Recipes for Reality Trivia Quiz

Answer: Big Brother

Named for the constant camera supervision the candidates have to endure in the show, "Big Brother" is very much an experiment in group dynamics. Playing the candidates against each other and increasing tension between them through manipulation by the show's producers keeps viewers interested over a long time.

In later incarnations of the format, separation into privileged and punished sub-teams has added even more tension.

Answer: America's Next Top Model

Like "Big Brother", this format has been converted to and aired in almost every Western television market. Using the same "last person standing" principle as most casting shows, young women compete for the title of the respective nation's "Next top model" and a lucrative contract.

A few international versions of the show have included male models as well (the first appearance of males was in Spain 2008 in a cycle featuring both a female and a male competition), the American original has first seen males (competing in a mixed group) for its 20th cycle, begun in August 2013. Internationally, the first male winner chosen from a mixed cast was Vedran Pajo who won in 2010 in Bosnia.

Answer: Candid Camera

"Smile, you're on candid camera" has long since become a household saying. This format is the oldest Reality TV format and also can be said to be more "real" than most of the others because the candidates don't know they're part of a TV show before it is too late. "Candid Camera" was preceded by a radio version, "Candid Microphone", but only by a year.

Answer: The Biggest Loser

While no one usually wants to be called a loser, in this show, the candidates compete for the title of "biggest loser", because the goal is to lose weight. Invariably, all candidates start out as obese and depending on country and incarnation, the goal is either the highest absolute weight loss or the highest percentage of original weight lost.

Answer: Hoarders

While the "Hoarders" show itself has not spawned direct copies in other markets, similar formats have also been done in other countries. They are under thorough scrutiny in Europe as they are at least suspected to ultimately cause more harm than good - while the subjects of this format gain access to professional help and treatment they need, they are also publicly paraded in a negative way which can lead to severe problems just as well.

Answer: Wife Swap

This show - which actually does not violate marital trust since there was to be no intimacy between the swapped partners - derived its appeal and novelty from the fact that people were put into a life and corresponding rules as far from their own as possible. During the two-week swap, household rules were made by the partners whose house it was for the first week, while during the second week, the visiting partner dictated lifestyle. What made this show particularly questionable was that there were often children involved who had little or no say in the swap.

The format was abolished in the UK in 2009 but is still being shown in other countries.

Answer: Survivor

Often set on tropical islands, "Survivor" has used a multitude of picturesque locations to show its candidates in their struggles to avoid elimination and complete the set challenges. Skill is however not the only factor in winning at "Survivor" as the losing candidates are determined by voting and thus a skillful but unpopular candidate has a worse chance to win than one who is worse at the challenges but attracts more sympathies.

Answer: I Survived a Japanese Game Show

First produced as "Big in Japan", this format's entertainment value came from pitting ill-prepared American candidates against the, for Westerners, rather unusual requirements and challenges of Japanese television game shows. Some Japanese formats place very high demands on the candidates and use challenges that would not be suitable for an American or European show, including tasks that measure candidates' pain resistance or cause severe embarrassment.

Answer: Pop Idol

Worldwide, "American Idol" is by far the best known and also longest-running of these series, but "Pop Idol", the British version of the same show, predated the American incarnation by one year (it was first shown in 2001). The British show however lasted for only two seasons before being cancelled.

Answer: The Amazing Race

Of course who could forget "The Amazing Race"? Where most other reality game shows run the risk of being far less than pleasant for the eliminated candidates, this can certainly not be said about the "Race", where even the first to be eliminated get to see several interesting places around the world and to partake in unusual, thrilling challenges and puzzles. Participating in this reality format is already a reward by itself.