LOS ANGELES — Like it or not, reality shows were must-see TV this year, offering a much-needed distraction from the real world. Scandals involving breakups, fighting among friends and erratic behavior were among the highlights, but so were touching moments on shows known for having a lot less drama. If anything, series like such as “Love Island USA,” “Dancing with the Stars” and “Mormon Wives” proved that Americans can come together, as long as it involves a little bit of competition or people speaking their truths — with a Barbie.

A dramatic exit on ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’

Actress and producer Garcelle Beauvais made a dramatic exit from the series after six seasons. As Season 14’s three-part reunion neared its conclusion, host Andy Cohen tried to wrangle the women to pose for a customary cast photo, but Beauvais wanted no part of it, muttering, “I’m out … nope, I’m not doing it,” while walking off stage in her bejeweled gown. She shared more of her frustrations about the women in her dressing room. (“I can’t be friends with people like that; I don’t trust them. And they obviously don’t like me. … I’m done.”) It effectively marked her departure from the series. Her fallout with the ladies, particularly her former BFF Sutton Stracke, has already been a talking point in the current season. — Yvonne Villarreal

Liam Payne’s posthumous appearance on ‘Building the Band’

The death of One Direction star Liam Payne shocked and saddened fans across the world in 2024, but the singer and songwriter’s love of music is now immortalized on screen. “Building the Band” is a Netflix reality competition series that followed singers who formed bands and worked with veteran musicians, including Payne, Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Rowland and Backstreet Boys alum AJ McLean, who hosted. The series wrapped filming just months before Payne died, and when it aired in July, it opened with a dedication to Payne. “Through his presence, we see his deep love for music and his unwavering commitment to helping others find their voice,” McLean said in the introduction. Payne mentored musicians in the competition, offering moving encouragement and sharp advice. In a dedication closing out the final episode, a clip from downtime during shooting showed Payne singing and dancing along to One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.” He jumped down from the stage where he and the judges sat and joined the crowd, laughing and singing with the audience. “That was so fun,” he said as he returned to his seat. It’s a truly touching moment, illustrating his warm and energetic spirit. — Kaitlyn Huamani

Huda Mustafa’s crash-outs on ‘Love Island USA’

Thanks to my friends, I became “Love Island”-pilled this year. While the “Mommy? Mamacita” conversation, where Huda Mustafa revealed that she was a mom to a confused Nic, was the meme of the summer, it was Huda’s crash-outs — plural — that provided ongoing fodder for our group chat. Which was the most iconic? Was it when a trucker-hat-wearing Huda started bawling after Amaya kissed beau Jeremiah during a game? (That’s our avatar.) What about when new islander Iris went on a date with Jeremiah, and after she recounted it, Huda bitterly responded that their beach get-together was her “dream date”? Perhaps it was when Huda’s new beau Chris abandoned her at their weird grotto dinner date after their breakup in the finale. But for real, we hope Huda has access to a good therapist and finds someone who will take her on that beach dream date. — Vanessa Franko

How race and class were discussed in Season 9 of ‘Love Is Blind’

For the first time, no couples said “I do” on Netflix’s reality dating show, but it’s the journey to the altar that’s the most compelling part of this series. Conversations about class hit their peak in the Denver-set season, as couples such as Jordan Keltner, a service manager and single father, and “Sparkle” Megan Walerius, an entrepreneur who discussed her wealth often, ultimately decided to call it quits before ever walking down the aisle because of the disparities in their lifestyles. For Anton Yarosh and Ali Lima, work and lifestyle were also among the reasons they split. Anton was referred to as just a “truck driver,” and Ali didn’t hide her desire to be taken care of, which included being able to continue her Botox injections if she quit her nursing job to go back to school. But the most interesting discussions centered on race, especially when it came to Patrick Suzuki, an Asian American contestant, who gradually opened up about his insecurities about his race with Anna Yuan, who is also Asian, and Kacie McIntosh, to whom he proposed. But the most devastating moment came when Kacie called off the engagement before the group trip to Mexico, despite her assurances that it had nothing to do with Patrick’s race or looks. It was a confusing moment for Patrick and viewers, but his candor and decision to wear his heart on his sleeve made him more sympathetic. — Maira Garcia

When Meghan explained her surname on ‘With Love, Meghan’

While carefully making star-shaped cucumber sandwiches for an imaginary children’s party for her Netflix lifestyle show, the former “Suits” star made sure to remind her friend and guest Mindy Kaling (and us, for that matter) that she has a new-ish last name. The exchange arrived in Season1, Episode 2, as Meghan detailed how she grew up as an average American latchkey kid who ate a lot of fast food.

“Uh, I don’t think anyone in the world knows that Meghan Markle has eaten Jack in the Box and loves it,” Kaling quipped.

“It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying ‘Meghan Markle.’ You know I’m Sussex now,” the duchess replied. The correction is met with a brief pause from Kaling, whose real-time processing felt tailor-made to be dubbed with “the woman was too stunned to speak” viral TikTok audio.

Meghan goes on to explain the importance of sharing a last name with her children. “Well, now I know, and I love it,” Kaling responded. I’m not a hate-watcher of the show or its star — I, too, wish to moonlight as a domestic doyenne. But I remain fascinated with how most things related to Meghan become ammunition. The clip quickly caused a stir on social media and prompted more debate on the complexities surrounding her family’s last name now that they are outside the royal structure. Meanwhile, I’m still stuck on the use of “flower sprinkles” as a garnish for scrambled eggs. — Y.V.

The ‘Mormon Wives’ pass a talking stick and ‘take accountability’

MomTok survived another year! The third season of Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” which follows Utah-based social media influencers with varying degrees of faith, was not short on dramatic moments. There were heated confrontations, stunning accusations and even lie detector tests, but one of the season’s best moments came via a reconciliation effort. Whitney Leavitt (of newfound “Dancing With the Stars” fame) and Mayci Neeley gathered the group together so they could air out their issues and “take accountability,” a phrase that’s said ad nauseum on the show. The assembly was an organized affair, with each woman snapping a glowstick around their neck after they’ve “spoken their truth” and a Barbie named Eve, who acted as the “talking stick,” was passed around to avoid cross talk. While the concept of the gathering was ridiculous, it gave viewers some juicy moments and underscored what makes this show so good: These are young women dealing with very complex issues and being incredibly forthcoming about it all, even if their conflict resolution resembles that of“Mean Girls”— it’s a parallel they lovingly acknowledge. — K.H.

Kirk Cousins’ musical stylings in ‘Quarterback’ Season 2

The inside baseball, or in this case, football, makes this Netflix series a fascinating watch for NFL fans, but pulling back the curtain on the gridiron gods’ humanity is where it shines. Nobody is more relatable than book-loving Kohl’s shopper Kirk Cousins, who’s back for a second season and on a new team waxing poetic about how Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” fueled his comeback win for the Falcons. During a practice, Cousins explains that Celine Dion provided the soundtrack of his youth, promising a coach that “If you play Celine Dion ‘I Drove All Night,’ I’ll have the best practice I’ve ever had.” But the pièce de résistance is Cousins, his brother and friends in the drive-thru line of a fast food joint joyfully singing Cher’s“Believe” after a win — the antithesis of the sad Zac Efron meme — complete with harmonies. Cousins’ young son asks them to stop, but as the quarterback says, “Sometimes you just have to sing Cher.” — V.F.

The entirety of Season 2 of ‘The Valley’

It felt as dark as a true crime doc. Full stop. Sure, toxic drama playing out on reality TV has become the norm in the misguided pursuit of must-see TV, but the darkness that unfolded on the recent season of the “Vanderpump Rules” spinoff was unrelenting in its intensity. After debuting with the promise of a light and entertaining look at these former hard-partying millennials entering a phase of life focused on growing up, marriage and sometimes parenthood, the whole thing quickly felt more like a horror show. The docusoap’s second season centered on Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s turbulent separation, with Taylor’s erratic behavior, accusations of cheating, financial issues and substance abuse culminating in Cartwright moving out of their home and Taylor checking into rehab. And they weren’t the only ones casting a bleak and dysfunctional light on the show. There was feuding between Jesse Lally and Michelle Saniei, with Lally accusing his ex-wife of being a hooker, and Danny Booko’s relationship with alcohol was put in the hot seat. It was the sort of season that gets a reality TV die-hard considering the ethics of watching it all unfold. — Y.V.

Tom Sandoval’s rise from rock bottom on ‘The Traitors’

I didn’t think the adulterous villain from the OG “Vanderpump Rules” was long for Alan Cumming’s campy Scottish castle because everyone remembers “Scandoval” and what he did to Ariana Madix, but I was wrong. We were treated to weeks of entertaining chaos from Sandoval — once he stopped sweating profusely at the breakfast table. Forever spouting hilariously wrong theories about the Traitors, I started to feel bad for him when his teammates made fun of him as he sang backwards lullabies played by creepy dolls. He was genuinely focused on the mission, and while he was absolutely ridiculous as he crowed about his musical prowess — and his performances were even more disturbing than the dolls’ — he really did try to play the game the right way. Ultimately, Sandoval’s “Traitors” turn easily cracks the top five of reality show redemption arcs, which might be the best twist that nobody saw coming. — V.F.

An (alleged) affair to remember on ‘The Real Housewives of Miami’

She’s not even technically part of the main cast, but Adriana de Moura knows eclipsing a bombshell revelation is a surefire way to keep a firm grip on her “friend of” title. Ordinarily, a reveal like the one that arrived in the show’s Season 7 reunion — Julia Lemigova’s shocking admission that she slept with De Moura, her former BFF whom she had grown distant from during the season, on a cast trip — would have singularly powered the fandom’s social media discussion. And it did. But it was quickly overshadowed by one viral soundbite. After Lemigova exposed their alleged affair, De Moura claimed Lemigova had previously cheated on her wife, former tennis pro Martina Navratilova — or as De Moura said with her whole chest: “She was cheating on Martina with a Haitian mortician!” As if that wasn’t enough to process, it was followed up with the claim that Lemigova “would take him to the motel, pay for the motel, bring the champagne and had to give him a coffee machine as a gift.” It made TikTok scrolling an LOL wonderland. But “Housewives” fans are familiar with De Moura’s comebacks. One of her past viral reunion moments involved penning a letter as her cocktail-loving frenemy’s liver. — Y.V.

Nataliia’s homage to Ukraine on ‘Great British Baking Show’

This is one of the friendliest and gentlest competition shows on television, and it never ceases to surprise me by showing how such wildly creative and humble people — who regard themselves simply as home bakers — exist in the world. Series 16 featured another group of endearing contestants, including Nataliia Richardson, a Ukrainian who settled in England with her family just before the war with Russia broke out. In the first episode, Nataliia pays homage to her homeland with a beautiful Ukraine landscape cake that looks more like a surrealist painting than a pastry. The work earned her Star Baker for the week — a well-deserved honor. It was a reminder that for Ukrainian citizens who’ve had to flee their war-torn country, their hearts are always with their homeland. — M.G.

Robert Irwin’s moves on ‘Dancing with the Stars’

This was the year Robert Irwin stepped out from the shadow of his father. Steve Irwin wowed audiences as the “Crocodile Hunter,” his TV persona with the notable catchword “Crikey!” and who had an enthusiasm for wildlife, often wrangling or hovering dangerously close to reptiles in his signature khaki shorts and chest-bearing shirts. And while the late TV personality’s son has followed in his father’s footsteps with his interest in wildlife, this year, he also gripped the attention of American TV viewers with his own stealth moves … on the dance floor. But the 22-year-old’s spin through this year’s season of “Dancing with the Stars” was more than just the usual fare of flashy costumes and impressive dance moves. He became a certified reality TV heartthrob with his onscreen presence and slick routines with partner Witney Carson, delivering some meme-worthy facial expressions and plenty of moments — both emotional and thirst trap-adjacent — to feed TikTok. It was quite the unexpected glow-up. And like his sister Bindi, who competed a decade ago, he took home the mirrorball trophy. Crikey, indeed.— Y.V.

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