Drama, disses and disputes: 8 of the most scandalous fights on reality TV - Prestige Online Singapore
One of the underlying reasons why reality television has witnessed a cult-like following in the last decade is simply because of the scandalous, hair-grabbing fights its producers are willing to air. Without the sprinkling of nail-biting feuds, toxic commentary, and petty drama, how else would these unscripted shows transform into historic pop-culture moments? Right from Jersey Shore in 2009 to The Real Housewives franchise and Selling Sunset more recently, we take a deep dive into the most scandalous fights on reality tv shows.
Why do we love watching reality television?
Label them "cringey", "trashy" and every other insult in the book, but reality television has proven to have a different chokehold on audiences. While the 1984 release, Candid Camera, could be considered a prototype for this genre, it was only in the 90s and early 2000s that reality TV truly mushroomed into a globally-recognised subcategory. Shows like Big Brother, American Idol, and Survivor were catalysts in this phenomenon, creating a dedicated group of reality tv enthusiasts.
But, what is it that gets us hooked onto such shows? Is it the voyeuristic appeal? Or do we seek to empathise with the people we see on our screens? The psychology behind humans gravitating toward such high-drama content has been the subject of many studies in the recent past. "Reality television provides an easy, and legal, way to peer into the lives of others. Essentially, it's like a much juicer version of stalking your favourite celebs on Instagram," argued Dr. Wendy Patrick, J.D., M.Div., Ph.D., in an interview with Distractify.
Michal Hershman Shitrit and Jonathan Cohen from the University of Haifa in Israel examined the contrasting perspectives around reality television for a study in the Journal of Media Psychology. After surveying 183 participants about 12 different shows including local versions of well-known productions such as Big Brother, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Master Chef, and Super Nanny, their research concluded that humiliation was not the central motivation, but rather it was empathy that drove audiences.
What are some of the most controversial fights on reality shows?
Despite the many reasons assessed by such studies, the deep-rooted inclination towards reality shows can have different origins in different people. While controversial feuds have always garnered a lot more publicity, it can be argued without a doubt, that such fights in turn have contributed to the success of the shows they've been featured on. Think Kim Kardashian attacking her sister with a bag on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, or Snooki's infamous sucker punch on Jersey Shore — they've all been discussed, analysed, and meme-ed, if not anything else. Without further ado, we take a look at the most scandalous fights on reality television.
Christine vs Chrishell and Mary (Season 2), Selling Sunset
While Chrishell Stause and Christine Quinn have always been at loggerheads straight from season 1 of Selling Sunset, it was only with Mary's wedding in the second season that all tensions came bubbling to the top. When informed about the conversation regarding the timeline of her relationship, Christine took the opportunity to confront her Oppenheim colleagues at an open house hosted by Heather. Naturally, things got extremely heated with former besties, Mary and Christine, taking centrestage to express their frustrations. It is only when Mary exited the situation that Christine upped the ante by calling her "a f*cking idiot" on camera, leaving Chrishell visibly annoyed.
In the sequences succeeding this meltdown, Chrishell played messenger by revealing to Mary exactly what Christine had labelled her. In the episode 'Karma's Gonna Get You', both parties were propelled into another tumultuous fight, this time bringing others like Amanza into the mix. The drama further intensified when Christine realised that she and a handful of others were not invited to Mary's "real bachelorette".
Jax & Frank in Vegas (Season 1), Vanderpump Rules
When the SUR employees travelled to Las Vegas to celebrate Stassie's birthday with her new boyfriend, Frank, all did not go down well with Lisa, who was left to handle the restaurant single-handedly. As a natural outcome of Stassie and Jax's past relationship, the latter was disinvited from the rager. He arrived nonetheless, bringing with him an air of animosity. Right off the bat, he began belittling Frank, describing his relationship with Stassie as bogus and labelling him a "pawn". Stassie, who clearly did not want Jax hijacking her birthday, was seen taking a stand, all of which culminatds in a heated argument among the three. If you thought the Scandoval infidelity drama from the last season was big, dig into the previous instalments for some jaw-dropping feuds!
Kim Kardashian Vs Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian (Season 2, 18), Keeping Up With The Kardashians
In one of the most historic fights ever captured on camera, Kim erupted at her sister Khloe for commenting about her latest purchase, a brand new Bentley. Prior to the screaming match, Khloe, Kourtney, Rob, and Scott Disick were seen enjoying a meal while discussing the reality TV star. What they were unaware of was Kim waiting outside, listening in on every detail. What followed was the then-28-year-old assaulting her younger sister with her purse. "Don't be f****g rude!", Kim yelled as she continued to hit Khloé with her bag before storming off.
A more recent altercation that rocked the Kardashian sisters came from season 18 when Kim and Kourtney were seen disagreeing on their work ethics. The eldest Kourt found it hard to digest that the influencer-entrepreneur dismissed vital health issues like anxiety and sickness when speaking about work challenges. "You have this narrative in your mind. I will literally fuck you up if you mention it again. Literally, shut the f-k up! Change the narrative in your mind! I work my f-g ass off," Kourtney added. The argument reached new heights when Kourtney ended up yelling at Kim: "If I didn't want to work my ass off, and I did want to be a stay-at-home mom, that's f-g fine."
All hell broke loose at this point with Kourtney aiming a water bottle at her younger sister. Blows and punches were thrown at each other, in a televised fight that has chalked up millions of views on YouTube. The relationship between the two Kardashians definitely took a hit with this physical feud.
Pooja Misra Vs Shonali Nagrani, (Season 5) Bigg Boss
This short clip comes from a 2011 episode of the Indian reality TV show Bigg Boss (a version of Big Brother) where a fight broke out between Indian models Shonali Nagrani and Pooja Misra. When the former berated Misra for kicking a dustbin, she responded by nonchalantly saying that she "kicked it by mistake". Misra responded to her opponent the same way any rebellious teenager would if they disagreed with their parents by arguing back — "You do not tell me what to do". Finally, Misra accused her of asking to be hit before screaming "Get off my back" and storming out like the glorious whirlwind she is.
This particular fight became a global sensation, with Misra's monologue becoming a template for the most viral memes. It was even used as a caption by Khloe Kardashian for one of her Instagram posts, establishing the virality of the clip.
Ravi Bhatia, (Season 1), Dadagiri: Beat The Bullies
Back in 2009, when Indian viewers were beginning to grapple with YouTube videos, a then 19-year-old Ravi Bhatia became immortalised on the internet when he appeared on the show, Dadagiri: Beat The Bullies. The format of the game show required male contestants to endure verbal abuse from a woman, which in itself comes off as a problematic endeavour. However, Bhatia, who initially requested that he not interact with the lady, was slapped on-camera eliciting a powerful reaction. He slapped her back instantaneously, mouthing the now-viral sentence, "How can she slap?"
Ravi faced severe backlash from the show's 60-member crew, who ganged up to beat him senseless. He told VICE, "People would see me on the streets and start laughing or point at me and say 'How can she slap?' Some people even told me I did the right thing because I 'put the woman in her place', which I didn't agree with as my reaction was more of instinctual self-defence. I just didn't know what to do because the thing people were laughing and talking about was one of the most traumatic things to have happened to me."
Bhatia has since been able to move on, finding roles in popular Indian soaps today like Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat on Star Plus, Hamaari Beti Raaj Karegi on Sahara One's, and Zee Tv's Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se and Jodha Akbar.
Sammie Vs Jwoww, (Season 2) Jersey Shore
If Jersey Shore, in general, did not shock you, wait till you watch contestants Sammie Giancola and Jennie 'Jwoww' Farley in the show's second season. Tensions were rife throughout the season and it culminated in a nasty physical brawl between the two ladies. Their feud lasted for a few rounds and gradually became more dramatic, incorporating kitchen paraphernalia and even creating ancillary pushing matches between Ronnie and Vinny.
It all started with Sammie confronting Jennie about a conversation regarding Pauly's drunken behaviour. "Don't yell at me, honey," Jennie was heard telling the other contestant. It went downhill from here with Giancola thrusting Farley in a dangerous head knock. The fiasco escalated with Snooki and Sammie storming off together in the end.
Diamond Vs Carlton, (Season 1), Love Is Blind
In the weeks leading up to the altar, engaged couple Diamond and Carlton ended up in a fight that had the internet cheering for the girl. What started out as an emotional conversation with Carlton revealing his bisexuality resulted in Diamond's utter shock at the confession. While she never dismissed his experience, she argued that she would've liked it better if it was a factor that was revealed earlier. The 39-year-old Morton, clearly agitated with the reaction, proceeded to throw his engagement ring, belittle Diamond and berate her physical appearance.
The poolside argument received a lot of backlash from netizens. "I've been very concerned with Diamond and her backlash," Carlton said during the reunion, which aired on YouTube. "I want to make it very clear that the woman that I fell in love with, I never felt that she was biphobic, homophobic, or that she wouldn't love me. I was just afraid that we would have some issues that we would have to work through." Carlton explained that, in retrospect, he regretted the way he handled his situation with Diamond. The scene of the two fighting also included Diamond walking away from Carlton, yelling out her version of Beyoncé's "Don't Hurt Yourself."
Which of these fights piqued your interest?
(Main and featured images: Ryan Seacrest Productions)
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