Reality TV Betting in the UK

Complete Guide to Betting on Reality TV Shows

Betting on reality TV shows offers an exciting diversion from the regular fare of sports betting. They are seen as accessible, fun markets to take a dip into as they tie neatly into the viewing excitement of this pop culture experience.

The principles of betting on reality TV are just the same as picking out a sports betting option. In addition, straightforward markets are available that punters can jump straight into, such as ‘show winner’ or ‘next person eliminated’. 

Many famous reality TV shows, from Strictly Come Dancing to American Idol, have been around since the early 2000s and are now firmly embedded in UK popular culture.

Staples like I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, and Big Brother led the way, but the entertainment genre has grown substantially over the last two decades and has become increasingly varied. 

So grab the remote, click on the Entertainment section on your preferred betting site's sportsbook and follow the action. 

How to Bet on Reality TV in the UK

The easiest way that you are going to get into reality show betting is by simply jumping online. Most online bookmakers will have some degree of reality TV betting options. However, it will vary from operator to operator how it is listed - on some sites, you may have to look under Specials.

Note that you don't necessarily have to get on a computer to do this. Instead, find a bookie that has highly-rated mobile betting apps. This will offer huge convenience as you can access the markets from the palm of your hand. Everybody has a phone, so you can quickly pull it out while sitting and watching to get your reality TV betting done.

With a computer, phone or tablet to hand, you have everything needed to launch yourself into reality TV betting. The only other thing would be finding a betting site - then you are all set to make those calls on Outright Winners and Eliminations.

Easy Bets

One of the nice things about TV show betting is that it is pretty simple. Even if you have never looked at betting before, it will not be a barrier to doing some reality TV betting. With sports betting, you need to study statistics, dive through the head-to-head records, look at current form and more to make a pick. There is also a vast range of bet types like handicaps and multi-bets to size up.

But not so much with Reality TV betting - it is generally a far more user-friendly area of online betting.

It's more a matter of curling up on the couch and getting a flow of how the particular series of Britain's Got Talent, or Love Island, is panning out. There is plenty of help out there to assist you to gauge who is winning in popularity and/or talent.

One great way to try and figure out how things may pan out in a TV show betting market is to keep up with entertainment news on the TV or the internet. Reality TV is huge and, therefore, well-covered by the media. 

So you may be able to pick up a few titbits of info that will help you with your betting plans. Bookmakers like Paddy Power and Ladbrokes are great for covering reality TV betting markets in their news and blog sections. 

Popular Reality TV Betting Markets 

The simplest way to explore betting on reality TV shows is to look at the outright winner of the current series. This is a great place to start because you will make the call on who you think has the enterprise, ability and personality to go the distance on Britain's Got Talent, for example.

It's easy to find a list of competitors for shows like Celebrity Big Brother posted well ahead of the series being aired. The earlier into the season that you make a selection on the winner of a reality TV show, then the better odds you are going to take.

If you hang around and wait until closer to the end of the series, following a spate of eliminations, the field is narrowed substantially. So you get smaller odds when compared to an earlier pick.

You will not find yourself limited to just the outright winner market for reality TV betting. Other popular markets include Top Female, Top Male, Next Elimination, Top 3 Finish, Top 2 Finish and more. It will depend on your betting site and what reality show it is. 

How to Place a Bet on Reality TV

The level of engagement from Reality TV is fascinating. Watchers have an emotional vested interest to some degree just from looking on. Everyone will have their favourites who they want to do well and those they can't wait to be voted off.

That level of vested interest equates to knowledge, which could be translated to the knowledge of a betting market. That is a huge plus - knowing and understanding the market you are betting on is crucial advice for any wagering.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to place a reality TV bet online: 

The Best Reality TV Shows to Bet on

X-Factor

X Factor started in 2004 and was one of the forerunners of reality TV talent shows. Big names to have come out of the show include One Direction and Little Mix. The UK version was put on the back burner in 2021. However, that doesn't mean a revival won't happen at some point.

Britain's Got Talent

Whether seeing Simon Cowell cringe or Ant & Dec cracking up on the sidelines, the BGT is a reality TV juggernaut. It offers plenty of weekly betting markets come the elimination rounds. Britain's Got Talent has been going strong since 2007.

Strictly Come Dancing

Bringing a touch of elegance to the world of reality TV betting is Strictly Come Dancing. The ballroom dancing show has been around for almost twenty years as well. It's a great reality TV show for frequent eliminations.

Eurovision Song Contest

The good old Eurovision Song Contest - it's a night to revel in some extravagant, multicultural song contest action, often including non-European nations like Australia. It's a sometimes weird and wonderful production spectacle. The standard betting markets are the outright winner, total points a country will receive, the next host city and more.

American Idol

This is one of the most significant reality TV imports across the pond. It's still going strong to this day after it had a revival in 2018. In addition, American Idol celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021. 

The Masked Singer

Innovative and often totally out there, The Masked Singer has become one of the biggest new reality TV betting markets. Based on a South Korean show, the Masked Singer sends celebrities on stage to compete anonymously underneath bizarre costumes. In addition, there are eliminations through the series for TV betting.

The Masked Dancer

Just like the Masked Singer, The Masked Dancer features 12 celebrity contestants whose identities are concealed behind full-body costumes. The contestants dance and offer hints as to who they might be while the judges try to determine each contestant's true identity. This format makes it one of the best TV shows to wager on since, along with the judges, viewers can also try to identify which celebrities are hiding behind the masks. 

Big Brother & Celebrity Big Brother

Arguably the most voyeuristic reality TV show that there is. The Big Brother franchise thrives off the drama, clashes of personality in the house and those tense votes that put players up for elimination.

I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

An absolute staple of reality TV show betting. There's a lot of speculation in the build-up to who will be going into the new season of I'm A Celebrity, to face its often gross tasks. It is a hugely popular reality TV show for ante-post outright picks. Other markets you can find include Top Male, Top Female and Runner-Up.

The Voice

Another singing contest is where the judges don't see the singers and have to make their calls based on what they hear. It has the usual staples of outright winner markets and eliminations.

Dancing On Ice

TV show betting has everything from the ballroom to the ice rink. Dancing On Ice started in 2006, where judges rate and rank celebrities as they team up with pros. It follows the same format as most reality competitions.

Love Island

A slightly different spin on betting on reality TV shows comes from Love Island. Twelve people enter a secluded villa in a beautiful island setting and are recorded. It's a prime recipe for spicy drama. Contestants "couple up" to try and avoid getting eliminated.