#5 – The Bachelor
This show made its debut in the US in 2002, and has been consistently successful since. One eligible bachelor is given around 25 single women to choose from, and will eliminate one every week. Over the course of the series, contestants go on romantic trips with the “bachelor” and compete with the other women for his attention. At the end, hopefully, the bachelor will propose to the winner. The show’s main draw is the drama of weekly eliminations, and the tense-at-best relationships between contestants.
The show is hugely popular, and has spawned international versions across the world. The most successful of these spin-offs is The Bachelorette, first aired in 2003, which gender-flips the format. Other variations include Bachelor Pad, which features former contestants competing in dating-related games for a cash prize.