By Megan Riedlinger
6:30pm PST, Feb 13, 2023
_
We're not quite sure how, but some reality romances serve up more drama than even the most fantastical soap operas of yesteryear… and with cameras rolling to catch it all! From couples meeting for the first time on-camera to simply crashing and burning mid-season, some of our favorite unscripted shows have really delivered when it comes to watching love lives deteriorate before our very eyes. Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the most tumultuous couples of reality television, starting with this pair, who are back on Bravo with the season 7 premiere of "Summer House" on Feb. 13, 2023…
"Summer House" seasons are filled with plenty of entertainment, but none as captivating as the rocky relationship between Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula. When things first kicked off on season 1 of the Bravo series, Amanda wasn't yet a cast member but a regular hookup for Kyle. Once the two started dating, she joined the cast for season 2, but that didn't quite signal happily ever after for the beautiful pair partying their summers away in the Hamptons. The season 3 premiere kicked off with Kyle admitting to cheating on her, and we watched Amanda grapple with deciding to stay with the party boy. Their reunion ultimately paid off — during season 4, viewers watched Kyle propose to Amanda on a boat after watching her wonder all season long if he'd ever really pop the question. Season 6 saw the couple finally tie the knot, after a major pandemic delay, so we'll see how the newlyweds are doing once season 7 gets going in February 2023…
Keep reading to relive more of the rockiest of reality romances!
MORE: Long-lasting reality TV couples
_
We all devoured "Love is Blind" when it hit Netflix in February 2020. Giannina Gibelli and Damian Powers were one of the most captivating (and crazy!) couples the show followed, with viewers watching them fall in love without ever laying eyes on one another. The duo made it all the way to the altar but opted not to make things official in a wildly entertaining series of events that included a runaway bride. After refusing to wed, they ended up reuniting and continued to date. They were still together for the follow-up Netflix special "Love Is Blind: After the Altar," but sparks flew when it was revealed Damian invited another Netflix beauty, Francesca Farago from "Too Hot To Handle," to the anniversary party the couples were all attending.
MORE: Notorious celebrity cheating scandals
_
Bravo's addictive "Below Deck" series and its spinoffs have resulted in plenty of entertaining boat-mances, but none as wild as the one between Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux and Daniele "Dani" Soares on "Below Deck Sailing Yacht." The show's second season truly delivered in the drama department when Jean-Luc and Dani kicked off a wild romance that involved a nearly 10-year age gap, an STD scare, infidelity (when Dani hooked up with another stew, Alli), and eventually a pregnancy! It was revealed that Dani was expecting after the couple left the yacht, with all signs pointing to Jean-Luc as the baby's father. When it came time for the season's reunion, which aired in June 2021, Dani confirmed that the baby was indeed Jean-Luc's — while he maintained he wasn't sure of her paternity. He refused to appear with the cast during the virtual reunion, citing work conflicts, but later agreed to appear solo to answer host Andy Cohen's questions. He claimed he would take responsibility after a paternity test was conducted. Eventually, he did, finally confirming in early 2022 that he is indeed Lilly's father.
RELATED: Most shocking reality TV scandals
_
We could pick almost any couple from "90 Day Fiancé," but we've got to go with fan favorites Angela Deem and Michael Ilesanmi. We first met them on one of the show's many popular spinoffs, "90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days." The mismatched couple — Angela, a woman from Georgia in her 50s, and Michael, a 30-something from Nigeria — seemed to make it work against all odds after meeting online. Cameras rolled as they met for the first time when Angela flew to Africa to meet her love, which became one of the most addictive storylines of season 2 in 2018. Michael eventually proposed, but by the end of the season — after squabbles and alleged infidelity — they split. They reunited for season 3 of the series, which culminated in an explosive reunion special that tackled lies, fights, potential financial theft and Angela's possible infertility. The entertaining couple's tale migrated to the original series for season 7 in 2019, where we saw their Nigerian engagement party and attempt to secure a K-1 visa for Michael to marry in the States. When his visa was denied, Angela and Michael married in Nigeria in January 2020, which meant their story moved to yet another spinoff — "90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?" — for that shows fifth season in June 2020. They continued to star on the show for its most recent season 6, which chronicled more of their relationship drama, struggle to get Michael to America and Angela's weight-loss surgery in Los Angeles. Yet just as everyone thought this couple was continuing to beat the odds, the on-again, off-again pair fueled split rumors in December 2021 after Angela posted a TikTok video alluding to being single. "90 Day Fiance: Messy Divorce," anyone?
_
Bravo's "Southern Charm" has delivered some dramatic couplings but none as headline-driving as Austen Kroll and Madison LeCroy. Their romance took center stage on season 6, which covered the new couple dealing with their first big drama back in 2018 — a video of Austen with other women hitting the internet. He maintained it happened before they were "official," but the two ended up splitting… for the first of many times. They reunited later in the season only to break up again after the reunion aired in August 2019. By October 2019, they were back together yet again, and viewers watched their relationship throughout the course of season 7. Their final breakup ironically involved another reality pair — Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari. In December 2020, Madison announced she was single, leading to Austen spending time in Nashville with Kristin. Madison's response? To get cozy with Kristin's ex Jay and spark her own rumors! The celebrity cameos didn't stop there — during the season 7 reunion, which aired in January 2021, it was revealed that Madison had been involved with Jennifer Lopez's then-fiance Alex Rodriguez, which sparked the end of the power couple's relationship as well.
_
Next up? The epic saga that is Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola! Though there was instant attraction, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino got between the new roommates on the premiere of "Jersey Shore." But by episode 3, Sammi and Ronnie were off on their first date. What followed were six seasons full of the fiery pair's screaming fights, breakups and epic reunions, culminating in their decision to move in together on the show's series finale in December 2012. The two stuck it out until 2014, when they announced they'd split for good — only to reunite in March 2016. But by that September, Sammi confirmed they were in splitsville once more… and this time it was for good. She later turned down a return to reality TV on 2018's "Jersey Shore Family Vacation," explaining in a statement that her decision was sparked by a desire to "avoid potentially TOXIC SITUATIONS." Yikes!
_
All hail Speidi! Though they were oft-considered villains on MTV's "The Hills," the relationship between Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag actually endured past the show's expiration date. Heidi was a fixture on the series' 2006 premiere (as Lauren Conrad's flighty roommate) but it wasn't until season 2 that one of the most iconic reality relationships debuted. The world met Spencer Pratt in 2007, and while viewers hated him for starting that infamous sex tape rumor about LC, one person who never seemed to mind was Heidi. The televised bumps in the road — like that one time Spencer kicked her out of his car or when Heidi thought she was pregnant — were later revealed to have been faked for the cameras. And Heidi and Spencer confessed on Bethenny Frankel's now-defunct talk show "Bethenny" that producers even tried to get Spencer to leave Heidi at the altar during their televised 2009 wedding, but he refused. The couple are still happily married despite a dramatic stint on WE tv's "Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars" in 2015 where they clashed over their differing views on when to have kids. They went on to have son Gunner in 2020.
_
On the season 10 premiere of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Shannon Beador's picture-perfect marriage seemed to be crumbling. The reality star opened up about husband David Beador's eight-month affair, sharing that she found out on April Fool's Day in 2015 after a lot of suspicion. The two were adamant about working things out, and the Orange County-based blonde assured viewers, "Divorce is not an option." While most assumed she'd change her tune, Shannon and David made it work. They sought counseling and eventually fans of the show watched the couple renew their wedding vows more than 15 years after they originally tied the knot. Unfortunately, that didn't really do the trick — they split in December 2017 and had a very contentious divorce that wasn't finalized until 2019.
_
Some might say Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott were destined to be a reality television couple considering how they started. Tori was newly married to actor Charlie Shanian when she met Dean on the set of the 2005 Lifetime TV movie "Mind Over Murder" and started an affair. Both split with their respective spouses and Tori and Dean eloped in 2006. A year later, the couple welcomed their first child, son Liam, a week before the debut of their first foray into reality television, "Tori & Dean: Inn Love." The happy couple renewed their wedding vows four years later in 2010 and had two more kids (daughters Stella and Hattie) before their second reality TV show, "Tori & Dean: Sweet Home Hollywood," wrapped up in January 2012. Their fourth child, son Finn, was born nine months later, and shortly after that, rumors about an impending split began to swirl. Tori shut down divorce talk in March 2013 and that June, Dean got Tori's name tattooed in an intimate place to prove his loyalty to his bride. But 2014 would bring different challenges: It was revealed Dean cheated on Tori during a business trip, resulting in the Canadian actor heading to rehab for sex addiction. On the heels of that betrayal, Tori turned back to reality television with Lifetime's "True Tori," revealing the effect Dean's cheating had on the McDermott family. Ultimately, Tori said was grateful for the infidelity, telling Khloe Kardashian on her short-lived talk show "Kocktails with Khloe" that "It changed everything. It really did… for the better." And Tori wasn't lying — in October 2016, the couple announced they were expecting their fifth child: They welcomed son Beau in March 2017. Unfortunately, in 2021, it appeared the couple was going through another rough patch.
_
Jon Gosselin and Kate Gosselin married in 1999 and welcomed twins in 2000 and sextuplets in 2004. The Discovery Channel originally aired specials on the family in 2005 before "Jon & Kate Plus 8" was developed and moved to TLC in 2007. Viewers watched the couple bicker incessantly and only two years later, cheating rumors started, with tabloids linking Kate to her bodyguard and Jon to multiple women. The two announced their separation in June 2009 and by that October, the show's name was changed to "Kate Plus 8." Their divorce was finalized that December.
_
We first fell in love with "Vanderpump Rules" way back in 2013 mainly due to the incredible insanity that was the relationship of Jax Taylor and Stassi Schroeder. The first season saw Jax accused of having a tryst in Las Vegas that left a girl pregnant and led to plenty of subsequent breakups and makeups between the genetically blessed couple. Despite getting Stassi's name permanently tattooed on his body, the Sur bartender ultimately didn't end up with her. The final nail in the coffin? When Jax slept with Stassi's best friend, Kristen Doute. You couldn't script this kind of drama!
_
"Teen Mom OG" stars Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra have really defied the odds. The cute couple met in seventh grade in a music class when they were 12 and have managed to stay together through some tough times. But that's not to say their relationship hasn't been rocky! They made it through the birth of their first daughter, Carly, whom they placed for adoption, which was documented on their episode of MTV's "16 and Pregnant." Fans watched their relationship progress post-baby when they were selected to star on spinoff "Teen Mom." Though their first engagement ended with Tyler calling off their 2013 wedding just a few months before they were due to walk down the aisle, the two eventually got back together and tied the knot in August 2015 after 11 years of dating. And in between the failed and successful wedding attempts? They worked on their issues on VH1's "Couples Therapy" and Catelynn gave birth to their second child, daughter Novalee, in 2015. Despite a continuously rocky road — they split temporarily in 2018 — they went on to have two more daughters together: Vaeda in 2019 and Rya in 2021, less than a year after Catelynn suffered a 2020 miscarriage.
_
Kendra Wilkinson got her start on reality television as one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends on E!'s "The Girls Next Door" and later chronicled her relationship with NFL player Hank Baskett on her very own E! reality show, "Kendra." The two married the same year the show debuted, 2009, and welcomed a son, Hank Baskett IV, that December. Their happy marriage played out in front of the cameras on both "Kendra" and her new reality show after parting ways with E!, WE tv's "Kendra on Top." That series featured the pregnancy and birth of their second child, daughter Alijah, in 2014 — and ultimately chronicled the roughest patch in their marriage: Hank's alleged affair with a transgender model, which went down while Kendra was eight months pregnant with Alijah. It nearly destroyed their union, as tabloids relished reporting the tawdry details and Kendra admitted she once considered suicide in the wake of their split. Hank and Kendra stayed together for a time after his betrayal, but ultimately went through a lengthy divorce that was finalized in 2019.
_
For the VH1 show "T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle," T.I. and Tameka "Tiny" Harris started chronicling their life together after the rapper was released from prison in 2011. The couple, who have been together since 2001 and married in 2010, share seven children between them and have battled divorce talk numerous times over the years. In 2014, rumors swirled when T.I. leased a home outside of Atlanta, where the family home is located, but the two squashed breakup rumors. In 2016, they found themselves battling another round of divorce news so Tiny, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, took to Instagram to fight the speculation — but that December, she ended up officially filing. They eventually reconciled and returned to the small screen for "T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle" on VH1, which debuted in 2018 and had it's fourth season suspended in February 2021 after T.I. and Tiny faced sexual abuse allegations.
_
"Keeping Up With the Kardashians" fans had a front row seat to the roller coaster that is (or was?) Tristan Thompson and Khloe Kardashian's messy relationship. The couple first linked up in 2016 and went social media official that October. Less than a year later, rumors swirled that Khloe was expecting their child, but the reality star wasn't able to have a relaxing pregnancy because in April 2018 — a few days before her due date — Daily Mail and TMZ published reports confirming Tristan cheated. Khloe was still dealing with the fallout when she went into labor and welcomed daughter True, all of which was caught on cameras for season 15 of her family's show. She and Tristan stayed together but Tristan cheated again less than a year later in February 2019 — this time with Khloe's sister Kylie Jenner's best friend Jordyn Woods. Despite that betrayal, Khloe took the NBA star back in 2020 — they even sparked engagement rumors with a post of a big diamond ring in April 2021. That same month, more cheating rumors surfaced, and by the summer, they'd split again. A new bombshell came at the end of the year: Former personal trainer Maralee Nichols filed a paternity suit against Tristan in which she claimed they'd had a sexual relationship for months — and that she conceived when they hooked up in a Texas hotel room on his 30th birthday when he was still in a relationship with Khloe. In January 2022, Tristan fessed up after a paternity confirmed the baby boy, who was born in December 2021, was his. His confirmation included an apology to Khloe that read, "Khloe, you don't deserve this. You don't deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you. You don't deserve the way I have treated you over the years. My actions certainly have not lined up with the way I view you. I have the utmost respect and love for you. Regardless of what you may think. Again, I am so incredibly sorry." We bet this saga will continue to play out for the cameras — this time on the Kardashians' 2022 Hulu series.
_
For years, "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" fans watched Cynthia Bailey and Peter Thomas's marriage unfold. Cameras were rolling before they tied the knot and viewers even saw Cynthia's mom and sister try to prevent the wedding from happening. But the couple still married and went on to have their relationship documented on the Bravo show for five years. In 2016, the pair announced plans to divorce, but their relationship status continued to be murky — she attended the opening of Peter's new club that August, and in October, the couple celebrated his birthday together with the cast in Maui, Hawaii. However, by 2017 the divorce was finalized and they were truly dunzo.
_
The MTV series "The Challenge" was responsible for a bittersweet love connection: Diem Brown and Chris "CT" Tamburello met on the show's 13th season in 2006. They fell in love but had a rough path paved with fights, breakups and makeups airing for the world to see. Throughout their rocky relationship, Diem battled cancer, once in 2006, again in 2012 and then finally in 2014. Before Diem passed away that year, CT actually attempted a reconciliation, proposing to her in the hospital. She ultimately declined his proposal, with sources explaining to Us Weekly, "Diem knew she didn't have much longer to live and she didn't want to be engaged under those circumstances." After her death, CT took to Instagram to share his feelings for his former love, writing, "You have always been My Angel. And now you have your wings. We've been thru so much over the years. Thru the ups and downs we somehow managed to keep our promise. We never gave up on each other. Our plan to be together forever hasn't changed… it's just going to take a little longer now. And I'm going to hold onto this ring for you till we are together again. So don't worry mama, I'm not afraid. I know you will always be with me to give me your strength. You are The Love of My Life. My reason to be a better man. I Love You Always and Forever."
_
On the fourth season of "The Amazing Race" back in 2003, Reichen Lehmkuhl and Chip Arndt were a married team — before gay marriage was even legal. The happy couple were both certainly physically prepared for the challenges of "The Amazing Race," but that didn't mean the grueling tasks didn't take a toll on their relationship. Though they had a rocky start, they eventually won, but unfortunately, taking home top prize didn't bode well for their relationship. Reichen was much too flirty for Chip's taste, something that got him into hot water, which was a factor when the couple split before their season even aired.
_
Another couple that loved to break up and make up? Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler. The pair enjoyed reality TV success with their MTV series "Meet the Barkers," which aired from 2005 to 2006 following their 2004 wedding. Shortly after the second season of their show debuted, Travis filed for divorce. The pair aired their dirty laundry in the media with some pretty public feuds — including some drama involving Travis stepping out with Paris Hilton — before eventually reconciling in March 2007… only to split again months later. The two attempted to divorce in 2008, the same year Travis survived a fiery plane crash, but got back together before splitting again in 2009.
_
Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne were reality show pioneers when MTV's "The Osbournes" chronicled their home life beginning in 2002. The famous couple have been married since 1982, but it hasn't been without its ups and downs. Though their reality show that ran from 2002 to 2005 only portrayed a happy family life, the couple have since gone through some major turbulence. In May 2016, Sharon kicked Ozzy out of the family home after he had an affair with a hairstylist. But by July, they'd reconciled, though she later told The Telegraph in 2017 that he'd actually been cheating with six women. They continue to stick it out, despite Sharon opening up about their "mutually abusive" relationship in September 2021.
