REALITY TV rivets Amy Wang, a 20-year old Shanghai Normal University student, one of the millions of fans that have made the genre so wildly popular in China.

Wang’s favorites include “The Voice of China” on Zhejiang Satellite TV and Dragon TV’s hilarious outdoor reality series “Go fighting!”

The latter program has been adapted into an equally popular suspense-comedy film, featuring film heartthrobs taking on game missions.

“The show has a strong cast and their interaction is one of the highlights,” said Wang.

The soaring popularity of reality TV is spawning a multitude of shows featuring entertainment stars. At latest count, there were some 400 reality or reality-related programs on domestic TV channels and video-sharing websites. Many are based on successful foreign programs.

Shows that draw the biggest audiences stand a chance of being transformed into an entertainment franchise covering publishing, online games and movies.

Officials from the city-based satellite channel Dragon TV say that they are working in tandem with the South Korean network tvN on a second season of the Chinese version of the reality series “Sisters Over Flowers.”

The show is based on a successful Korean format, and follows the 2104 collaboration “Grandpas Over Flowers” in 2014. The new second season of the series will start airing on March 5.

It will feature celebrated Chinese actresses Lin Chi-ling, Wang Lin, Song Dandan, Jin Chen and Jiang Yan embarking on a backpacking adventure to South America and Antarctica. Heartthrob actors will play “younger brothers,” carrying the luggage.

Producers say that the show will give viewers a peep into the real-life personalities of the celluloid stars.

The fourth season of the heartwarming reality show “Super Diva,” also based on a South Korean format, is currently airing on Dragon TV every Saturday evening. In the program, mothers from at home and abroad showcase their singing talent and share stories about parenthood and attitudes toward life.

The show is among the top-rated local shows in that time slot, and is especially popular with ordinary housewives.

Not to be outdone, Star China is now airing the Chinese version of the popular South Korean reality series “Infinite Challenge” on China Central Television Channel 1 every Sunday evening.

In the program, a group of celebrities face interesting and unexpected challenges taking on the jobs of ordinary people, such as firemen, car washers and tea farmers.

A legal dispute over the copyright of “The Voice of China” has made Star China, the former partner of Dutch production company Talpa Media, to revise the format and feature a reality song competition.

The copyright battle heated up recently when Talpa Media canceled its deal with Star China and signed a new contract with Zhejiang Tangde media group to produce the next five to eight seasons of “The Voice of China” as well as a variety of other TV show formats.

Since Star China has already started auditions for the originally planned fifth season of the show, the company had to create new format for the participants.

Kiko Li, a Donghua University student, said she doesn’t care much about who holds the copyright.

“If the program still maintains its usual standard of quality standard, I will keep watching it,” she said. “Still, it’s weird that China has to buy copyrights from other countries. Why can’t we come up with our own ideas?”

Why indeed?

Lu Wei, vice president of Star China, says the company is committed to becoming more original in its reality TV shows.

“A bottleneck for reality TV worldwide has always been originality and innovation,” Lu said. “In recent years, very few reality formats have become popular globally. While in China, so many similar shows squeeze in the same airing slots that we risk reality TV fatigue among audiences.”

One of the most successful homegrown reality formats created by Star China is “Sing My Song,” which features original Chinese pop. Currently, the show’s third season is airing on CCTV 3 on Friday evenings.

The first season of the show attracted 480 million viewers in 2014. The international format rights were purchased by British broadcaster ITV Global Studios that same year — the first time an original Chinese format was exported.

“We will produce diverse entertainment programs that involve both ordinary people and celebrities,” Lu added. “Real-life subjects and the true emotions of people will be on display.”

Another hit original show in China today is “Top Funny Comedian.” The second season of the show is airing on Dragon TV every Sunday night. Comedy routines include sketches, crosstalk, talk shows and farces.

The show is creating a stable of new celebrities. The Happy Twist team, winner of the first season of the show, went on to do the successful comedy film “Goodbye, Mr Loser,” which made 1.44 billion yuan (US$ 218 billion) at the box office in China last year.

In April, the second season of the hit outdoor reality series “Go Fighting!” will air.

Despite a copyright dispute in its first season, the program is still popular with viewers. It challenges six celebrities take up a variety of funny game challenges.

Other highly-anticipated shows set for this year include the fourth season of “Dad, Where Are we Going,” a reality TV program based on parenting in outdoor adventure scenarios, the travel reality series “Uncles Over Flowers” and the third season of the Chinese version of “The Amazing Race.”

In fact, weekend prime-time television is now chock-a-block with reality and related variety shows. More regional satellite TV stations are bidding for successful foreign formats and A-list stars. Celebrities on these shows normally get paid millions of yuan to appear.

Spin-off profits come from advertising sponsorship, product marketing, e-commerce and copyright sales.

Entertainment industry experts said they see no let-up in the trend but warn that program producers should avoid tasteless content and try to come up with their own ideas.

Professor Wu Gang, an academic expert on television from East China Normal University, said Chinese producers need to be innovative and not rely on foreign formats.

“Simply borrowing and copying foreign formats won’t satisfy viewers forever,” he said. “True, purchasing successful foreign formats reduces risk and guarantees high audience ratings, but in the long run, being an imitator is not good for the development of the domestic TV industry.”