competition show
/ˌkɒmpɪˈtɪʃən ʃəʊ/
CommonA reality TV format where contestants compete in weekly challenges and are eliminated until one wins.
As slang, calling something a competition show is often a way to say a situation has become unnecessarily high-stakes, judged, or eliminatory.
Real-world examples3 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | the way they're treating this group project is giving competition show. who voted you the host | Someone is running a collaborative situation like they are the judge on a reality competition. | tiktok, 2023 |
| 02 | every competition show has the same villain arc and it never gets old | A recurring genre pattern is being named with affection. | reddit, 2022 |
| 03 | she walked in and immediately scoped out the threats. pure competition show brain from day one | The person started treating a social situation as a strategic competition immediately. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- Describing the specific reality TV genre built around weekly elimination.
- Calling out a real-world situation that feels weirdly competitive and judged.
- Talking about the tropes of the format: alliances, strategy, villain arcs, final two.
Do not use it when
- You mean all reality TV.Use “reality tv” instead.
- You mean a sports broadcast.
Origin and context
A genre label that predates internet slang. Its use as slang to describe real-life situations gained traction as competition reality TV became culturally dominant.
- First seen
- 2000s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/competition-showUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0