How to Watch Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets Without Cable

The Spool Staff
November 23rd, 2024

We love to see ordinary folks live together on reality TV, but what’s more exciting than seeing celebrities do the same? The Surreal Life made its move to MTV for its eighth season Villa of Secrets, with an all-new cast that promises games, drama, and maybe even love.

With the new move, not much is known with how different MTV will take Surreal Life, but the title could imply that these all-star personalities would get even more personal– it’s not called a Villa of Secrets for nothing. We’re excited to hear what sort of secrets will be revealed, so here’s our guide to watching Surreal Life.

Where to watch Surreal Life season 8

The latest season of Surreal Life premieres on MTV on Tuesday, July 23, at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

There is one way to watch the latest season of Surreal Life: live on MTV.

Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets on MTV

You can watch the surreal antics of Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets on MTV without cable on one of these cord-cutting services. Note that availability varies by region for Hulu with Live TV and Fubo.

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream is a streaming service that offers everything from live TV, local channels, on-demand films, sports packages, and even premium cable networks like HBO and Starz for an additional fee. Its plans, which start at $70/month, are on the pricier side of live TV, but that’s because it offers unlimited DVR and streams on top of at least 75 channels, depending on the plan you pick.

Fubo

Designed for the ultimate sports fan, Fubo is an on-demand and live TV service that streams games from multiple leagues including the NFL, NBA, MLB, and the Premier League. You can get up to 215 live channels on your lineup, which includes coverage on RSNs and local stations, though you might have to pay extra if you want premium entertainment channels like Starz and Showtime.

Hulu with Live TV

Combining the best of streaming and cable, Hulu with Live TV pairs Hulu’s original programming like Only Murders in the Building, imports like Normal People, and licensed ABC shows like Modern Family with live TV channels like CNN, CBS, and TCM to give you an all-in-one TV package. The plans start at $77/month (with ads), but for an additional fee, you can upgrade to a bundle that removes commercials and throws in Disney+ and ESPN+ to the mix.

YouTube TV

Often dubbed as the best cordless replacement to cable, YouTube TV is a live TV streaming platform that gives you access to more than 100 channels, sporting events, local channels, unlimited DVR space, and up to three simultaneous streams. But what really gives YouTube TV its edge is customization; depending on your needs, you can easily add premium channels like HBO, sports channels like NFL Redzone, and Spanish channels like Unimas to your preferred lineup.

DirecTV Stream Ultimate

DirecTV Stream Ultimate is the second-biggest package offered by DirecTV Stream. With it, you get up to 160 channels (up 40 channels from the previous tier) across entertainment, sports, and news. That’s almost any channel you can think of—from TBS and USA; to ESPN and CBS Sports; to CNN and BBC News; and so much more. You get it all, plus tens of thousands of on-demand titles for the price of $109.99/month (saving you roughly $40/month from the package after it), so if the budget allows, it's worth trying the Ultimate plan yourself.

Sling TV with All Extras

Sling TV offers Orange, Blue, and various specific package options like Sports and Entertainment extras if you want to bling out on extra channels. Orange offers 34 channels including Disney Channel and ESPN, while Blue offers a little more at 42 channels including MSNBC and Fox News. Each go for $40/month, but together go for $55/month with 46 channels. Plus, you even get $25 off of your first month, making Sling TV (and its various extras) one of the most affordable plans to consider.

Fubo Elite

If you're a sports fan looking to cover all your bases, Fubo Elite has more than 256 channels and 130 live events that cover sports of all kinds, from basketball to cricket to golf. Channels include ESPN, CBS Sports Network, FS1 and FS2, beIN Sports, NFL Network, all the BIG Networks, and more. Depending on where you live, you should also have all the major local networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX. Even though Fubo Elite is a notch above the basic tier, with unlimited DVR and simultaneous screens, it still notably does not have Turner channels like CNN, TNT, and TBS.

DirecTVStream Optimo Más

DirecTVStream's Spanish-language plan boasts a hundred channels, including major networks like Univision and Telemundo in select markets, and plenty of Hispanicized favorites like Nat Geo Mundo, CNN es Español, and Hogar de HGTV. At $80/month, Optimo Más is a lot pricer than other Spanish plans like Fubo Latino, which goes for about $35/month, but it generally has more channels (in Spanish and English alike) and offers great features like three simultaneous streams and unlimited DVR. Unlike with DirecTV cable, you can easily cancel your subscription with the contract-less Optimo Más if you're not satisfied.

Philo

At just $28/month, Philo is one of the most affordable on-demand and live TV streaming services out there. It boasts over 70 live channels, including AMC, Lifetime, and Paramount Network, 70,000 movies, and unlimited DVR. If you ever find Philo’s base package wanting, the service also allows you to stack add-ons like Starz and MGM+ to your plan.

Spectrum TV Stream

Spectrum TV Stream is the internet provider's most affordable TV plan yet. At $40/month, it offers cable channels like CNN, TCM, and Disney, but notably, it does not include sports and local channels in its catalog. For that, you'd have to look at Spectrum's other plans, like Spectrum TV Choice. TV Stream is only available for Spectrum internet users, and to date, it has yet to offer a free trial. It may not sound like it has a lot going for it, but TV Stream is actually a great option for Spectrum customers looking for leaner (read: sports-less) TV packages that can conveniently be paid along with the internet.

Who will be on Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets?

The eight celebrities moving into the villa have no idea what’s in store. This season’s batch boasts plenty of musicians, with Grammy-winner Macy Gray, former Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke, and rapper O.T. Genasis. Chet Hanks, son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, and fellow actor Tyler Posey also joins the cast with some musical talent as well, and rounding up the cast is former Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, TV personality Kim Zolciak, and model Josie Canseco, daughter of baseball player Jose Canseco.

How do I watch the previous seasons of Surreal Life?

The show has been passed between three separate channels, The WB, VH1, and finally MTV, so some seasons aren’t available on certain streaming sites.

However, with MTV now under Paramount Global, nearly all of the seasons are now available on Paramount+, with the latest season soon to follow.

Paramount+

Paramount+ is an on-demand streaming service packed with original series like the Star Trek reboots, Billions, Yellowstone, and Fraiser, blockbusters like Top Gun and Transformers, and live sports from CBS. The ad-supported plan costs $6/month, while the ad-free plan costs $12/month. The latter includes offline downloads, your local CBS station, and the entirety of Showtime, which is home to fan favorites like Yellowjackets and The Curse.