Favorite reality shows of the first half of 2024 | members only

Has there been a bigger disappointment this year than the all-too-quick divorce of _The Golden Bachelor_ couple Gerry Turner, 72, and Theresa Nist, 70, announced just three months after

their televised nuptials? But while it may be hard to transfer onscreen fairy tales back into the real world, unscripted TV continues to provide all manner of gripping drama, head-to-head

competition and laugh-out-loud moments. Here are AARP’s favorite reality TV offerings of the year so far. The newest season of "The Amazing Race" contains all the usual

globe-trotting thrills. Jeffrey Neira/Getty Images _THE AMAZING RACE_ (CBS) There’s a clockwork precision to CBS’s venerable series in which two-person teams travel to foreign cities to

compete for a $1 million prize. Season 36, shot in 2022, contains all the usual globe-trotting thrills — though there seems to be a huge uptick in map-related confusion this time around.

Couples who are not always on the same (map) page can create sparks, of course, and that makes for riveting TV. Plus, it was fun to watch 27-year-old Danny pushing his scrappy 55-year-old

schoolteacher mom, Angie, out of her comfort zone. Where to watch _The Amazing Race_ The first "Golden Bachelor," Gerry Turner. Brian Bowen Smith/ABC _THE BACHELOR _(ABC) At least

one critic has proclaimed Season 28, featuring tennis teaching pro Joey Graziadei seeking a fiancée among 32 contestants, “the best _Bachelor _season of all time.” And it’s not just because

of the sour taste left by the much-hyped _The Golden Bachelor_, whose 70-something couple’s marriage lasted just 100 days after the cameras finished rolling. Graziadei broke convention by

being a stand-up guy who didn’t blurt out the L-word to multiple women and even mercy-eliminated candidates before the rose ceremony instead of dragging out the suspense. Plus, he seemed

game to don costumes, plug sponsors and revel in some of the more ridiculous aspects of the franchise. He deserves his happily-ever-after with his chosen mate. Where to watch _The Bachelor_

Glass artist Robert G. Burch appears on season 4 of Netflix's glass blowing competition show "Blown Away." Netflix _BLOWN AWAY_ (NETFLIX) You’d think that watching a

competition series about artists would be, well, like watching paint dry. But _Blown Away_, which pits experienced and seriously talented glass-blowers against each other for a $100,000

prize in the latest season, shatters expectations — as well as delicate works in progress. Not only do the competitors work up a serious sweat around 2,000°F furnaces, but all too often

their creations come crashing to the floor in the final minutes. This season’s standout was Karen Willenbrink Johnsen, 62, a glass-blowing instructor with a kooky personality who started

the season creating several of her signature, hyperrealistic birds instead of showing a wider skill set. Where to watch _Blown Away_