If you are anything like me and reality shows are sometimes your cup of tea, then becoming a fan of one of these top series in Turkey is a great opportunity to watch the type of shows you secretly love while gaining insight into Turkish culture. Add to that how it allows you to further engage your local acquaintances and practice your Turkish and then suddenly you can justify watching reality TV in Turkey as not just a guilty pleasure."Survivor All Star," the ninth edition of the adventure-reality television series, kicked off on Feb. 22 with a bang taking the number one spot in last Sunday night's prime time ratings. "Survivor" has long been the most popular reality television show adaption in Turkey with seasons pitting "Celebrities against Volunteers ," "Girls against Boys," "Greeks against Turks" and "Canaries vs. 'Lions," in other words, Fenerbahçe football fans against archrival Galatasaray fans. This newest and highly anticipated edition pits 21 all-star cast mates from all former seasons battling out in "celebrity" and "volunteer" teams on a deserted island off the Dominican Republic. So far, it has proven to be worth the hype as the teams of buff and bronze beauties compete in challenges of skill, athleticism and endurance and vote one another off onscreen for over three hours from 8:00 p.m. on through Sundays to Tuesdays."Ütopya" is the Turkish version of the Dutch original reality series "Utopia" in which a group of 15 strangers are tasked with creating their ideal society in an isolated location in nature. The show is addictive for its voyeuristic vibe as you watch the cast bicker, bond, clash and crush on one another as they unsuccessfully try to live in harmony together for 10 months in their own farm with cows, sheep and livestock by dividing labor tasks among themselves and voting out members accordingly. New members, selected via social media, are also brought in to ruffle the feathers of the original cast. This show not only airs every weekday at 11:15 a.m. and has re-runs at all hours of the day, but there are also four 24-hour live feeds to let you snoop to your heart's content. Call it a study in culture or whatever you need to justify how the time can pass as you watch this intriguing group of Turks wade their way through creating their own new world. "O Ses Turkiye" (That Voice is Turkey), the reality singing competition that is Turkey's version of "The Voice," had an exciting season with well-loved judges including Mazhar and Özkan of MFÖ, the lead singer of Athena and Hadise. The show ran on Tuesday and Wednesday night and just concluded last week with fan favorite Elnur Hüseynov, an Azerbaijani singer and 2008 Eurovision competitor taking the title.Ve Kazanan (And the Winner is) is another singing competition that kicked off on Feb. 21 and has vocalists perform duels with the winner determined by a "grand" jury of 101 audience members, led by a "master" jury with Turkey's rock queen Şebnem Ferah and pop prince Kenan Doğulu. The trick to this series is that before the jury decides on the night's victors, they pose the performers the question of whether they want to walk away with a prize of up to TL 50,000 ($20,000) right then and there or if they want to try their luck to see if they are the night's chosen winners to become one of eight to move on to the quarterfinals. This show is another whopper at four hours an episode and airs from Thursday to Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m."Yetenek Sizsiniz Türkiye" (You Are the Talent Turkey) is the in-house version of the Got Talent series. With a panel of judges led by Turkey's king of reality TV, Acun Ilıcalı, this is a fun and lighthearted show to have playing in the background as it runs for a whopping 210 minutes from 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday to Friday nights. It is a great view into Turkish talents and worth it if only for the magic, dance routines and adorable dog performances we all love so much."İşte Benim Stilim" (Here is my Style) is a fashion-themed reality series that has women dress up in their best style to parade in front of a panel of jury members ready to pounce and tear apart their poor fashion prey in order to be named Turkey's most fashionable woman. Famed for its controversial judges who tear contestants apart and have even been fined by Turkey's media watchdog for doing so, this show provides a unique perspective on style, manners and attitude in Turkey. An enigma in reality TV, it is hard to turn away from this show which mesmerizes in its tedium. You have to see it to believe it and you certainly can as it runs for an astounding 240 minutes in the afternoons, evening and late night.Bu Tarz Benim (This is My Style) is a similar fashion-reality show that has eight couples compete in new outfits of their choosing each weekday at 4:00 p.m. to be crowned the most stylish. Although this show also has a respectable yet critical jury, including costume designer Cemil İpekçi, it is the smack talk by fellow contestants that dominates each three-hour episode interspersed with spontaneous dance parties and various acting performances by contestants befitting their outfits."Yemekteyiz" (We're at Dinner) is Turkey's answer to Britain's "Come Dine with Me". This show takes you to the private homes of a set of contestants throughout Turkey each week that compete to win TL 10,000 for preparing and serving the best meal. This 90-minute show, which runs on weekdays at 11:00 a.m., is a hilarious Turkish take on the original as Turks from all walks of life criticize one another's meals with a focus always placed on keeping true to Turkish culinary classics, providing an excellent if at times exhausting opportunity to learn the tricks of the trade in Turkish home cooking."Ver Fırına" (Put it in the Oven), Turkey's version of the "Great British Bake Off," a daytime cooking reality television show that runs weekdays at 2:00 p.m., pits eight contestants against one another every week as they prepare baked dishes with a Turkish flair. Indeed, as its slogan says: "The sweetest competition show on screen," with popular Turkish chef, television personality and true gentlemen Arda Türkmen as judge, this show is more focused on the food and great recipes than on the fussing and fighting and comes highly recommended as my own personal favorite."Evim Şahane" (My House is Wonderful) is a 90-minute unscripted interior-design program that airs on weekdays at 3:45 p.m. in which interior designer Selim Yuhay selects applicants who request a room or part of their home to be remodeled and enters their home with his crew of 100 to make wonders to the homeowner's delight. This being one of the most creative reality shows provides an enjoyable peek into the renovation and transformation of interiors of homes in Istanbul and other regions in Turkey.