With summer in full swing and record high temperatures, sometimes the best way to beat the heat is to stay indoors. There’s nothing better than curling up on the couch with the AC blasting and turning on your TV for your fill of entertainment. Here are my picks for 5 reality TV comfort watches:
1. Below Deck (2013–present)
Where to watch: Bravo
Below Deck follows the lives of a superyacht crew during charter season led by Stud of the Sea Captain Lee Rosbach. The young, attractive crew is typically divided into four departments: interior, deck, galley, and engineering. There is a strict hierarchy, led by the department heads, that all rolls up to the big guy in charge, Captain Lee.
The show also dives into the luxurious experiences of the charter guests. Guests will typically charter a yacht for a few days, with a price tag ranging from $100,000–$150,000. Guests expect the pinnacle of luxury. Part of the fun of Below Deck is watching the crew grapple with the guests’ demands. Interior literally waits on the guests’ hand and foot, the chef is usually stressing over an elaborate meal while making sure the guests’ preference sheets are followed to the letter, and the deck cand engineering crews are usually putting together an outrageous off-boat excursion, all while under the watch of the no-nonsense Captain Lee.
As if dealing with prima donnas wasn’t enough, the real entertainment happens in the crew quarters where hook-ups and drama abound. There’s never a dull moment on the ship, but it’s all worth it when they get that big fat tip from the charter guests to the tune of $15,000–$20,000. Sign me up!
2. The Real Housewives of Potomac (2016–present)
Where to watch: Bravo
While The Real Housewives of Atlanta paved the way with an all-Black female cast, it’s safe to say the Peaches of Georgia no longer taste as sweet. We turn our attention North to The Real Housewives of Potomac, set in the affluent community of Potomac, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC. The show has had a few changes in the main cast but still maintains four OGs from the first season: Gizelle Bryant, Karen Huger, Ashley Darby, and Robyn Dixon. The rest of the cast consists of Candiace Dillard-Bassett, Wendy Osefo, and Mia Thornton, all of which have been on the show for at least two seasons, leading to an incredible kinship.
The ladies are a colorful cast of strong personalities who definitely know how to spill tea, read each other down, and stir the pot. One of my favorite dynamics of the show is between long-time frenemies Karen and Gizelle. These two ladies can rip each other to shreds but ultimately have so much love and respect for each other. The best episodes are cast trips where wild-child Ashley and equally wild Mia encourage the other ladies to participate in all types of shenanigans. The show can only be described as my guilty pleasure.
3. Love Is Blind (2020–present)
Where to watch: Netflix
Love Is Blind is a social experiment that premiered during the height of the pandemic. A group of men and women are placed in a sprawling compound for ten days, divided into separate living quarters for each group. The contestants meet members of the opposite sex in pods for a series of dates, but the catch is, they can’t see each other. The point of the show is to test the theory that love truly is blind. Contestants can spend hours talking to each other from the other side of a wall, discussing their most intimate thoughts. The select few that fall in love become engaged. Season 1 fan favorites Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed were engaged within five days and were the first couple of the show to say “I love you” without ever seeing each other’s faces.
The couples that become engaged have their dramatic reveal the following day. More often than not, the couples maintain the same chemistry in the pods and outside of the pods. However, not everyone is so lucky. Sometimes the magic of the pods is lost after the reveal — looking at you Jackelina Bonds and Marshall Glaze. Whether the love is instant or not, the couples who become engaged go on a honeymoon and must plan their wedding in a few short weeks while living together. The moment of truth comes at the altar where each couple decides if they will say, “I do” or “I don’t.” The show has its highs and lows but ultimately makes us believe love is real.
4. Single’s Inferno (2021–present)
Where to watch: Netflix
Probably the most wholesome show on this list is Single’s Inferno, a South Korean dating show that sends a group of young, hot singles to live on an island called Inferno to find love. The singles must compete in a series of challenges and dates to get to know each other in hopes of spending quality time in Paradise, a sumptuous hotel getaway. The island itself has tents, an outdoor kitchen, bathroom facilities, and a water pump. The singles stuck on Inferno must cook their own food, fetch their own water, and avoid all electronics. The point of the show is to strip each single person down to the bare essentials in order to create close bonds with their fellow contestants. However, they are forbidden from revealing their real age or occupation on the island.
Each night, the three winners of the male and female challenges must select the person they want to take to Paradise. With their bags packed standing in front of the firepit on the beach, they call out the name of their choice and wait for them to emerge from the tent. If the name they chose did not choose them as well, the challenge winner must remain in Inferno. However, if both singles choose each other, the happy couple take a helicopter ride to Paradise and spend the night in a lovely suite where they can learn each other’s ages and occupations while enjoying room service. Heaven on earth indeed.
In the final challenge of the season, the women are placed in various locations on the island and the male contestants must stand beside the woman they are interested in. If she chooses him, they’ve won the game and hopefully live happily ever after.
5. Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard (2023–present)
Where to watch: Bravo
Summer House, a successful and wildly entertaining show in its own right, spawned a spin-off series featuring an all-Black cast. Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard follows the same formula of the original series (a group of young, successful friends spends the summer in a palatial shared house) but this time in Oak Bluffs, a historical Black community on Martha’s Vineyard. The cast consists of married couple Sylas and Jasmine Ellis-Cooper (hosts of the vacation), Sylas’s line brother Preston Mitchum, Jasmine’s friends and former Playboy Club co-workers Jordan Emanuel, Bria Fleming, and Shanice Henderson, Jasmine’s fellow creative Alex Tyree, his line brother Nick Arrington, and finally newcomer Amir Lancaster.
The phrase “Black excellence” gets thrown around quite often, but it rings true as this group of friends embark on fabulous parties, relaxing beach days, and formal dinners on their luxury vacation. With a house full of big personalities, there’s bound to be drama, but the cast manages to stay grounded and ultimately understand the importance of sticking together and uplifting each other.
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