When otherwise rich and famous celebs are humbled by the tango or elated by a successful samba, reality-TV magic happens. And when the dancing stars are as personable as this year's Jennifer Grey and Kyle Massey, or as controversial as Bristol Palin, DWTS becomes a must-watch series.
What a strange elixir this is! 16 and Pregnant works because it successfully combines imperiled pregnancies, cute babies, teen heartbreak and family fights with the modern American class struggle, and the improbable combination is utterly fascinating.
We just can't get enough of Kim and her sisters, even if we never can remember how they got famous in the first place. Personable, pretty and ambitious without being off-putting, the Kardashian-Jenner clan is identifiable and idealized all at once. What's not to love?
You can't taste the food through your TV set, but man, the drama sure is juicy—there's something about these high-strung culinary maestros that we just eat right up. OK, so maybe Just Desserts still needs a little extra time in the oven, but as a general rule, the Top Chef series is reliably tasty goodness.
Jersey Shore is in no way a good show. It's crass and crude and serves no societal function whatsoever, but gol-ly does it have that It factor that makes us watch week in and week out. There's just something about the way Jersey Shore feels real(ish)—like we're just watching these kids do what they do, even if it makes us cringe. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino have been the series' breakout stars, but we tune in to see the budding bromance between Vinny Guadagnino and Pauly D. (It. Is. Adorable.)
Catfights, Botox and bitchery has never been so amusing. These ladies are crazy and kinda useless, but we love them just the same for the sheer entertainment value of their schoolgirl sniping and general silliness. OK, well, in the case of Camille Grammer, we love to hate her, but still, you take our point, yes?
American Idol is pop culture. Even though the show has undergone a lot of change lately, we're still addicted to this national talent show hosted by our own Ryan Seacrest, and we can't wait to see how the series evolves following the addition of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler to the judges' table.
PHOTOS: After American Idol—Where Are They Now?
TV's most successful reality show celebrated its 20th (!) season by bringing in the big guns. Every week's Tribal Council was suspenseful, and the challenges (resurrected from previous seasons) were spectacular—often thanks to Boston Rob's incredible dominance. In fact the game's greatest showdown occurred on a single tribe, between Villains Rob and Russell Hantz. If the rumors are true that they'll be squaring off again, we can look forward to another epic season.
Plain and simple, The Amazing Race is just great fun. As teams whoosh around the world, we live vicariously through their adventures and see—if only for a few minutes—exotic places we'd never imagine visiting ourselves. Even when the contestants' mishaps recall our worst travel nightmares, we enjoy the relief of knowing that this time we're not the ones getting lost and bickering in a strange city. In the end, though, it's the heartwarming bonds between the teams (most of 'em, anyway) that make TAR so special. That and host Phil Keoghan's singular arched eyebrow.
With all respect to the rest of TV's dance shows, and heck, the rest of TV's reality shows, there's no series we're happier to watch for hours and hours on end—through every drawn-out judges' panel and pseudo-suspenseful elimination reveal—than So You Think You Can Dance. The dancers aren't just drama-manufacturing television characters, or pawns being played with by off-camera producers, they truly are artists, and we are always honored and thrilled to watch them do their work.
Next Gallery: Top 10 TV Dramas of 2010