Continuing with my look back at the best TV of the Aughts, today it’s all about reality-based shows. Not necessarily reality shows (though there are some), but shows that had some basis in reality, whether news or sketch comedy or documentary. These are the reality-ish series that I couldn’t do without. Barely missing the list: “Insomniac with Dave Atell” (great drunken travelogues), HBO’s “Inside the NFL” (the best sports analysis show out there) and “Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares” (the superior BBC version, which very easily could be my No. 10)

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10. “Bands on the Run” (VH1, 2001). This battle-of-the-bands series only lasted one season, and I loved it to death. The competition pitted four unsigned bands against each other with cash and a record contract going to the winner. The bands — hard-drinking indie rockers (and winners) Flickerstick, all-girl emo/goth outfit Harlow, frat rockers (and soulless villains) Soulcracker and the noodling, mellow Josh Dodes Band — toured across America, doing their own publicity and selling swag, and the weekly winners were whoever made the most money from ticket sales and merchandise. It was a very cool, very competitive inside look at up-and-coming bands. I have no idea why the show got canceled, and it seems like it could relaunch today and be a huge hit in the current landscape of finding top chefs, top models, top dance crews and top tween/adult-contemporary idols.

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9. “Deadliest Catch” (Discovery, 2005-present). This gripping documentary follows crab fishermen in the Bering Sea, through sub-zero temperatures, giant rolling waves and brutally long workdays. The high risk of injury, horrible weather and high stakes (a full load can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars) create tons of real-life drama. It’s a fascinating show that just sucks you in as a viewer, and will make you think twice before complaining about your workplace again.

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8. “MythBusters” (Discovery, 2003-present). The series that makes science fun. The show features special-effects industry veterans Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman and their team of helpers as they test — and often bust — urban legends, old wives’ tales and general mysteries of the universe. Is money dirtier than a toilet seat? (Yes.) If you sneeze with your eyes open, will they pop out? (No.) Will a jawbreaker explode if left in the sunlight too long? (Oh yes.) Thanks to the hosts’ sense of wonder and their joy of mayhem (they take particular glee in blowing things up), it’s one of the most consistently entertaining — and yes, educational — things on TV.

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7. “Top Gear” (BBC, 2002-present). Sometimes I just turn it on to just hear the purring of high-powered European engines. But you don’t have to be a gearhead to love this car show. It’s a hilariously snarky series that’s obsessed with speed and style, but just below the surface lies an underlying love affair between man and machine. Want to know how fast a Zonda can go? (For that matter, wanna know what a Zonda is?) Want to know if you can turn a VW camper into a boat and sail it across the English Channel? Want to know how fast Simon Cowell can tear around a race track? Tune in and find out the answers to these and many other questions you never even knew you had. Plus, the cinematography is beautiful.

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6. “No Reservations” (Travel Channel, 2005-present). Renowned chef Anthony Bourdain’s culinary travelogue never ceases to fascinate, whether he’s eating roast pig in the Philippines, drinking too many caipirinhas in Brazil or avoiding Israeli airstrikes in Beirut. The locales aren’t always exotic (Buffalo? New Jersey?), but his on-the-street exploits and interactions bring his destinations alive. It’ll inspire the travel bug in anyone, but don’t watch on an empty stomach – you’ll get reeeeally hungry.

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5. “Chappelle’s Show” (Comedy Central, 2003-2006). Without question, the greatest sketch comedy series of the decade. Sometimes shocking, almost always raunchy, Dave Chappelle’s racially charged brand of comedy never shied away from controversy, and succeeded in always pushing the envelope just a little bit farther. In two short seasons (the third was cut short when Chappelle abruptly walked away from his $50 million contract), he created a host of insanely funny characters and sketches, and made an indelible mark on pop culture.

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4. “The Amazing Race” (CBS, 2001-present). Easily my favorite reality show. Though certain seasons have dipped in quality, it’s consistently among the most compelling hours on TV and has won an Emmy for every year there’s been a reality category. The concept is simple enough: Teams of two race around the world in a quest for $1 million, overcoming challenges and picking up clues to their next destination along the way. The show works because the format has stayed more or less pure — it doesn’t rely on the scheming or sabotage  or gimmicks to win. Real-life skills, smarts and luck are the key factors, and the nice guys really can finish first (though not as often as I’d like).

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3. “Top Chef” (Bravo, 2006-present). The best pure competition reality show out there, pitting incredibly talented professional chefs in high-pressure tests of their talents. This is the one reality show for people who think reality shows are beneath them. Though I haven’t always agreed with the winners (Hosea still kills me), the kitchen skills and creativity of the finalists have never been in doubt. Perhaps the greatest sign of the show’s quality and integrity is the way the culinary world has embraced it. When luminaries such as Thomas Keller, Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud and Joel Rubuchon are supporters, you know it’s something special.

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2. “The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central, 2005-present). The companion to “The Daily Show,” Stephen Colbert’s blowhard brand of faux-punditry is wildly successful in skewering politics in general and conservative politics in particular. Combining razor-sharp writing with absurd satire, no other show is so adept at exposing the ridiculousness of current political rhetoric, and popping the bubble of self-importance of those who spout it.

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1. “The Daily Show” (Comedy Central, 1999-present). OK, here’s where I tweak my rules. Technically, Jon Stewart took the show’s helm in 1999, but its influence on the past decade (since “Indecision 2000,” really) has simply been too groundbreaking and profound to not be included. Besides, it wasn’t until this decade that the show graduated from obscure late-night comedy to the most trusted newscast on TV (sadly, true). Armed with a finely honed wit, an everyman’s sense of incredulty and a foolproof BS detector, Stewart put out the smartest, funniest, most biting satire in a decade that hurt so much that you had to laugh to keep from crying. In the process, Stewart matured from a comedian to the nation’s ombudsman, a political and media watchdog so desperately needed in an America filled with spin and talking points. “The Daily Show” proved that, thankfully, irony didn’t die with 9/11.

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Hey, wait, where are “Survivor” and “American Idol,” you ask? In a nutshell: Don’t like ’em, don’t watch ’em. “Survivor” is good about every fourth season (this last one wasn’t bad), but it was more of an influentual show than a consistently great one. Same with “Idol.” Huge impact – it totally changed the TV and music landscape – but since it was mostly in terms of inundating the country with awful pop music (OK, I admit Kelly Clarkson can sing a damn catchy tune, but that’s it), I refuse to watch. My list, my rules. You can register your complaints with the PD’s resident “Idol” fan.

Previously: Top 10 canceled shows of the decade

Top 10 sitcoms of the decade.

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