30 British Reality Shows That Make American TV Look Bloody Boring

Flinch follows eight contestants as they compete for a bragging rights title—one where you get to say they didn’t “flinch” as much as their other competitors. It’s wild that there isn’t an official prize for this game show, especially when people are putting themselves through intense tests to see if they go through them without physically reacting. TBH, I have no idea how these people go through alllll this when I can barely keep it together just watching the trailer.

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If you’re a fan of all things home renovation, then you need to start binge-watching Interior Design Masters ASAP. Here, 10 designers with the dream to hit the big-time compete for a professional design contract. They have to impress the judges with their transformations—they are given a space and expected to renovate it showing their personal style and aesthetic.

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Yep, RuPaul made his way over to the UK. And you best believe the British series is just as good as the American one. How could we ever expect less?! So if you know don’t what the OG RuPaul’s Drag Race is all about, let me give you a quick rundown. RuPaul has 10 of the most glamorous drag queens compete for the number one queen title. They are judged on the charisma, talent, and authenticity they bring to the table. I mean, it’s just a whole bunch of fabulousness.

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Imagine the show Chopped but 10 times more intense, and that’s Million Pound Menu. The first season follows different start-up restaurants that get the chance to open a pop-up in Manchester, but the catch is they have to convince investors that they can succeed. If the pop-up gets good business and reviews from customers, investors will place offers and the restaurant chooses who they want to work with.

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The Repair Shop is pretty damn unique. Professional artisans show off their talents by obtaining a family heirloom and giving it some TLC while keeping its nostalgic value. It gets kind of spooky, too, because while recovering the goods, the craftsmen often come across historic discoveries that the owners of the valuables had no idea about.

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If you’re already a fan of loveliest TV competition in the history of the world, you’ll be thrilled to hear that the newest season available as of November 9. If you’ve never watched, six seasons of wholesome—yet still riveting—baking magic awaits. Amateur bakers compete to impress the judges, and there’s not much else to say other than it’s as sweet as lemon tartlets!

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Do you ever just feel like Bachelor in Paradise could be...exponentially better? Enter Love Island, the British reality show in which contestants, called Islanders, live in a Mediterranean villa and date competitively. Each week, they partner up to stay in the game. New people are added as the show goes on, and whoever is still solo at the end of a “re-coupling” gets sent home. Obvi, there’s a lot of confusion when deciphering between strategy and tRuE LoVe, so it gets super messy (read: perfect).

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Made in Chelsea is basically the English, reality TV version of Gossip Girl. The series follows a group of hot, rich people in their t20s around London’s poshest area, Chelsea. Yes, after just a few episodes, you too will start saying “posh.” Side note: The Hills alum Stephanie Pratt is in a few seasons. Interested?

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While we’re on the topic of Pratts making random appearances on overseas TV shows...have you heard of Celebrity Big Brother? If you know about Big Brother—which, you do—this one’s probably pretty self explanatory. A bunch of celebrities live in a house together and are filmed 24/7. While this premise isn’t exactly groundbreaking, the UK version is some of the most dramatic TV in the world. I mean, Heidi and Spencer Pratt have appeared on it twice and Khloe Kardashian’s BFF Malika Haqq had a stint on it too. The CBB house has also had its fair share of controversies over the years and was even suspended for a season in 2008 as a result.

You know that warm, fuzzy feeling you get after bingeing a few episodes of Queer Eye? Yeah, this show does NOT have that. While QE is an inspiring ray of sunshine in this dark world, 100% Hotter is the make-under show you watch when you’re in a terrible mood and need something playing in the background so you’re not just scrolling through Instagram in complete silence. Three stylists take “Britain’s biggest fashion disasters” and turn them into “normal” looking people. It’s, like, a lot of removing nose piercings and scrubbing off spray tans. It’s so horrifying and it will make you feel awful, but if you’re into trash TV, it’s worth a watch.

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People often say that Strictly Come Dancing is the “UK version of Dancing With the Stars,” but that is actually a big fat lie. DWTS exists in more than 40 countries and is based on Strictly, the OG celebrity dance show. Again, proof that the Brits crush reality TV. At this point, with the exception of Adam Rippon, DWTS is just a bunch of people you’ve never heard of, so you might as well watch a foreign version instead.

Ex on the Beach is an MTV series in which a group of hotties take a vacation in paradise and then are totally shocked when their exes show up, either looking for another chance or seeking revenge. It’s not a contest or anything, it just dumps a bunch of people together on a beach to see what kind of shit goes down. Whether they’re genuinely shocked is up for debate—the show has nine seasons in the UK. They must know, right?

Holy. Shit. HOW is this allowed? Just Tattoo of Us has friends, couples, or family members design tattoos for one another. While both parties will get some free ink, they don’t have any say in what the design will be, which leads to some pretty insane reactions.

This show is Fear Factor, Survivor, and Celebrity Big Brother all in one. A group of mildly famous stars are dropped in the middle of the jungle and forced to do stuff like eat bugs and partake in tough physical tasks. The cool thing is, celebrities actually get to choose a charity to donate money to as a compensation for being on the show. (They get paid, too, though. Don’t be fooled.) Obviously, people love this, because it’s been on for 18 seasons.

Geordie Shore is MTV’s UK answer to Jersey Shore. It’s basically the exact same thing, except you might not understand some of the catch phrases. Then again, did anyone actually ever know what our favorite guidos and guidettes were saying? Not really, so the viewing experience should actually feel quite similar.

Yeah, The X Factor was totally a thing in the United States for three seasons between 2011 and 2013, but please don’t let its flop deter you from watching the real deal. The original version of the show, which is still going strong, is THE REASON WE HAVE ONE DIRECTION. Well, had One Direction. It’s the reason we have Harry Styles and all of his amazing suits. Try to watch the boys' auditions without getting all the feels. It’s impossible.

The Only Way Is Essex lives alongside The Hills in that grey area of reality TV claiming to be “unscripted” but is definitely set up. The premise is typical: Decently hot 20-somethings with big personalities and unrealistically busy social lives exist together. For English viewers, one of the best draws of the show is that it’s actually filmed only a few days before it airs, so it feels more current than other reality programs. Fortunately, it’s also on Hulu, so you can just binge it all at once.

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Yup, The Apprentice is still alive and well in the UK. Its host, Lord Alan Sugar, is an old rich white guy who dabbles in reality television, business “deals,” and politics, and while he has adopted the “you’re fired” catchphrase, he has a slightly more positive reputation than Donald Trump. Emphasis on slightly. If you loved the format of the American version, this show will certainly give you your fix. But, like, without Trump.

Quite literally every single thing in this world is better on ice. That’s a scientific fact. Dancing on Ice is just that: Strictly Come Dancing but…with skates. To make it even more amazing, Baby Spice was a judge for a few seasons. English reality shows really are unparalleled.

Take Me Out is a hilarious dating game in which one dude tries to impress 30 single women. The contestants each stand at a podium with a light and are shown videos of the (hopefully) eligible bachelor. If they’re still interested in him after the video, they turn the light on. Irish comedian Paddy McGuinness is the host, and he regularly tells the girls, “If he’s not Mr. Right, turn off your light.” Oh, there’s also a talent portion. It's just the right amount of cringe to make a lovable, addicting dating show.