What To Watch
15 Reality Competition Shows Where Strategy Is Everything
When money’s on the line, these contestants’ true colors shine.
By Kirsten King and Caitlin Busch
March 4, 2026
15 Reality Competition Shows Like Survivor and The Traitors to Watch on Netflix Now - Netflix Tudum
Lies, deceit, and traitorous agendas are the markers of a classic competition reality show. With a prize pot in play, contestants’ moral compasses are tested, and their social skills are challenged. Often, it’s not merely the strongest players who survive –– it’s the savviest. Creating alliances and winning trust is just as important as performance.
So if you’re a fan of shows like Survivor, The Traitors, and Big Brother, check out these connive-to-survive reality competition shows.
The Mole
In The Mole — a reboot of an early aughts series — a group of people traverse the world, completing challenges and racking up cash for a coveted prize pot. Among the competitors is one “mole,” whose entire job is to sabotage the group’s winnings. At the end of each episode, contestants get quizzed on who they think the mole might be. The problem? It’s quite tricky to determine what’s deliberate damage from the mole, and what might have been a simple mistake.
Physical: 100
The South Korean reality show Physical: 100 features 100 competitors who are all in peak athletic condition but with vastly different strengths. The show’s a cross between The Challenge and Squid Game: competitors must rely not only on strength and agility, but also on social skills and gameplay. What does strength really mean? And does it make alleged underdogs more of an asset than they seem?
Outlast
Outlast follows 16 contestants who are split into teams and thrown into the Alaska wilderness. With minimal resources, they must test their survivalist abilities while they procure supplies from their unpredictable surroundings. Contestants’ mental and physical stamina are pushed to the brink. Those that make it to the end take home the glory of outlasting the others … and a million dollars.
The Devil's Plan
Brains upstage brawn in the South Korean game show The Devil’s Plan. Stuck together in a house for one week and deprived of their devices, this series follows 12 contestants who compete in games of wit and strategy. The cast is handpicked based on educational background and overachieving nature. But this game’s not just about identifying the smartest of the bunch: Even the keenest of the group, unless they can forge strong alliances among their crew, may find themselves locked up in this unique home’s bedroom slash jail cells. The Devil’s Plan is the ultimate game of EQ and IQ.
Surviving Paradise
A group of 12 partiers arrive on an island expecting to spend the summer living it up in a luxury villa. But the contestants’ dreams are quickly dashed when they realize they won’t be staying in the stunning accommodations they expected, but rather in the wildness nearby. If they can outwit their fellow players, they’ll get bumped back into the villa to compete for a cash prize.
Squid Game: The Challenge
Inspired by the hit show by Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game: The Challenge follows 456 players competing to win the biggest cash prize in Netflix history: 4.56 million dollars. Unlike the scripted show, this reality competition series is not life-or-death, but the stakes are sky-high. Tasked with completing a series of game-based challenges, contestants must either band together — or turn on one another — to survive.
Celebrity Bear Hunt
Hosted by Holly Willoughby, Celebrity Bear Hunt follows a group of celebrities from the UK who are thrown into the Costa Rican jungle and hunted down by Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild). Grylls spends part of the series training them on how to evade capture, survive in the wild, and remain the last one standing. The celebrities are then put to the test when they’re tasked with thwarting Grylls himself from making them his prey.
The Influencer
If you’ve ever wondered how influencers might fair in a competition reality show, wonder no more: The series The Influencer follows 77 Korean stars, each with massive amounts of social media followers, as they compete to prove who has the most “influence.” It’s a game of social reach, attention, and connection, as each influencer must leverage their followings to win.
Zombieverse
If you’ve seen The Walking Dead or Train To Busan, you’ve probably asked yourself: Would I survive a zombie apocalypse? This series, part reality show and part variety show, follows a group of South Korean celebs who are put into increasingly challenging zombie-filled scenarios and tasked with escaping unscathed. The cast doesn’t know what’s coming around the corner, and must rely on one another for their best bet at not getting bit.
Siren: Survive the Island
Survivor: Survive the Island follows 24 women divided into teams by their occupations: police officers, firefighters, bodyguards, soldiers, and athletes. Unlike other reality shows, the competitors aren’t lusting after a prize pot, but playing for honor and as an ode to their professions.
Snowflake Mountain
Like Surviving Paradise, the contestants on Snowflake Mountain are in store for quite a bait and switch. These pampered participants — none of whom ever thought they’d get their hands dirty — arrive in the English wilderness expecting a five-star experience and fresh cocktails. But they quickly learn this sojourn doesn’t involve high thread count sheets: They’re in for harsh wilderness challenges under the watchful eyes of survivalists and hosts Matt Tate and Joel Graves.
The Trust
The Trust brings together a group of strangers and offers them the cash prize right off the bat. The only catch? They have to split it. When the competitors are given the option of eliminating their fellow players to increase the size of their share, things get cutthroat. Each player has their own dream of what they’ll do with the money, and their own limit on how far they’ll go to get it.
Million Dollar Secret
If you love shows like The Traitors, Million Dollar Secret might be your next favorite watch. The reality series kicks off with one person being awarded a life-changing amount of money. Other contestants must sniff out the secret millionaire and secure the cash for themselves. It’s a game of deceit, social strategy, and influence that could ultimately change someone’s life.
Physical: Asia
This Physical:100 spin-off brings together world-class athletes from eight countries to compete for 1 billion Korean won (around $700,000). Unlike the OG series, which features individual competitors going head-to-head, Physical: Asia groups athletes together to represent their countries in a series of brutal challenges. With elite representation from Korea, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia, Turkey, and Australia, it’s anyone’s game.
Battle Camp
When 16 Netflix reality stars come together at a remote camp, they’re greeted by host Taylor Lewan and an enormous spinning wheel that determines elimination. Competitors fight to keep their names off the wheel by enduring physical trials, navigating social gameplay, and accepting harsh punishments — like endless pull-ups and frigid ice baths — in order to win $250,000.
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