By now, we know that the thing with reality shows is that, they’re not always that real. So, what about the shows that take a real-world restaurants or bars and give them whirlwind makeovers? That’s all real and has a “real” impact, right? To find out, we looked at three of TV’s most popular reality food shows to find out what their success rates really look like. 

1. Restaurant: Impossible 

In Restaurant: Impossible, we see Chef Robert Irvine trying to salvage failing restaurants. But, according to Reality TV Revisited, through six seasons and 69 restaurants visited, 52 have closed. That’s a failure rate of 75.4%! But 17 are still open, which is a success rate of 24.6%. 

2. Kitchen Nightmares 

Next, we’re looking at Kitchen Nightmares with Chef Gordon Ramsay. In the seven seasons tracked by Reality TV Revisited, 106 restaurants have been visited, 76 have closed for a failure rate of 71.7%. That leaves 30 that are open, for a success rate of 28.3%. Slightly better than Restaurant: Impossible, but still not Hall of Fame numbers.  

3. Bar Rescue  

Finally, let’s take a look at Bar Rescue, hosted by the absolutely frightening Jon Taffer. Their numbers through six seasons are 124 bars visited and 45 closures. That’s a failure rate of 38.7%. That means 79 of those are still open for a success rate of 61.3%. Not too shabby! 

So, when you see all those happy endings, remember that reality TV producers ultimately have one goal in mind – to get picked up for another season. While the hosts know their stuff, the productions are just parachuting in to get a compelling episode of reality TV. 

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