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10 Reality Shows That Embraced The Adventure Of The Open Road

Never leave home again.
Bill Bradley
By 

Entertainment Editor, HuffPost

CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images

There’s nothing like the open road, especially when you can experience it from the convenience of your own home.

HuffPost is hitting the road for our “Listen to America” bus tour, stopping in 25 cities to hear concerns and learn about our nation. It’s like our own road trip reality show, except not everyone can fit on the bus.

So for all those who feel like they’re missing out, here are some of the best reality TV road trip shows to let you enjoy adventures on the open road without actually having to go anywhere.

"Ice Road Truckers" (2007 to present)
Remember in "Game of Thrones" when Jon Snow ran onto that frozen lake, and it started cracking, and we were all worried?

"Ice Road Truckers" would be like, "Aw, that's cute."

Premiering in 2007, "Ice Road Truckers" shows the lives of drivers who operate trucks on seasonal routes, crossing frozen lakes and rivers. Even Jon Snow would probably prefer dealing with White Walkers.
"The Simple Life: Road Trip" (2004)
U.S. culture truly reached its peak in 2004 when Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie rode across the country in a pink truck.

In Season 2 of "The Simple Life," known as "Road Trip," you can enjoy the pair going on various "simple" adventures, such as putting metal in a microwave, falling off a horse, getting pulled over without having a license and all types of other antics that might have you saying, "That's hot."
Any Anthony Bourdain Show
Anthony Bourdain has a lot of shows that are all the same. Whether it's "A Cook's Tour," "No Reservations," "The Layover," or "Parts Unknown," Bourdain will take you on a culinary and cultural tour of all the places you wish you'd go -- some that even Paris and Nicole haven't covered.
"American Pickers" (2010 to present)
Ever want to stop by a stranger's house and buy the garbage in their yard?

No, because that's gross? That's not the view when it comes to "American Pickers."

In the show, which premiered in 2010, Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz travel around the country buying junk from other people, saying it's worth a lot of money, and then selling it in their stores.

You know what they say: One man's trash is another man's show on the History channel.
"Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" (2006 to present)
Guy Fieri gets a lot of crap online, sometimes even from the aforementioned Anthony Bourdain, but "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" does bring a lot of attention to local eateries and interesting people. That should be commended. It also brings attention to nuanced and subtle ways of describing the culinary experience, such as, "We’re riding the bus to Flavortown!"

Hey, y'all, the Flavortown bus is leaving. All aboard!
"Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels" (2009)
"Flavor of Love" pretty much started it all on VH1. From there, we enjoyed "I Love New York," "Real Chance of Love," and, of course, "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels."

"Rock" really seemed to hit its stride in Season 3 with "Rock of Love Bus." Because if you thought random women competing for the love and affection of the guy who sang "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" was crazy enough, just wait until you see it happen on a bus.
"Road Rules" (1995 to 2007)
Ever wonder what "The Real World" would be like if you packed everyone in a much smaller space with no escape?

Welcome to "Road Rules."

Watch as different people all come together to complete challenges, share their cultures and try their best not to kill each other ... most of the time.
"The 5th Wheel" (2001 to 2004)
In "The 5th Wheel," four people who seem to often say things like, "I go through guys like toilet paper," get on a bus and couple off. Then the provocative fifth person -- the titular fifth wheel -- joins and all hell breaks loose.

The slogan wasn't like "where strangers become lovers and lovers become bitter suicidal exes all in the same show" for nothing.

Get ready to go through episodes like toilet paper.
"The Amazing Race" (2001 to present)
"The Amazing Race" is all the fun of traveling the world with your family without actually having to travel the world with your family. Different teams from different backgrounds all race around the globe with the goal of winning a $1 million grand prize, which should really be the reward any of us earns after a long family road trip.

MTV's "Next" (2005 to 2008)
You know what happens when you pack people on a bus to be taken wheverever, make them reveal embarrasing facts about themselves and then send them on a date that could end at any moment by someone saying, "Next"?

Magic, that's what.

MTV’s “Next,” perhaps one of the greatest shows ever made, is a dating gameshow that's basically a precursor to Tinder. One dater has five potential dates waiting on a bus and can dismiss them at a moment’s notice by saying, “Next.”

The best part of the show is when the dates leave the bus and reveal three personal facts, such as how they fantasize about "The Little Mermaid" or poop in a box and mail it to an ex.

You don't need to get FedEx'd a package from someone on "Next" to know this show is the poo.

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