The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word REALISTS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
R
E
A
L
I
S
T
S
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does REALISTS mean?
REALISTS noun- An advocate of realism; one who believes that matter, objects etc. have real existence beyond our perception of them.
- One who believes in seeing things the way they really are, as opposed to how they would like them to be.
- An adherent of the realism movement; an artist who seeks to portray real everyday life accurately.