Mid-January Reality TV Show Round-Up: What’s Coming This Month?

Much like the world of kinks, there is something for everyone in reality TV. The latter half of January (arguably the darkest month of the year) welcomes new seasons of old favourites, returning guidos and guidettes, new series concepts and some questionably named shows (see: MILF Manor and Deadly Australians).

Let’s take a look at what to watch when to watch it and where to watch it.

• Random Acts (BYUtv, Jan. 15, Sundays at 7). a “hidden-camera reality show that highlights the altruistic nature of human beings by featuring real people who are the recipients of random acts of kindness.”
• All-Round Champion (BYUtv, Jan. 15, Sundays at 8). “nine of the best young athletes in their sports will assemble from the United States, Canada and UK to compete in the ultimate competition, and, for the first time, they’ll all be para-athletes.”
• Survivalists (BYUtv, Jan. 15, Sundays at 9). “follow families as they brave the elements together.”
• Milf Manor (TLC, Jan. 15, Sundays at 10). “eight confident and strong-minded women leave home for the chance to find love at a paradise destination.”
• Down Home Fab (HGTV, Jan. 16, Mondays at 9). “Chelsea and Cole DeBoer of Teen Mom 2 fame” renovate houses “in their hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.”
• 1000 LB Sisters (TLC, Jan. 17, Tuesdays at 9). “the Slaton sisters try to lose enough weight to qualify for and undergo life-changing bariatric surgery.”
• Are You the One? (Paramount+, Jan. 18). “22 recently single men and women from around the globe were put through an extensive matchmaking process to find their ‘perfect match.”
• Dirty Old Cars (History Channel, Jan. 18, Wednesdays at 10). “follows the passionate owners and staff of three different detailing shops.”
• Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller (NatGeo, Jan. 18, Wednesdays at 9). “Mariana’s investigations are shaped more than ever by the political, economic and social global landscape”; for example, she “travels to Ukraine, where the war with Russia has upended the surrogacy industry.”
• Web of Death (Hulu, Jan. 19). “follows the investigations of online sleuths as they use digital footprints, DNA databases and the power of social media to solve gruesome, mysterious and bizarre murder cases.”
• Bling Empire: New York (Netflix, Jan. 20). “a fresh group of wealthy, sophisticated and hilarious Asian-Americans from New York City, where the quality of real estate is measured by address, not acreage.”
• Bake Squad (Netflix, Jan. 20). “all four original members of the Squad are back … to create showstopping centrepieces for someone’s extra special big day.”
• Penn & Teller: Fool Us (The CW, Jan. 20, Fridays at 8). Magicians try to fool Penn & Teller
• Whose Line is it Anyway? (The CW, Jan. 20, Fridays at 9). “new episodes of the classic improv series.”
• The Real Friends of WeHo (MTV, Jan. 20, Fridays at 9). “will follow the lives of celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, choreographer and singer Todrick Hall, actor Curtis Hamilton, CEO of Buttah Skincare Dorión Renaud, TV host and business owner Jaymes Vaughan, and digital entrepreneur Joey Zauzig”
• Kindred Spirits (Travel Channel, Jan. 20, Fridays at 9). “Amy Bruni, Adam Berry and psychic medium Chip Coffey … will discover shocking stories by visiting some of America’s most haunted homes and historic sites.”
• Love & Marriage: D.C. (OWN, Jan. 21, Saturdays at 8). “will introduce a new power couple to the group, Joi Carter and Clifton Pettie,” along with “Erana and Jamie Tyler, and Ashley Silva and her husband on-air personality DJ Quicksilva.”

Week of Jan. 22, 2023

• The Bachelor (ABC, Jan. 23, Mondays at 8). Zach Shallcross dates women in the hopes that all of them can gain more Instagram followers
• Darcey & Stacey (TLC, Jan. 23, Mondays at 8). “Darcey and Stacey are officially splitting their time between their digs in Connecticut and their new apartments in Miami.”
• Extreme Sisters (TLC, Jan. 23, Mondays at 9). “Twenty-five-year-old triplets Hannah, Katherine and Nadia still live together, vacation together and speak their own made-up language.”
• Death by Fame (ID, Jan. 23, Mondays at 9). “digs into the cases of Hollywood hopefuls whose dreams for bright lights and acclaim are instead met with tragedy.”
• The Playboy Murders (ID, Jan. 23, Mondays at 10). Holly Madison hosts “an anthology series recounting murders and mysteries that intersect with the world of Playboy.”
• I Am Jazz (TLC, Jan. 24, Tuesdays at 10). “After her first year at Harvard on her own, Jazz returns home to Florida for the summer and asserts her new-found independence.”
• Deadly Australians (Smithsonian Channel, Jan. 25, Wednesdays at 8). “explores Australia’s forests, swamps, waters, and deserts to identify the continent’s deadliest creatures.”
• The 1619 Project (Hulu, Jan. 26, Thursdays). “seeks to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.”
• Jersey Shore Family Vacation (MTV, Jan. 26, Thursdays at 8). “Between hitting wine country for the launch of Nicole’s new wine label and South Carolina for Mike’s celebrity cornhole tournament… the squad continues to take every trip up a notch.”
• Nikki Bella Says I Do (E!, Jan. 26, Thursdays at 9). “WWE Superstar Nikki Bella and Dancing with the Stars champion Artem Chingvintsev share all of their special moments from planning, throwing a joint bachelor and bachelorette celebration.”
• Frozen Planet II (BBC America, Jan. 28, Saturdays at 8). “returns to the Arctic and Antarctic to observe the amazing species that thrive there” and also “our high mountains, frozen deserts, snowbound forests, and ice-cold oceans.”
• Unexplained: Caught on Camera (Travel Channel, Jan. 28, Saturdays at 9). “Experts attempt to explain the unexplainable as they analyze some of the world’s most eye-opening and terrifying footage of paranormal phenomena.”
• Help! My House is Haunted (Travel Channel, Jan. 28, Saturdays at 10). “U.K. paranormal experts – investigator and tech expert Barri Ghai, psychic medium and exorcist Ian Lawman and historian and psychologist Jayne Harris – work together to investigate reports of frightening paranormal activity.”

Week of Jan. 29, 2023

• Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World (PBS, Jan. 31, Tuesdays at 9). “an incredible narrative of struggle, triumph and resistance that will be brought to life through the lens of an art form that has chronicled the emotions, experiences and expressions of Black and Brown communities: hip hop.”
• My 600 LB Life (TLC, Feb. 1, Wednesdays at 8). “follows patients who drag themselves out of bed to take those first excruciating steps towards a new way of life”
• Say Yes to the Dress (TLC, Feb. 4, Saturdays at 8). “bridal fashions have changed, but Randy and the Kleinfeld consultants’ superior service have remained constant.”