Arguably the best reality-based competition ever created — if you take into account those eight Emmys for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program — CBS’ The Amazing Race manages to be engaging, educational, and plain old interesting. Beyond the allure of the $1 million prize, contestants get to travel around the world while completing physical and mental challenges with a partner of their choosing. The couples rush from one international checkpoint to the next with an infectious sense of urgency that makes each episode pass in a flash. Embraced by critics and fans alike, The Amazing Race is that one reality show everyone has considered auditioning for.

Competitive cooking never looked as good as it does on Top Chef, a foodie favorite that educates as much as it entertains. Its contestants are a truly talented bunch (well, maybe not this season), whose mouth-watering dishes make stomachs growl — and, occasionally, gag — via ingenious challenges that range from cooking with food out of a vending machine to setting up a full-service restaurant in 24 hours. Add to this some impressive guest judges of the Anthony Bourdain variety and you have the one show that could upset The Amazing Race’s eight-Emmy domination in the Outstanding Reality-Competition Program category.

As the show that started it all, Survivor’s high ratings offered a convincing proof of concept that seemed to flood the reality competition field overnight. It also created a framework for the genre through its early experimentation with alliances, immunities, challenges and eliminations. Ten years and 22 seasons later, one would think that Survivor may soon be running out of exotic locales and tropical diseases to build its show around, but CBS has reportedly renewed it for another two seasons — proving that this old dog still has some new tricks to share.

Few series can boast creating catch phrases that enter the popular lexicon, but Project Runway’s “make it work” is one such battle cry. As the colorful contestants face design challenges that border on the impossible and picky judges whose criticism borders on the sadistic, making it work is the only thing that keeps them in the competition. Thankfully for the show, its producers managed to make negotiations with the networks and cast work well enough to return for an 8th season, which premieres this Thursday at 9pm on Lifetime.

With a version of the show airing in almost 70 countries, Big Brother might be the most popular reality competition on the planet. What makes it compelling is the fact that episodes are filmed by way of cameras that are implanted in the walls and ceilings of the Big Brother house, which encourages contestants to act more naturally than they would with a boom guy standing over them, and lets them whisper their secrets and betrayals in perceived privacy. It also gives audiences a very fly-on-the-wall feel that’s missing from other shows in the genre. The results should have psychologists scratching their heads for years, as Big Brother’s rats-in-a-cage format produces some very Lord of the Flies moments.