5 cringeworthy but addictive reality shows streaming on Hulu

Hulu has a plethora of reality shows, but some of them are so cringeworthy you just can’t look away.

We all have what we call our “guilty pleasures” when it comes to television. Most are reality shows we wouldn’t tell anyone we watch except for our online friends because we can’t see their faces as they judge us. Hulu seems to have cornered the market on reality shows.

There’s something for everyone, and even some that we wonder why we watch. Here are five shows that make us recoil as we’re watching, but we still can’t stop.

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My 600-lb Life

Already into its eighth season, My 600-lb Life chronicles the stories of morbidly obese individuals who are struggling to regain control of their lives and lose weight. While some parts of the show can be heartwarming, for the most part, they’re a train wreck. There is always the obligatory bathroom scene where body parts get blurred but not enough to keep viewers from seeing way more than they should. Closeups of people’s mouths as they stuff food in only add to the gross factor of this show. Yet, it’s a strangely compelling series that has a devoted following on Twitter.

Hoarders

Having won a Critics Choice Award in 2011, Hoarders seems to be a favorite among A&E viewers, pulling in millions of viewers with each new episode. The show highlights one or two individual (or couple) hoarders who live in houses that are usually trashed from top to bottom. This isn’t about an overabundance of things. The people shown on this program have a mental disorder that often leads to them not cleaning their homes, allowing trash to pile up, and losing electricity and running water.

While the series does offer assistance to people that appear on the show, the cameras don’t shy away from giving viewers up close and personal looks at dead animals, kitchens that haven’t been cleaned in years, roaches, and bathrooms in need of complete remodels because people continue to use them without electricity or water. Even so, Hoarders remains popular and just wrapped its 10th season.

Dr. Pimple Popper

The title alone should be enough to keep viewers away, but, in reality, pimple-popping has a huge following on social media. Dermatologist Sandra Lee began sharing some of her goriest procedures on Youtube in 2015, and she gained over four million followers and one billion views. This television series is the result. It debuted in 2018 and is now in its fourth season.

Viewers consistently tune in to watch Dr. Lee squeeze cysts, lipomas, pimples, and more, with many calling it “fascinating.” You can catch all the popping and their stories on Hulu now.

Sex Sent Me to the ER

Into its fourth season, Sex Sent Me to the ER is a show where actors re-enact real-life scenarios that happened during sex. These depictions of couples (or more) engaging in sexual activity end in one or more of the participants arriving at the ER and having to explain their embarrassing situations to a doctor.

Said doctor tries not to look surprised or disgusted. And that’s the premise of the show that continues to draw in viewers. It’s not quite clear if the series was developed as a warning or for entertainment value alone. Either way, it often gives way more information than is necessary.

Naked & Afraid

Two survivalists—one man, one woman—spend three weeks in the wilderness of harsh environments without their clothes. Why they have to be naked has never really been explained. These are two people who have never met before, and they’re stuck together trying to survive in some of the absolute worst conditions. By the end of the three weeks, if they haven’t tapped out (left the show), their weights are shown, and most of them have lost massive amounts and are little more than skin and bones. Some end up in the hospital afterward. All of this is done for the glory of being able to say they survived.

Meanwhile, cameras have a field day with blurring out body parts, highlighting sickness, bug bites, and the inevitable struggle to get to the extraction point. It’s a horrifying look at people challenging themselves because they can. Nevertheless, Naked & Afraid is in its eleventh season.

Reality television can be addictive, entertaining, and even informative, but some shows take it a little too far with private and deeply personal reveals. What might be intended as a way to help people often comes across as exploitative. Yet, viewers continue to watch as the shows are simply too addictive not to.

Do you watch any of these shows? Are they not-to-be-missed in your house? Let us know in the comments.

Catch these cringe-worthy shows and more with a subscription to Hulu.