TLC's What Not To Wear Needs A Revival

Over the last few decades, there have been many reality shows which prove how varied the TV genre can be. After all, there have been great competition shows, cooking shows, dating shows, and more. There have also been reality shows that are perfect to binge-watch, that make viewers feel good, and some that are undeniably trashy. If all that wasn't enough, there have also been offensive reality shows that wouldn't fly today which may have starred memorable villains who've crossed the line.

Since the reality TV genre has so much variety, it may seem silly to bring back a show from the past. However, a revival of TLC's What Not To Wear would be fantastic to see today, since nice and mean versions of the show would add something to the reality TV genre that is currently missing.

A What Not To Wear Revival Could Add Some Edge To The Overly Sanitized Version Of Reality TV

Between the years 2003 and 2013, What Not to Wear aired on TLC. Now that it has been more than a decade since What Not to Wear finished airing, a lot of former fans rarely think about the once popular reality show.

Considering that What Not to Wear hasn't been around for so long, it may seem like there is no reason to bring the show back. However, there is more than one reason why now seems like the perfect time for What Not to Wear to be revived.

The first reason why What Not to Wear could be a welcome addition to the TV landscape is how tame reality shows have become. Considering What Not to Wear focused on people's fashion choices being judged, the show could come back with an edge.

Throughout the history of reality TV, there have been several shows that legitimately felt like they were dangerous for the people involved.

Shows like that helped make the reality TV genre feel like it was edgy too. However, many of the reality shows that once felt dangerous are no longer airing. On top of that, some of those dangerous shows that are still around have since become tamer.

Considering how many Survivor players have been medically evacuated over the years, there is no denying competing on the show can be dangerous. On top of that, there is a well-documented history of players walking away from Survivor with infections and parasites that weren't evident on the show.

In March 2019, Men's Health published an article about how much Survivor players sometimes suffer after the show. That article detailed everything from former players requiring serious surgery, mental health intervention, and the removal of parasites, among other things.

That said, watching Survivor has become a lot more tame over the years. In fact, Jeff Probst once said that Survivor wasn't going to have villains anymore. Jeff commented on Survivor no longer featuring villains during an episode of "Rob Has a Podcast" and his comments were summarized in a February 2024 Us Weekly article.

“In the hands of somebody else, I can tell you, Rob, for sure, there would be more villains, more negativity, more yelling at each other. It’s not going to happen when I’m part of the show. I’m just not interested in it.”

Another example of how tame reality TV has become is what has happened to Gordon Ramsay.

In February 2017, Refinery 29 published an article about Gordon Ramsay's sweet side. That article highlighted 11 examples of Gordon committing acts of kindness.

When Gordon Ramsay first became a reality TV star, he was known for yelling at people on shows like Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. While Gordon can still be seen yelling at people during seasons of Hell's Kitchen, his image has mellowed significantly.

On shows like Masterchef and Next Level Chef, Gordon is shown to be a sweet and supportive mentor.

If What Not to Wear made its return to television, the show would stand out among the nicer, kinder versions of Survivor and Gordon Ramsay that fans get now. Since most reality shows want to be so nice these days, What Not to Wear wouldn't even have to be nasty to give the genre its edge back.

In September 2023, Today published an article about Stacy London and Clinton Kelly teaming up for a new show after feuding for years. The pair announced they would be hosting a show called Wear Whatever the F You Want, which will encourage people to embrace their unique style. The plans for that show further prove how sanitized reality TV has become. If Stacy and Clinton are busy with that show, a What Not to Wear revival could feature new hosts.

Instead, What Not to Wear could make reality TV fun again simply by not sanding off the edges.

A What Not To Wear Revival Also Could Become A Feel Good Reality Show

Given What Not to Wear's concept, there is no denying that the show could bring some edge back to reality TV. That said, the truth is that a new version of the show wouldn't inherently have to be edgy.

Throughout reality TV history, there have been some shows that made viewers feel good for one reason or another.

It would make a lot of sense for TLC to bring What Not to Wear back for financial reasons. As anyone who watched the show will no doubt remember, What Not to Wear was a simple show that would have cost very little for the network to produce.

One obvious recent example of a feel good reality show is Queer Eye. After all, many Queer Eye fans couldn't get enough of seeing the Fab Five helping to show people who were struggling in one way or another that there could be a better way.

However, a March 2024 article from Rolling Stone shone a spotlight on what allegedly was going on behind-the-scenes of the supposedly loving show.

That article made several troubling claims, including that Jonathan Van Ness had "rage issues" and could be emotionally "abusive." If that wasn't enough, Rolling Stone's article also cited insiders who claimed the show's cast fought so much that they sometimes couldn't even film scenes together.

Given that the reputation of Queer Eye has been tarnished, the show just doesn't feel the same for some viewers. With that in mind, it could be argued that Queer Eye has left behind a hole that a What Not to Wear revival could fill.

If What Not to Wear could come back and be more life affirming, it would very likely be embraced.