6 Reality Shows Like Twentysomethings: Austin You Must See

‘Twentysomethings: Austin’ is a cozy reality series that follows a group of strangers in their 20s as they move to the vibrant capital of the Lone Star State and live together while navigating all aspects of life. It incorporates the highs and the lows of friendships, romances, and careers to create a production that is as dynamic as it is dramatic while also being pretty low-stakes.

So, if you’ve already binged the 12 episodes and are now looking for more light-hearted entertainment like it, we’ve curated a clear list for you. You can watch most of these shows similar to ‘Twentysomethings: Austin’ on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.

6. The Circle (2020-)

Produced by Studio Lambert and Motion Content Group, ‘The Circle‘ is an incredible social experiment-like series that essentially takes a deep dive into the concept of popularity. This Netflix original revolves around a unique set of rotating competitors as they move into different apartments of the same complex building and start interacting via a specially designed titular app.

They never meet face-to-face, which enables anonymity as well as miscommunication and vulnerability. After all, the players can be whoever they want to be behind the screens to forge good relationships and win the $100,000 grand prize. Yet, these connections are often so pure that they do remind us of ‘Twentysomethings: Austin.’

5. Bling Empire (2021-)

Even though ‘Bling Empire‘ is not a production that showcases strangers turning into mates or rivals, it does include those same compelling traits because it’s about an actual friend group that already has those bonds in place.

In this Netflix original, we get a glimpse into the lavish lives of the affluent Asian and Asian-American socialites of Los Angeles, California, as they navigate their interpersonal drama during their extravagant parties and exorbitant shopping sprees. Honestly, though, despite their financial standing and opulent ways, their issues are almost identical to that of an average person, making it clear that money helps, but it isn’t everything.

4. Big Brother (2000-)

In ‘Big Brother,’ a long-running CBS reality show, a set of contestants from all walks of life is locked up in a “house” together for roughly 80-100 days under constant surveillance. That means that their every move and every word is recorded and edited for our entertainment, giving us the actuality of what life can be like in complete isolation.

The participants interact with one another, strategize to form strong alliances, complete weekly tasks, and ultimately eliminate others through voting to get to the end and win. The personal realizations and associations make it remarkably similar to ‘Twentysomethings: Austin.’

3. Road Rules (1995-2007)

Although the original ‘Road Rules’ came to an end after 14 seasons back in the summer of 2007, it is still one of the best reality shows because it combines both travel and coming-of-age experiences into one. After all, it follows a diverse group of five or six strangers in their late teens or early-20s as they’re chosen to travel together in an average-size RV. Stripped of their money and forced to stick by one another, they have to examine clues and complete missions at every location to earn rewards.

In short, like ‘Twentysomethings: Austin,’ it’s a light-hearted production about young adults trying to balance various aspects of life while undertaking new adventures. We should mention that a revamped version of ‘Road Rules’ is being developed for Paramount+.

2. Terrace House (2012-2020)

‘Terrace House‘ is a Japanese series that revolves around six individuals — three men and three women — as they live under the same roof to get to know each other and build friendships as well as relationships. Unlike most such productions, the contestants are allowed to go on about their daily lives and keep their day jobs; they only have to return to the house and make time for group events, along with a few dates — quite exactly like ‘Twentysomethings: Austin.’ Moreover, if one cast member decides to leave mid-way, a new one is invited to join in to keep up the dynamic.

1. The Real World (1992-2019)

Created by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, ‘The Real World’ can only be described as the original ‘Twentysomethings: Austin.’ It’s an MTV original that stars around eight young adults with different backgrounds, sexual orientations, and beliefs, who are hand-picked to temporarily live in a new city together while being constantly filmed.

They not only cover topics like sexual health, prejudice, politics, and addiction, but they also let their inner child out to highlight what being a young adult is really like. The original show ended after 33 seasons, yet a couple of recent spin-offs have been announced.