For many of us, reality TV is the ultimate guilty pleasure. Whether we’re watching people look for love, show off their talents or navigate challenges en route to a cash prize, one thing is always guaranteed — there will be drama. The biggest moments have a way of transcending their individual series to become a larger part of pop culture, and below are 32 of those iconic reality TV moments.
Real Housewives Of New Jersey Table Flip
Everyone’s heard of Teresa Giudice, and that’s thanks in part to the infamous table flip in Season 1 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. After being told by Danielle Staub to “pay attention,” as she addressed rumors and gossip being spread about her, Giudice went ballistic, banging her hands on the table and ultimately flipping it in rage.
Tyra Banks Screams At America's Next Top Model Contestant
On Season 4 of America's Next Top Model, Tyra Banks could not maintain her composure after contestant Tiffany Richardson appeared to have a blasé attitude about that week's challenges. After it was announced that Richardson had been eliminated, Banks gave her now-famous speech, shouting, "I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!"
Kim Kardashian Cries Over Her Lost Earring
Kim Kardashian is the queen of reality TV, thanks to iconic moments like the 2011 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians in which her then-fiancé Kris Humphries threw her in the water during a family vacation, causing one of her $75,000 earrings to fall out. Not only did we get a great ugly cry face in this scene, but her sister Kourtney's iconic quote: "Kim, there's people that are dying."
Snooki Is Punched By A Stranger On Jersey Shore
By all accounts, Jersey Shore has got to be one of the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, but things got serious in the first season when an altercation between Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and a guy in a bar resulted in him punching her in the face. MTV controversially showed the whole scene in its original 2009 airing but blacked out the screen during the assault on repeats. The man was arrested and reportedly got fired from his job when the episode aired.
Lauren Conrad’s Mascara Tear On The Hills
Lauren Conrad was involved in plenty of drama during her time on The Hills, but one image sticks out more than any other. Her Season 4 fight with Audrina Partridge had L.C. in her feelings, with a single black tear falling down her face, leaving a trail that went unwiped and unforgotten.
Giannina Is Love Is Blind’s Runaway Bride
On the first season of Love Is Blind, Giannina Gibelli was completely humiliated when, after saying "I do" to Damian Powers, he did not return the favor. Gibelli quickly walked up the aisle, straight out the door and took off running as a camera crew chased her. She trudged down a road, through some grass and ultimately got mud all over her wedding dress when she slipped in a ditch.
Real World: Seattle’s Stephen Slaps Irene
Stephen and Irene were a hot mess on Real World: Seattle. After Irene announced that she was leaving, the two exchanged some heated words, with Stephen throwing her teddy bear in the water and her outing him as a "homosexual" on national TV. As Irene's cab started to pull away, Stephen chased her down, opened her door and shockingly slapped her in the face.
William Hung’s Infamous American Idol Audition
In the early days of American Idol on Fox, the show would sometimes feature "bad" auditions for the sake of humor. The most famous of these was undoubtedly William Hung, who became a laughingstock with his cover of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs."
The Note On Jersey Shore
In an attempt to anonymously clue Sammi Giancola in on Ronnie Ortiz-Magro's cheating on Jersey Shore Season 2, Nicole Polizzi and Jenni Farley typed out all of his transgressions in The Note. After an investigation within the house led right back to Snooki and JWoww, a huge brawl ensued between Farley and Giancola.
Justin Timberlake Cries On Punk’d
In the very first episode of Ashton Kutcher's Punk'd on MTV, Justin Timberlake was told by a fake IRS agent (an unknown-at-the-time Dax Shepard) that his house, cars and even his dogs were being repossessed by the government because he owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes. The pop star cried and called his mom until the That '70s Show actor revealed himself.
Jonny Lies About Grandmother’s Death On Survivor: Pearl Islands
Jonny "Fairplay" Dalton went full pro-wrestling heel on Survivor: Pearl Islands, crying as he told his castmates that his grandmother had passed away. He later revealed to cameras that it was all a ruse to gain an advantage in the game.
Pedro Zamora Reveals He’s HIV Positive On Real World: San Francisco
The subject of HIV and AIDS was highly misunderstood by many in the '80s and '90s, and while divulging such personal information would take great courage even today, coming out as gay and HIV positive on TV was simply unheard of back in 1994. On The Real World: San Francisco, Pedro Zamora educated his housemates — and America by proxy — about the disease, making him one of reality TV's most important figures. He died at the age of 22, just hours after the final episode of The Real World: San Francisco aired.
Jessica Simpson’s Chicken Of The Sea Mixup
Jessica Simpson has released pop albums, acted in movies, and started a fashion line, but she'll always be remembered for not knowing if her tuna was fish or chicken on Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica.
RHOBH Fight Becomes A Meme
If you've never seen the above image before, I'm going to guess you've never been on any social media platform. This photo of Taylor Armstrong from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills crying and pointing her finger at Camille Grammer has become the go-to meme to illustrate anyone with a passionate opinion.
The Bachelor’s Colton Underwood Jumps The Fence
Colton Underwood's time on The Bachelor was not easy, but things really came to a head after Cassie Randolph broke up with him, causing him to jump a fence to escape production. Chris Harrison was sent after him, calling out as he and the camera crew searched for Underwood down a pitch-black road.
Jon & Kate Plus 8 Separation Announcement
It was clear to any viewer of the TLC reality series Jon & Kate Plus 8 that there was tension between Jon and Kate Gosselin, but that didn't make it any less shocking when they announced their split on a May 2009 episode. In separate interviews, Jon and Kate each revealed that they had decided to separate for the sake of their children.
Trading Spouses’ God Warrior
Fox's Trading Spouses got more than it bargained for (or maybe exactly what it wanted) when Marguerite Perrin, thereafter known as the "God Warrior," moved into a Wiccan home. Upon returning to rural Louisiana, Perrin's tirade went viral — not an easy thing to do in 2005 — and that scream of, "She's not a Christiaaaaan!" is still ringing in our ears.
The Bachelor Airs Unedited Footage Of Arie Dumping Becca
Shortly after Arie Luyendyk proposed to Becca Kufrin on Season 22 of The Bachelor, the racecar driver had a change of heart and chose to dump Kufrin in favor of runner-up Lauren Burnham. The breakup was filmed by ABC's cameras and then aired on what was, for obvious reasons, a controversial season finale. The footage was supposedly unedited, utilizing a split screen to show the incident from Kufrin and Luyendyk's perspectives simultaneously.
Dan Stages His Own Funeral On Big Brother
Dan Gheesling knew he was a "dead man walking," so to speak, on Season 14 of Big Brother, so he concocted one of the wildest plans in reality TV history, staging his own funeral and falsely accusing his top ally Danielle of betrayal. His big swing paid off, as Gheesling survived not just the week, but all the way to the final two that season.
The Voice’s Adam Levine Throws His Team Member Under The Bus
In one of the most controversial moments in The Voice's history, Adam Levine played favorites on Season 15 when he found two of his team members in the bottom three. After DeAndre Nico performed to try to earn America's Instant Save, Levine shockingly asked viewers to vote instead for Nico's teammate Reagan Strange, who was sick and unable to perform. While many were confused by the move, it worked, and Nico was eliminated.
Flavor of Love’s Mess On The Stairs
When you gotta go, you gotta go. Flavor of Love 2 contestant Tykeisha Thomas, aka "Somethin," simply wasn't able to make it to the bathroom, and it wasn't long before Flavor Flav and the other women became aware of the No. 2 she left on the stairs.
Top Chef: The Case Of The Missing Pea Purée
Where were you when the Pea-gate Scandal hit Top Chef's seventh season? After fretting over what to pair with his salmon, contestant Alex Reznik was shown plating his fish atop a pea purée. Meanwhile, his castmate Ed Cotton was running around the kitchen looking for his own pea purée that had gone missing from a cooler. Coincidence?
Survivor: Cagayan's J'Tia Dumps The Rice In The Fire
J’Tia Taylor secured her place in reality TV lore on Survivor: Cagayan, when she went on an epic rant and dumped all of the rice that her already-whittled-down and hungry tribe had left into the fire.
Abby Lee Miller Gets Slapped In The Face On Dance Moms
Dance Moms was known for plenty of fighting but rarely did anything turn physical. During possibly the most intense scene on the Lifetime show, Brooke and Paige's mom Kelly Hyland slapped Abby Lee Miller and pulled her hair after the dance instructor advanced on her while gnashing her teeth. Hyland was arrested and charged with assault, and she filed her own lawsuit days later alleging assault, breach of contract and other offenses.
Love Is Blind’s Zanab Destroys Cole At The Altar
It's always a big moment when someone says "I don't" at the altar on Love Is Blind, but Zanab Jaffrey went a step further by absolutely demolishing fiancé Cole Barnett in front of their friends and family. As far as wedding vows go, it's probably not a good sign when they start with: "You have disrespected me. You have insulted me. You have critiqued me. And for what it is worth, you have singlehandedly shattered my self-confidence."
Kourtney Kardashian Delivers Her Own Baby
The Kardashian family members have made quite a few boss moves over the years, but possibly none of them was more impressive than when Kourtney Kardashian reached down during labor to bring her own son Mason into the world on Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
90 Day Fiancé: Danielle Calls Mohamed A User
90 Day Fiancé couple Danielle Mullins and Mohamed Jbali seemed doomed from the start, with her family (and viewers) questioning the Tunisia native’s intentions. The bad vibes seemed to be warranted, as the couple became estranged after Mohamed got his green card, and things came to a head when Danielle confronted him in the streets of Miami with a binder of proof that, “You’re a user, Mohamed!”
Amazing Race’s Mika Won't Go Down The Waterslide
Mika Combs and Canaan Smith saw their journey on The Amazing Race 15 end after Mika, who was afraid of both heights and water, was unable to go down a six-story waterslide in Dubai. She had an epic meltdown as Canaan tried apparently for 45 minutes to get her to complete the challenge, even grabbing her arms and trying to force her onto the slide at one point.
The Hills’ Final Shot
There were a lot of questions about how "real" The Hills actually was, and the series finale provided an answer in epic fashion. After a tearful goodbye between Brody Jenner and Kristin Cavallari in the final scene, he appears to be standing in front of the Hollywood sign as he watches her limo drive away. The camera then pans out to reveal they're in a studio backlot, and the Hollywood sign backdrop is wheeled away as Cavallari — whose limo never actually went anywhere — exits the vehicle and hugs Jenner.
Survivor’s Rat And Snake Speech
Dozens of seasons into Survivor, perhaps the most infamous scene hails from the very first finale when Sue Hawk made TV history with a speech comparing Richard Hatch to a snake and his fellow finalist Kelly Wiglesworth to a rat. She appealed to the jury to let it end the way Mother Nature intended: “For the snake to eat the rat.”
RHOA’s NeNe Leakes Says, ‘Close Your Legs To Married Men’
Kim Zolciak and NeNe Leakes had some wild moments on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, but one of the sickest burns was served up during the Season 1 reunion after Zolciak clarified her situation with “Big Poppa.” She told Andy Cohen that her on-off man was going through a divorce but was still legally married, ultimately prompting Leakes’ infamous line: “Close your legs to married men.”
Phaedra Pleads ‘Not Ekin-Su’ On The Traitors
Phaedra Parks has had plenty of noteworthy moments on reality TV, but she became an instant meme on The Traitors Season 2 with her reaction to learning that Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu had drunk from the poisoned chalice. Parks’ mouth dropped, eyes rolling back in her head as she pleaded, “Oh my Lord, sweet baby Jesus, not Ekin-Su. Lord, not Ekin-Su,” fanning herself with a napkin as if she were about to faint.
As long as there's reality TV, there will continue to be iconic moments like these, and I for one can't wait.
