Drama, tears, laughter: Reality TV recommendations worth streaming

If you are too stubborn to download TikTok but are in need of mindless entertainment to watch between Zoom classes, tune in to these high-quality reality television picks that are worth every second of your time. 

“The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart”

“The Bachelor” — what a classic. You can forget all about the chaos that was Peter Webber’s season with the latest series from “The Bachelor” franchise. “The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart” combines music and love as 20 single men and women explore romantic relationships with one another. They sing songs as individuals and couples, attempting to find love through their collective passion for music. 

The trailer already promises plenty of arguments, guitars and enough tears to keep you hooked for a while. As one of the contestants puts it: “It’s no fun singing a love song when you’re not in love.” Now that is something worth watching. “The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart” is set to premiere April 13 on ABC. 

“Glow Up”

For the makeup enthusiasts out there, “Glow Up” is a competition show where aspiring makeup artists compete for a contract with a leading makeup artist. The 10 contestants are pushed to craft looks in a variety of challenges, ranging from high-fashion editorials to using prosthetics in their art. 

“Glow Up” delivers fabulous facial art as the contestants put their vision and talent into each challenge. This show is perfect for any fans of “Project Runway” and “Skin Wars.” The diverse cast of contestants promises to entertain you and possibly even inspire you to recreate a look you’ve seen on Instagram. “Glow Up” is available to stream on Netflix. 

“Love is Blind”

A bride running down the street on her wedding day, couples getting engaged without ever seeing each other, emotions running wild and more are all featured in Netflix’s new dating show “Love Is Blind.”

Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, “Love is Blind” is a test to see whether single men and women are able to form emotional connections without ever seeing each other. Each person is placed in a “pod” across from someone else, where they get to know one other through “blind” dates.

Eventually, couples get engaged and see each other for the first time in a grand gesture that could give Romeo and Juliet a run for their money. However, the real test is how their relationship continues to develop outside the show. To find out the results of this social experiment, make sure to stream “Love is Blind,” now available on Netflix. 

“The Masked Singer”

“The Masked Singer” follows a simple premise: It’s a singing competition with celebrities disguised in costumes. Each week, the contestant with the fewest audience votes gets unmasked. 

This all sounds incredibly silly, but the show manages to grab your attention with over-the-top outfits that resemble a mix between extravagant Halloween costumes and Met Gala attire. The show keeps the viewer guessing who could possibly be under the mask. Some singers to be unmasked are easier to guess than others, but you can never quite tell if the person will be a famous athlete, actress or politician. “The Masked Singer” is so bad that it’s good, and it’s available for streaming now on FOX and Hulu. 

“Terrace House” 

Unlike other high-energy reality TV shows infamous for their abundance of emotion, “Terrace House” delivers entertainment in a slow, leisurely way.

While it is not filled to the brim with drama, the Japanese reality show is calming and refreshing. It features six strangers living in a beautiful mansion surrounded by a forest. The house, complete with state-of-the-art furnishing and modern aesthetics, has various cameras placed throughout the rooms. Viewers are able to watch the housemates as they befriend each other and talk about their backgrounds, dreams and morals. 

The audience follows the strangers as they go to restaurants or their day jobs, offering a glimpse into contemporary life in Japan. There is also a group of studio commentators that watch along with the viewer; these commentators analyze conversations, body language and other interactions between the housemates. “Terrace House” is peaceful and relaxing, and will boost serotonin levels in the middle of a global pandemic. It is available to stream on Netflix. 

“The Circle”

A mix between “Big Brother” and “Catfish,” “The Circle” has contestants scheming to see how far they would go to win $100,000. In lieu of real human interaction, the eight contestants interact through a platform called The Circle. Here, the players make friends and enemies as they strategize a way to gain enough popularity to remain in the game, crafting social media personas — real or fake. 

Apart from being a reality television show, “The Circle” runs an interesting social experiment to see who exactly someone has to be in order to rate highly and become a crowd favorite. It’s the concept of the “Black Mirror” episode “Nosedive” brought to life, as contestants either climb the social ladder or are eliminated by the group. Head to Netflix, where you can watch “The Circle” and see what it takes to become an influencer.