10 Horrifying Reality TV Shows You Won’t Believe Exist

7. Solitary (Fox, 2006 €“- 2010)

When I think of how the idea for Solitary was first floated, my guess is that it went something like this: an exec in Hollywood on a comedown from his latest cocaine binge must have looked at reality TV and thought "There's just not enough sadism in television today. Let's fix that." Solitary sees a number of participants placed in individual octagonal cells that measure ten feet across with no clock (providing an isolation from time), and where all variables such as lighting and temperature are controlled from outside. Including a retractable bed. The participants are permitted almost no contact with the outside world other than communicating with an AI named Val, a two minute phone call before entering the show, and the opportunity to send a letter home at some point.

Over the course of the show, the participants undergo a number of mental and physical tests including solving puzzles, sitting in an incredibly small box for what they perceive to be three hours, and having to hold water in their mouths for one minute that contains additives which simulate the heat of a jalapeno pepper. With the vials of water getting progressively hotter as the test goes on. Were this a legitimate scientific experiment, it may have some value to society and be an interesting look at how the human mind functions. But because this is reality TV, all ethics other than those required by law go out the window and the show's makers take great pleasure in showcasing and even exacerbating the debilitating effects of solitary confinement for our amusement, even going as far as to call one episode "Everyone Goes Mad".