Project Greenlight is an HBO original series that began in 2001. It followed aspiring filmmakers who were given the opportunity to have their original script produced and turned into a feature film. Its original seasons aired in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2015. Then in 2023, the show rebranded and returned. The original series had Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as the celebrities leading the charge. The 2023 Project Greenlight starred Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, and Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Max only has one season of the original Project Greenlight (the 2015 season) and the first season of the new version. Project Greenlight gives you some insight into the filmmaking process. Not many reality shows or docuseries allow a look at the filmmaking process, so this series offers a look at a world that’s unfamiliar to many, especially the indie film project world.
Stream Project Greenlight on Max.
Billy On The Street
Billy Eichner hosts Billy on the Street. It’s mainly a game show where Eichner approaches New Yorkers with random questions, some trivia-based and others just opinions. The comedy comes in the (often unaware and occasionally unwilling) contestants' reactions and Eichner’s brass personality. Billy on the Street sometimes also features celebrities, including Paul Rudd, Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, and Amy Poehler.
Max has four seasons available, Season 2 through Season 5. Billy on the Street may appeal to those who appreciate Eichner’s humor but also the hilarious reactions from the New York residents. It’s one of the funniest game shows and reality shows on Max.
Stream Billy on the Street on Max.
Say Yes To The Dress
Say Yes to the Dress is one of TLC’s original hit reality shows. As of 2023, it has aired over 22 seasons. Say Yes to the Dress also has many spinoff shows, including Say Yes to the Dress: UK, Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, and Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids. As the title implies, it’s a reality show about women searching for their perfect wedding dress. The series occasionally has famous guest stars. However, host Randy Fenoli is the star and expert of this TLC show.
Fans of this reality TV show can watch all 22 seasons on Max and a few of the spinoff shows, including Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta and Say Yes to the Dress: Dubai. For those who enjoy dress hunting or just want more insight into the world of wedding dresses, Say Yes to the Dress can be a useful tool. It’s also just a stress-free reality show to watch to decompress.
Stream Say Yes to the Dress on Max.
The Big Brunch
The Big Brunch is a charming cooking show hosted by Dan Levy. He serves as the host and a judge alongside Sohla El-Waylly and Will Guidara. Ten chefs compete for a grand prize that will allow them to accomplish one of their cooking dreams, whether that’s a restaurant, cookbook, or product is up to them. They have a series of challenges each week that test their creativity and cooking abilities.
The Big Brunch is a Max original show that aired its first season in 2022. We still have hope for a second season on Max but it remains in TV limbo. The Big Brunch is a cooking show that’s a little unique in that it emphasizes the contestants and their story more than the judges or the challenges. It’s fun, warm, and as inviting as brunch itself. Cooking show fans may enjoy The Big Brunch because it has aspects that make cooking shows so entertaining (competition, glamorous food, etc.) but distinct enough to not feel like you’ve seen it a thousand times.
Fixer Upper
Joanna Gaines and Chip Gaines host Fixer Upper. It’s an HGTV original series about a married couple showing potential buyers three homes in central Texas. Once they decided on a home, Joanna and Chip renovated it based on the buyers’ budgets. Fixer Upper is one of HGTV’s most popular series. The show’s five seasons are available to stream on Max. In addition, the new Discovery Plus and Magnolia Network Joanna and Chip Gaines series are also available on Max.
Fixer Upper appeals to the Gaines family fans and those who love renovation shows. It’s one of the most well-known renovation series and one of the best because of the Gaines’s inviting likability.
House Hunters
House Hunters is another very popular HGTV series. It began in 1999 and has aired many seasons. House Hunters also has various spinoff series, including House Hunters International and House Hunters Renovation. As of September 2023, Max has several volumes of House Hunters available to watch. Each volume contains about 20 seasons. The volumes available are Volumes 3 to Volume 8. Some of the House Hunters spinoffs are also available to watch on Max.
House Hunters has been so long-running and successful because it gives you a little look into the lives of others. It’s a sort-of voyeuristic series because you get to see how couples and individuals behave and interact when dealing with the home-buying process. It also showcases various homes across the world. You can home-shop as you watch. It also teaches you some home-buying lingo.
Stream the House Hunters collection on Max.
Chopped
Chopped is a long-running cooking competition series hosted by Ted Allen. In each episode, four chefs compete in three rounds to become the Chopped champion. In each round, the contestants must compose a dish using mystery box ingredients. After each round, a contestant is eliminated until one becomes the Chopped champion. Max has Volumes 1 through 3 available of Chopped. Each volume contains about 20 seasons. Max also has some of the spinoff series available to stream, including Chopped Junior and Chopped Sweets.
Chopped is a series that knows how to build drama and suspense around cooking. You can’t help but feel the contestants’ anxiety as they try to compose things such as an appetizer using candy grapes and canned chicken. It’s a great series for cooking fans and those who enjoy anxiety-inducing TV.
Match Me Abroad
Match Me Abroad is like 90 Day Fiancé’s cousin. The shows are similar except Match Me Abroad takes place from the perspective of people searching for love abroad, not those that already found it. The singles hire matchmakers to find potential mates. Then they fly to the country to go on a series of dates.
Match Me Abroad showcases how personal issues and cultural differences can interfere with finding love. Match Me Abroad will definitely appeal to dating show fans who love the 90 Day series and similar ones. Only one season has aired on TLC.
Stream Match Me Abroad on Max.
Baking Championship
Baking Championship is a Food Network franchise that showcases professional bakers trying to bake various treats based on a set of rules and themes. Baking Championship has several different themed series, including Halloween Baking Championship and Spring Baking Championship. Max doesn’t have the original series Holiday Baking Championship.
The Baking Championship shows are perfect for The Great British Bake Off fans. It’s not as wholesome as that series, but it satisfies those who enjoy baking reality TV and shows with creative confections at the center. The Baking Championship shows highlight what happens when passion for baking and imagination meet.
Stream Spring Baking Championship on Max.
Good Bones
Good Bones follows mother and daughter home transformation team Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk. All seven seasons of the HGTV powerhouse show are available on Max. The final season of Good Bones will likely be available to stream on Max once it concludes airing. Several of the Good Bones spinoff series are also available to watch on Max, including Good Bones: Risky Business and Good Bones Better Yard.
The series takes place in Indiana, so it has a Midwest charisma. Family renovation shows are huge for HGTV, but what makes this one different is that the town and its citizens are also part of the show’s appeal.
There are plenty of reality shows on Max that are worth your time, but these are a few of the ones to start your reality TV binge journey.
