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For Real: Top Reality Shows

American Idol

A reality and ratings juggernaut, Fox's 'American Idol' has launched the careers of several successful performers including Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Carrie Underwood. While there's always emotion onstage as the singers compete to avoid elimination, the most dramatic moments often occur at the judge's table, where the acerbic Simon Cowell and the loopy Paula Abdul go head to head. Pictured: 'American Idol' judges, from left, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. (AP Photo/FOX, Michael Becker)

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American Idol A reality and ratings juggernaut, Fox's 'American Idol' has launched the careers of several successful performers including Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Carrie Underwood. While there's always emotion onstage as the singers compete to avoid elimination, the most dramatic moments often occur at the judge's table, where the acerbic Simon Cowell and the loopy Paula Abdul go head to head. Pictured: 'American Idol' judges, from left, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. (AP Photo/FOX, Michael Becker)
Dancing with the... Celebrities and dance professionals partner up in hopes of winning this ballroom dancing competition. They're not just tangoing onstage - several celeb-dancer duos have partnered up off of the dance floor as well in well-publicized romances. Pictured: Contestants Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough are shown on Tuesday, April 29, 2008, in Los Angeles, after they were eliminated from the dance competition series. (AP Photo/ABC, Kelsey McNeal)
Project Runway Host (and supermodel) Heidi Klum presides over Bravo's fashion-forward competition 'Project Runway' as aspiring clothing designers cut, sew and backstab their way towards the grand prize: $100,000, a slot at the annual Olympus Fashion Week in New York and his or her own line of clothes. Each episode features a fashion show judged by industry experts and celebrities, who are often merciless in their assessments of the designer's skills. Pictured: Heidi Klum (Bravo/Mark Abrahams)
Top Chef Bravo's kitchen has a red hot hit on its hands with 'Top Chef', a competition that puts chefs to the test with creative culinary challenges. The winner walks away with $100,000 in seed money to open their own restaurant and, of course, the glory of the title 'Top Chef'. The losers are fed the signature sendoff: 'pack your knives and go'. Pictured: 'Top Chef' host Padma Lakshmi and celebrity chef and judge Tom Colicchio arrive for the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
The Hills In this reality 'sequel', the cameras follow Lauren 'LC' Conrad, a central character from'Laguna Beach', to Los Angeles where she goes to fashion design school and interns at Teen Vogue. Pictured: Audrina Partridge and Lauren Conrad. (MTV/Jeff Lipsky)
Extreme Makeover... A full home renovation in seven days? It sounds impossible, but the crew of 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' makes it happen every week when they choose a family in need and surprise them with their services. Pictured: Carpenter Ty Pennington appears on ABC's 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' (ABC/Bob D'Amico)
America's Next T... Former supermodel and talk show host Tyra Banks shepherds a cast of hopeful future models as they compete for a modeling contract, a Marie Claire magazine cover and bragging rights as the best-looking girl in the room. Contestants live together in a Manhattan penthouse for the duration of the show and - meow! - tears, joy and cattiness ensue. Pictured: Cycle 10 cast of 'America's Next Top Model'. (The CW/Jim DeYonker)
Deadliest Catch Whoever thought the travails of a bunch of brawny fishermen sailing the high seas of Alaska hunting for crab would be a big hit? Somebody over at the Discovery Channel, it seems, saw the potential in this offbeat production and its gripping man vs. nature angle. The brutal Bering Sea, salty ship captains and the search for the elusive, costly haul of Alaskan crab is a 'Perfect Storm' of ratings success. Pictured: Scott Hillstrand of Time Bandit as seen on 'Deadliest Catch'. (Cameron Glendenning/Discovery Channel)
The Amazing Race Hot on the heels of 'Survivor', this high-energy reality series follows two-person teams on an adventure around the world. The teams must complete tasks and challenges at each destination in order to move onto the next. The race covers roughly 30,000 miles in approximately 30 days and the first team to reach the final destination receives - you guessed it - a million dollar cash prize. Pictured: Teammates Nathan and Jennifer (left) and Vyxsin and Kynt (right) perform a Road Block during 'The Amazing Race 12', in which one team member must transport the other on a high-wire bike over a 400ft windswept ravine, 200ft above jagged rocks, in order to find their next clue. (CBS/Robert Voets)
Survivor Now in its 17th season, 'Survivor'- the original reality show sensation - is a survivor itself. It's still chugging along, island-hopping in exotic locales and giving away million dollar prizes. In each season, two 'tribes' of contestants are marooned on an island and pitted against each other in grueling physical, mental and emotional competitions; the stakes are raised as contestants vote each other off the island until two finalists remain, who then vie for the million dollar prize. The creators are keeping it fresh with new twists; in this season previous contestants battle against die-hard fans of the show. Pictured: Ozzy Lusth, a 'favorite', during the sixth episode of 'Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites' on the CBS. (Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS)

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