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Reality TV often pushes boundaries, but sometimes it crosses the line into tasteless, traumatic, or downright dangerous territory. From shocking confrontations and controversial behavior to moments that left viewers stunned and questioning ethics, these unscripted incidents reveal just how far some shows will go to captivate audiences. Brace yourself for a wild ride through reality television’s most unforgettable and uncomfortable moments.
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00:00When you found out that you lost your job, what went through your mind about that?
00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the times when unscripted
00:08TV shows took a turn for the tasteless, traumatic, and even dangerous.
00:13I truly believe that The Swan is the most sadistic of all of the reality shows I've ever seen.
00:19Number 30. Teresa Giudice flips a table in anger. The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
00:24There have been many heated confrontations on The Real Housewives of New Jersey since it
00:28premiered in 2009, but arguably none has gone as far as this unforgettable altercation from
00:34the season one finale. During a dinner party hosted by Teresa Giudice, Danielle Staub brought
00:40up the salacious book, Cop Without a Badge, and the rumors involving her. This led to a heated
00:45moment that culminated in Giudice angrily flipping over the restaurant table in front of all the
00:50families and their children.
00:57She even had to be restrained by the production crew. Years later, it's still regarded as one of
01:03the most iconic Real Housewives scenes, but even Giudice admits that it wasn't her proudest moment.
01:15Number 29. The entire premise. Boy Meets Boy. A dating show featuring all gay men would have
01:21been pretty progressive in 2003. However, this was the era of gimmicks and navel-gazing sensationalism.
01:27Boy Meets Boy wasn't just a dating show. It was a social experiment. Over halfway through the show's
01:33only season, host Danny Bear reveals the twist to James Getzloff.
01:37Wes, Brian, and Franklin. One of them is straight.
01:47His suitors are a mix of gay and straight men. If he chooses a gay man, he wins the show's
01:52grand prize.
01:53If he chooses a straight man, he loses. Think of it like The Traitors meets The Bachelor with a
01:58heaping dose of sleaze. Getzloff's sense of betrayal is still hard to take. Why couldn't they
02:03just find him a boyfriend?
02:04I think at that moment, I was so angry. I had invested my entire self into this process.
02:10I felt really betrayed. I'm like, ugh, that just sucks.
02:14Number 28. Rachel Fredrickson's Weight Loss. The Biggest Loser. Trainers Bob Harper and Jillian
02:20Michaels do not seem to agree on much these days. One thing they definitely saw eye to eye on was
02:25the
02:25dramatic weight loss of The Biggest Loser contestant Rachel Fredrickson. Their faces on
02:29Finale Night tell the entire story. They've both since discussed their shock and concern at seeing
02:35Fredrickson's transformation at length.
02:37Finally came onto hiding and shared my story. And then it's that moment where I had to say,
02:44I'm going to embrace being me.
02:46Fredrickson, who was under the tutelage of trainer Dolvett Quince, won the season. Given what we know
02:51now, it seems like this was the logical conclusion of a show that gamified people's health and placed a
02:57cash prize on dramatic physical transformations. They came in and they were like, I want to win
03:02the prize. I want to, I want to be first place in this. And that's when I was just like,
03:08whoa.
03:09Number 27. Not telling the contestants the show was canceled. Eden. This British series attempted
03:14the social experiment aspect of stranding almost two dozen people in the middle of rural Scotland.
03:19Eden took things even further. The experiment was to last an entire year. By the end, only 10 had the
03:26fortitude to stick with it. The show went to some genuinely dark places, with deep schisms between
03:31the group and contestants returning from the experience traumatized.
03:34I know when to walk away. I know when to stop. I know, I know how far to take myself.
03:44Unfortunately, the show was canceled due to low viewership. However, the participants were still
03:49in the wilderness and the experiment continued. Imagine spending a year of your life undertaking this
03:55intense, harmful TV experiment, only to discover it was canceled. Eventually, the rest of the experiment
04:00was shown after they returned, albeit in a more condensed format.
04:04The whole premise of it was it was an amazing, life-changing, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
04:09The TV element wasn't really that big an issue for us. So for us to be able to do the
04:13year was the
04:13main thing.
04:14Number 26. Chris Williams' Controversial Behavior. Married at First Sight.
04:19Lifetime's Married at First Sight brings together random people who, just as the title suggests,
04:25added on their first meeting. They lived together for eight weeks before deciding if they want a
04:30divorce or stay married. One of the most notorious participants was Season 12's Chris Williams,
04:35who got married to Paige Banks. Right off the bat, Williams' behavior generated controversy.
04:40This relationship no longer serves me. I don't harbor any ill feelings towards you either.
04:45I just met you. And you're beautiful, by the way.
04:49You are too.
04:50He apparently pressured Banks into having sex early on, claiming that it would make him more
04:54attracted to her. He also repeatedly brought up his ex-fiancee, whose pregnancy he found out
04:59about during their honeymoon, and even arranged a meeting between the two women. Thankfully,
05:05Banks read the writing on the wall and chose to divorce Williams on decision day.
05:09I'm sorry, y'all. This is too much.
05:11Number 25. Stephen Williams Slaps Irene McGee. The Real World.
05:16Long before the debacle between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars,
05:21there was one slap that was on the tip of everyone's tongue. Back in 1998, Stephen Williams
05:26and Irene McGee were contestants on the seventh season of MTV's The Real World.
05:31You gotta go back and get your sanity from where you left it.
05:33You're right, Stephen.
05:34The two had a fraught relationship, which culminated in this infamous moment.
05:38After McGee quit the show for health reasons, she had one last conversation with Williams,
05:43in which she outed him as gay. In response, Williams ran after the car taking her home,
05:49opened the door, and struck her in the face.
05:51What are you thinking right here? Right there? What are you thinking? What are you gonna do?
05:54I hope the door's open.
05:55Surprisingly, Williams was allowed to remain on the show,
05:59on the grounds that he take an anger management course.
06:01Number 24. June's Forklift Foot. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
06:08When this Toddlers and Tiara's spin-off series hit the air,
06:11fans knew they were in for a wild ride.
06:13Say what you will about this outrageous show,
06:15but the Thompson family was unafraid to be their candid selves on camera,
06:19even when it came to the gross stuff.
06:21In a season one episode, Mama June uncovers her forklift foot,
06:25which was run over by, you guessed it, a forklift.
06:29Gnats begin to swarm as soon as her foot is out in the open.
06:32It's a disgusting reveal.
06:34Even by Here Comes Honey Boo Boo standards,
06:36we're not surprised that June was hesitant to bare her souls.
06:40All right, Punga, now that I'm 34, it's time to go home.
06:43Number 23. The Louds Split Up. An American Family.
06:46Regarded as one of the first examples of reality TV,
06:50an American family polarized audiences when it premiered in 1973.
06:53I can't understand people that have drive.
06:56I can't understand people that go places.
06:59I can't understand people that feel the need to go to college.
07:03The show followed the lives of the Louds,
07:05a middle-class California family,
07:07and drew over 10 million viewers every week.
07:10One of the most shocking moments on the series
07:12was when mother of the home, Pat,
07:13asked her husband, Bill, for a divorce on air.
07:16Your father is all involved somewhere else.
07:20And there isn't somebody you can run to when you need help.
07:25Then what are you going to do?
07:27She also asked Bill to leave the house
07:29and handed him her lawyer's contact details on the way out.
07:32While this may seem ordinary now,
07:34back in 1973, it was virtually unheard of for a TV program.
07:39An American family went arguably the furthest such a show could have gone
07:43and essentially birthed the reality TV genre.
07:46Number 22.
07:47Jason rescinds his proposal to Melissa.
07:49The Bachelor.
07:50The 13th season of The Bachelor ended
07:53with Jason Mesnick getting down on one knee
07:55and popping the question to Melissa Rycroft.
07:57Will you marry me?
07:58You want to marry me?
08:00I would love to marry you.
08:02It's been the rest of my life I can.
08:05However, things took a shocking and abrupt turn
08:08during the After the Final Rose special,
08:10which aired immediately after the season finale.
08:13The second you start having doubts,
08:15not talk to me about it and say,
08:16let's work on this, let's fight.
08:17You know, I just put a ring on your finger
08:19and that means forever.
08:20So let's see what we can do to fix this.
08:22It's, I'm just going to pull away.
08:23Whoa, things are different and I don't even want to try.
08:26Do you see where I'm a little irritated?
08:28Mesnick decided to call off his engagement to Rycroft
08:31in hopes of exploring a relationship
08:32with runner-up Molly Mullaney.
08:34You put a ring on Melissa's finger.
08:36You told Melissa you loved her
08:37and wanted to spend the rest of your life with her.
08:39But you don't want to fight to see if that can work.
08:42This would be heartbreaking for anyone if done in private,
08:46let alone in front of millions of viewers.
08:48Although the audience watched their proposal
08:50and breakup happen in less than an hour,
08:52in reality, both events were filmed about six weeks apart.
08:56Mesnick and Mullaney ultimately got married
08:58and welcomed a daughter in 2013.
09:01Number 21.
09:02The Head Shaving Incident.
09:03Top Chef.
09:04Reality shows can be a bit of a pressure cooker
09:06and that is even more the case in a culinary competition.
09:10Near the end of the second season of Top Chef,
09:12the remaining contestants wind down by getting drunk
09:14and spontaneously deciding to shave their heads.
09:17It all seems like good fun
09:18until one of the chefs, Cliff,
09:20tries to force Marcel to do the same.
09:23Cliff wrestles Marcel out of bed
09:25and none of the other cast members
09:26does anything to stop the assault.
09:28Seeing as how it is our last elimination challenge,
09:31I thought it would be a good idea
09:33to try to shave Marcel's head.
09:35And from there,
09:36things just basically got a little out of hand.
09:38Luckily, Marcel is able to break free
09:40and ends up sleeping on the bathroom floor.
09:43The heated situation results in Cliff
09:45getting disqualified from the season.
09:47Marcel, on the other hand,
09:48went on to finish in second place.
09:51Congratulations.
10:00Back before Ashton Kutcher was a husband and father,
10:03he was a young celebrity hosting a show
10:05about pranking his friends.
10:06These pranks ranged from the outlandish
10:08to downright hilarious
10:09and were all on our favorite celebrities.
10:12But in one instance,
10:13he definitely went a little too hard
10:15on his pal Justin Timberlake.
10:17In this featured prank,
10:18fake IRS agents are called
10:19to Justin Timberlake's Hollywood home
10:21to repossess all of his belongings.
10:24This happens all the time to good people.
10:25This cruel joke ended with Timberlake in tears
10:28and frantically making phone calls.
10:30We're all for a little fun and games
10:32here at WatchMojo,
10:33but taking somebody's dogs seems a little harsh.
10:36Nothing in it!
10:37Number 19.
10:38The Death of Captain Phil Harris,
10:40Deadliest Catch.
10:41Premiering on the Discovery Channel in 2005,
10:44Deadliest Catch focused on a group of crab fishermen
10:46in Alaska navigating their dangerous jobs on deck.
10:49One of the most beloved captains on the show
10:51was Phil Harris,
10:52who had devoted his entire life
10:54to the grueling profession.
10:55Harris had had a few health challenges
10:57shown on the series,
10:58all of which led up to the season 6 episode
11:00in which he suffered a stroke.
11:02He was airlifted to a hospital
11:04where he underwent surgery
11:05and showed signs of recovery,
11:07only to pass away several days later.
11:09This entire process was put on display
11:11on the reality show,
11:12which for some,
11:13may have felt too personal
11:15and exploitative on the part of the network.
11:18Number 18.
11:18The Defecation Incident,
11:20Flavor of Love.
11:21The second season of VH1's Flavor of Love
11:24gets off to a pretty foul start.
11:26After the first set of girls are sent packing,
11:28Flav notices a terrible smell emanating from the room.
11:31After we do the toast,
11:32I was like,
11:33what is that f***ed up smell in my crib, yo?
11:38It is quickly revealed
11:40that one of the remaining contestants,
11:42something,
11:42had relieved herself right in the open.
11:44While we never see this actually happen,
11:47something claims
11:47that she just couldn't hold it in any longer
11:49and had to do the needful
11:51while the elimination ceremony went on.
11:53She had reportedly informed the production crew
11:55that she needed to use the bathroom,
11:57but because they had to finish filming the elimination,
12:00she wasn't allowed to go.
12:01I take this deep breath
12:02and what is that smell?
12:06Number 17.
12:07A Smoothie.
12:08Fear Factor.
12:09The Joe Rogan-hosted NBC competition show
12:11immediately became infamous
12:13for its dangerous stunts
12:14and stomach-turning challenges.
12:16For its 100th episode,
12:18the show threw everything it could at the contestants.
12:20That includes rats.
12:22Contestants were tasked with drinking
12:23a very unconventional,
12:25very disgusting smoothie.
12:26Competing for a Capital One credit card
12:28worth as much as $100,000.
12:32In our 100th episode,
12:34you know we had a big out of the big guns,
12:37so here it is.
12:38The episode actually inspired
12:40an unsuccessful lawsuit from a viewer
12:42who claims the stunt made him so ill
12:43and disoriented
12:44that he ran into a doorway
12:45and hurt himself.
12:46The law was not on his side,
12:48but our sympathies are.
12:50It is possibly the grossest challenge
12:52in the show's history.
12:53At least,
12:54the grossest one that made it to air.
12:55You are that much closer
12:57to up to $100,000
12:59from Capital One
13:00in our big spectacular stunt
13:02in front of the Statue of Liberty.
13:04Now let's get you guys some mouthwash
13:06and get the hell out of here.
13:08Number 16.
13:08We were all rooting for you.
13:10America's Next Top Model.
13:11Well,
13:12things sure got a little heated there,
13:13didn't they?
13:14This infamous moment
13:15from cycle four
13:16of America's Next Top Model
13:17came after the first ever
13:19double elimination
13:20of contestants
13:20Tiffany Richardson
13:21and Rebecca Epley.
13:23While Epley cried
13:23as she hugged the other girls,
13:25Richardson seemed to take
13:26her elimination quite differently,
13:28much to Tyra Banks' dismay.
13:30Stop it!
13:33I have never in my life
13:35yelled at a girl like this.
13:37When my mother yells at this,
13:39it's because she loves me.
13:40I was rooting for you.
13:41We were all rooting for you.
13:43How dare you?
13:44Learn something from this.
13:46Banks voiced her disappointment
13:47and exploded at Richardson,
13:49uttering the words
13:50that are now enshrined
13:51in the pop culture lexicon.
13:53You roll in your eyes
13:54and you act like this
13:54because you've heard it all before.
13:56You've heard it all before.
13:57You don't know
13:57where the hell I come from.
13:58You have no idea
13:59what I've been through.
14:00The outburst seemed
14:01totally unwarranted
14:02for the situation
14:03and apparently only
14:05humiliated Richardson,
14:06who claims
14:07that what was shown on TV
14:08was only a fraction
14:09of Banks' actual tirade.
14:11We only hope
14:12that she never in her life
14:14yelled at a girl like that
14:15again.
14:16Number 15.
14:16The Outrageous Premise
14:18Are You Hot?
14:19You cannot talk about
14:20reality shows
14:21with ridiculous premises
14:22without bringing up
14:23Are You Hot?
14:24Dubbed
14:25The Search for
14:26America's Sexiest People,
14:27this show brought together
14:28people who thought
14:29they were hot
14:30to be evaluated
14:31by a panel of judges
14:32on their looks.
14:33Each contestant
14:34has already appeared
14:35before our panel of experts
14:36and been prejudged
14:37for this round
14:38to see if they're hot
14:39or if they're not.
14:40That's it.
14:41That's the whole show.
14:42It is mind-boggling
14:43that at some point
14:44in the production pipeline,
14:45nobody stopped to think,
14:46we probably shouldn't
14:48go ahead with this.
14:49Judges would rate contestants
14:50based on their appearance
14:51and then leave it up
14:52to the viewers at home
14:53to vote for their favorites.
14:55Thankfully,
14:55the dreadful series
14:56only lasted one
14:57six-episode season
14:58before it was deemed
14:59not sexy by ABC
15:01and canceled.
15:02I don't want to cry
15:03on this TV
15:06but it's all right.
15:08Fine, I know I'm hot.
15:10Number 14.
15:11Producers falsely claim
15:13the contestants are dying.
15:14Superstar USA.
15:16American Idol
15:17has entertained audiences
15:18for years
15:18and turned many regular people
15:20into successful recording artists.
15:22At the height
15:23of its popularity in 2004,
15:25TV producers
15:26got the brilliant idea
15:27to create a spoof
15:28in search of
15:29the nation's worst singers.
15:30Our show,
15:31it's not enough
15:32for singers to be bad.
15:33They have to believe
15:34they're great.
15:36However,
15:36they never let
15:37the contestants know this.
15:39Unsuspecting individuals
15:40performed for judges
15:41who turned down
15:42the good singers
15:43and hyped up
15:44the terrible ones.
15:45In order to sell
15:46the premise
15:46to the live audience,
15:47producers lied
15:48that the bad singers
15:49were terminally ill people
15:50fulfilling their dying wish.
15:52The LA Times
15:53erroneously reported
15:54that it was
15:55a Make-A-Wish Foundation project
15:56which led the show's producers
15:58to come clean
15:59about their false claim
15:59and apologize
16:00to the organization.
16:02Briggs,
16:02what do you say
16:03to people
16:03who think
16:03this show
16:04is cruel
16:04and offensive?
16:07I'd have to say
16:10you.
16:12Number 13,
16:13Russell Armstrong's death,
16:14The Real Housewives
16:15of Beverly Hills.
16:17Ahead of the show's
16:18second season,
16:19the hit Bravo franchise
16:19was rocked
16:20by an entire closet
16:21full of skeletons.
16:22Russell Armstrong,
16:23the estranged husband
16:24of cast member
16:25Taylor Armstrong,
16:26took his own life
16:27in 2011.
16:28The biggest unjust thing
16:29that happened
16:30was that they,
16:31you know,
16:31reality or not,
16:32what they did
16:32was they completely
16:34defaced his character
16:35because I don't know
16:36that man that they
16:36talk about on that show.
16:38The season follows
16:38the cast as they reveal
16:40on camera,
16:41against Taylor's will,
16:42that she was the victim
16:43of harrowing domestic violence.
16:44Bravo's decision
16:45to air many segments
16:46about Taylor
16:47and Russell's marriage
16:48was roundly lambasted.
16:49What was happening
16:50inside your marriage?
16:51Why did you do it?
16:53I think that subconsciously
16:55or maybe even consciously,
16:56I thought that the cameras
16:57would provide some protection.
16:58Publications and people
17:00close to Armstrong
17:00blamed the microscope
17:01of reality TV
17:02for his death.
17:03However,
17:04the reality seems
17:05far more complicated
17:06than that.
17:07Perhaps more complicated
17:08than a reality show
17:09could handle.
17:10Opening the season
17:11with a tearful cast discussion
17:12did not quell the controversy.
17:14The segment has since
17:15been scrubbed
17:16from the episode.
17:17Conflict and what that
17:18could potentially look like
17:19for me being able
17:20to say,
17:21to step back
17:21and just think about
17:22what's happening
17:23as opposed to reacting
17:24with a pounding heart
17:26and the nervous energy
17:27that I'm used to.
17:28Number 12.
17:29Caught on Camera.
17:30Teen Mom.
17:31Reality TV has gotten
17:33physical before.
17:34However,
17:34MTV's series about
17:35teenage parents
17:36landed one of its
17:37cast members in jail.
17:38On a highly controversial
17:40episode from 2010,
17:41Amber Portwood's behavior
17:43with then-partner
17:43Gary Shirley
17:44prompted viewer outrage
17:45and calls to family services.
17:47I'd rather do my time
17:49and get it over with
17:51and make the best
17:51out of the situation
17:52that's been handed to me.
17:53Portwood was arrested
17:54and charged with
17:55domestic battery.
17:56Authorities even subpoenaed
17:58unaired footage
17:58from the producers
17:59to aid in their investigation.
18:01Portwood would later
18:02take a plea deal.
18:03Teen Mom was already
18:04under fire for
18:05glamorizing teen pregnancy.
18:06This incident only
18:07brought more heat
18:08and more attention
18:09to a show that was
18:10earning a scandalous
18:11reputation.
18:11Like, you need to chill out
18:13for one with your laughing
18:14and stuff, honestly,
18:15and be a bit more mature.
18:17I'm being dead serious.
18:18Number 11.
18:19Producers fail to properly
18:21vet contestants.
18:22Megan Wants a Millionaire.
18:23In 2009,
18:25Megan Hauserman of
18:26Rock of Love fame
18:27got her own reality show,
18:28which featured
18:29supposedly rich single men
18:30vying to make her
18:31their trophy wife.
18:33Just three episodes
18:34into the season, however,
18:35Megan Wants a Millionaire
18:36was canceled after
18:37it was revealed
18:38that one of the contestants,
18:39Ryan Jenkins,
18:40was the prime suspect
18:41in a murder investigation.
18:43Apparently, shortly after
18:44filming Megan Wants a Millionaire,
18:46Jenkins got married
18:47to Jasmine Fiori,
18:48a model whose life
18:49he ultimately ended.
18:51Megan is definitely
18:52into me,
18:52and I'm definitely
18:53into her,
18:54and I'm definitely
18:55not going home tonight.
18:56Before he could be apprehended,
18:58Jenkins fled to Canada,
18:59where he took his own life.
19:01Police this morning
19:02are looking into
19:02whether her ex-husband,
19:04TV star Ryan Jenkins,
19:05acted alone.
19:06They're checking to see
19:07if he had help
19:08disposing of her body
19:09and if he had help
19:10escaping to Canada.
19:11The network subsequently
19:12came under fire
19:13for failing to properly
19:14vet the contestant,
19:15who, it turned out,
19:17already had a history
19:18of crimes against women.
19:19Ryan, please come here.
19:22Excuse me, guys.
19:26It's good of you
19:26to choose me first.
19:28This card is for you.
19:30Your credit is good for me.
19:31The guys are super jealous
19:32of me at this point.
19:33I got called out first,
19:34so I'm golden.
19:35Number 10.
19:36Producers pay members
19:37of a hate group,
19:38Escaping the KKK,
19:40a documentary series
19:41exposing hate in America.
19:43If the KKK had a target,
19:46it would be me.
19:47Although this documentary series
19:49never made it to air,
19:50it generated a lot of controversy
19:52after it was announced.
19:53Originally titled
19:54Generation KKK,
19:56the series was reportedly
19:57about members
19:58of the infamous hate group
19:59trying to break away.
20:00Amid the backlash
20:01the series' announcement faced,
20:03Annie changed the title
20:04to Escaping the KKK
20:05and partnered with
20:06the Anti-Defamation League
20:07and Color of Change
20:08to provide additional context
20:10for the series.
20:11However,
20:12less than three weeks
20:13before its intended premiere,
20:15it was revealed
20:16that third-party producers
20:17went against Annie's policies
20:18by paying participants
20:20for access.
20:21As a result,
20:22the network decided
20:23to cancel the series,
20:24pulling it from
20:25its scheduled programming.
20:27Number 9.
20:27Jeff bites off Lizard's head,
20:29naked and afraid.
20:30In this dramatic fight
20:32to the death,
20:33survivalist Jeff Zausch
20:34took out his built-up hunger
20:35on unsuspecting prey.
20:37After hours of hunting
20:39for a tiny lizard
20:40in the heat of Madagascar,
20:41Zausch finally captures
20:43the little rascal
20:43and in a truly
20:45Ozzy Osbourne-esque display,
20:47bites off its head.
20:48Number 8.
20:49Multiple incidents of racism,
20:51Big Brother.
20:51A show where people
20:53are locked in a house
20:54and watched 24 hours a day
20:56tends to reveal
20:57the content of their characters.
20:58But Big Brother's 15th season
21:00was a public relations train wreck.
21:02In particular,
21:03racist comments
21:04by Erin Williams,
21:05then known by her maiden name
21:07Erin Grease,
21:07dominated the news cycle.
21:09Her mother came out
21:09and said,
21:10my baby ain't no racist.
21:11How can you tell?
21:13She took a black out of prom.
21:14She even lost her job
21:16before leaving the game.
21:17Host Julie Chen's
21:18exit interview with her
21:19was deeply uncomfortable.
21:20Am I the only one
21:22who feels so enraged?
21:24Oh, I'm so stressed.
21:25I'm like shaking.
21:26I mean,
21:27and that's the third time
21:28I've watched that clip
21:29and it does not get any easier.
21:31I really disliked that person.
21:33She seemed shocked
21:34that what she said
21:35was deemed offensive,
21:36citing her Texas upbringing.
21:38She was far from the only player
21:40to partake in this behavior.
21:41Contestant Gina Marie Zimmerman
21:43also lost her job
21:44and fellow players
21:45Amanda Zuckerman
21:46and Spencer Claussen
21:46were slammed
21:47for offensive comments
21:48made in the game.
21:49What I learned,
21:50huh?
21:50Oh, this one's gonna be funny.
21:51I learned to keep my mouth shut.
21:53Number seven,
21:54Snooki sucker punched,
21:55Jersey Shore.
21:56In the first season
21:57of this notorious show,
21:59things rapidly got
22:00a little much
22:01and physical.
22:02During a night of inebriation,
22:04Snooki got into an altercation
22:05with a man
22:06who swiftly sucker punched
22:07her in the face.
22:08So why do you pay for this?
22:10The infamous meatball
22:12of New Jersey
22:12could sometimes
22:13be hard to get along with
22:14due to her outgoing personality
22:16and drunken antics.
22:17But this hit came
22:18way out of nowhere.
22:19Thankfully,
22:20Snooki was not severely hurt
22:22and the man was arrested.
22:23Number six,
22:25the Dan Spilow incident,
22:26Survivor.
22:27For the first time
22:28in its then 19-year history,
22:30the CBS competition
22:31reality stalwart
22:32ejected a player
22:33for a rule violation.
22:35The player was eliminated
22:36due to unacceptable behavior.
22:39However,
22:39viewers watched
22:40as allegations
22:41of unwanted touching
22:42by Hollywood agent
22:43Dan Spilow
22:44went from being
22:44a legitimate concern
22:45to a matter of strategy.
22:47Season 39 contestant
22:48Kelly Kim's discomfort
22:49with repeated physical contact
22:51from Spilow
22:51was quickly used against her.
22:53resulting in her
22:54being manipulated
22:54and voted out.
22:55I was unsure
22:56whether I was going to be able
22:57to speak freely
22:58at the reunion
22:59and at times
23:00whether the reunion
23:01was going to happen at all.
23:02Host Jeff Probst
23:03grilled Spilow
23:04at the show's
23:05tribal council segment
23:06but he wasn't expelled
23:07until several episodes later
23:08for another unaired interaction
23:10with a crew member.
23:11Probst made a promise
23:12that the show
23:13would intervene sooner
23:14so that similar cases
23:15don't occur.
23:16It was important to me
23:17that if and when
23:18this happens again
23:20there are ways
23:21to deal with this.
23:22Number 5
23:23Extensive Plastic Surgery
23:25The Swan
23:25In the 2000s
23:27networks were a little
23:28too quick to do
23:29just about anything.
23:30The participants
23:30of The Swan
23:31were not just critiqued
23:32for their bodies
23:33they underwent
23:34massive amounts
23:35of complicated
23:36painful
23:36and extensive
23:37plastic surgery
23:38to re-sculpt
23:39their bodies
23:39and faces.
23:40And nobody
23:41can take that away
23:41from me.
23:42Producers apparently
23:43hid the fact
23:44that they would be
23:44made to compete
23:45in a pageant
23:46at the end
23:46of their journey.
23:47The winner
23:47would ostensibly
23:48be chosen
23:48based on how little
23:49they looked like
23:50themselves.
23:51It should go
23:52without saying
23:52that this was
23:53traumatic.
23:54After the show
23:54several contestants
23:56faced psychological
23:57and physical
23:57challenges that
23:58proved the show's
23:59wrong-headed approach
24:00was also traumatic.
24:01Your talent
24:01your skill
24:02your ambition
24:03none of that
24:04matters.
24:05It is just
24:06about
24:07do you look
24:09plasticized enough?
24:11Number 4
24:11Shandy Sullivan's
24:12Experience in Milan
24:13America's Next Top Model
24:15Tyra Banks and company
24:16took the models
24:17of Top Model Cycle 2
24:18to Milan
24:19for a series
24:19of photo shoots
24:20and challenges.
24:21One night
24:22the producers
24:22told them
24:23to invite
24:23a group
24:24of male models
24:24over.
24:25The liquor
24:25started to flow
24:26and it led
24:27to one of the show's
24:28most infamous moments.
24:29No one like
24:30tried to pull me aside
24:31and say like
24:31hey what are you doing
24:33but you know
24:33I like
24:34I don't expect them to
24:35because I should be
24:35able to take care
24:36of myself.
24:37Contestant Shandy Sullivan
24:38appeared in the
24:39Netflix docuseries
24:40Reality Check
24:41to tell the real story
24:42behind the moment.
24:43I was blacked out.
24:45No one did anything
24:46to stop it
24:49and it all got filmed
24:50all of it.
24:51The show framed
24:52what happened to her
24:52as a simple case
24:53of infidelity.
24:54Sullivan's extreme guilt
24:56and subsequent argument
24:57with her boyfriend
24:57back home
24:58were broadcast
24:59for all the world
25:00to see.
25:01I get up to leave
25:01and they both
25:02came up to me
25:02and they said
25:03we're really really
25:04sorry that we had
25:05to film that.
25:06Number 3
25:07Patient's Death
25:08Aired Without Family Permission
25:09NY Med
25:10In April 2011
25:1283 year old
25:13Korean War veteran
25:14Mark Chanko
25:15was hit by a garbage truck
25:16and eventually succumbed
25:17to his injuries
25:18at the hospital.
25:19Chanko's final moments
25:20were filmed
25:20as part of the ABC
25:21docuseries
25:22New York Med
25:23and aired on its first season
25:25in August 2012.
25:26There was just one problem.
25:28Neither Chanko
25:29nor any of his family members
25:31had given the documentary crew
25:32permission to film his death
25:33and air it on the show.
25:34Watched him die
25:35before my eyes
25:38without so much
25:39as a heads up
25:40from the show
25:41saying this episode
25:42will be broadcast
25:43at such and such a time.
25:44Chanko's widow Anita
25:46watched her husband
25:47utter his final words
25:48for the first time
25:49on a TV screen
25:50alongside millions
25:51of other viewers.
25:52While the doctor
25:53was telling us
25:54of our husband's death
25:55he was miked
25:56and that was filmed.
25:58She filed a lawsuit
25:59against ABC
26:00and the hospital
26:01and had the segment
26:02in question removed
26:03by the network.
26:04Number 2
26:05Repo Man Threatened
26:06With Gun
26:07Repo Games
26:08Repo Games
26:09was a short-lived
26:09reality show
26:10that featured
26:11real-life individuals
26:12whose cars
26:12were repossessed
26:13but who were then
26:14given a chance
26:15to win them back
26:15through a game of trivia.
26:17One of the more
26:17dangerous entries
26:18on our list
26:19in this episode
26:20a man becomes
26:21so aggravated
26:22that he pulls a gun
26:23on Tom Detone.
26:24Now this host
26:25had faced
26:26some seriously
26:26difficult situations
26:27before
26:28but having a gun
26:29pointed straight
26:30at your face
26:31takes the cake.
26:32Detone later stated
26:33that his whole life
26:34flashed before him
26:34but luckily
26:35security was on the scene
26:37and quick to
26:37defuse the tension.
26:45Before we continue
26:46check out this
26:47single from
26:48Sound Mojo's
26:49Adia
26:49Songs from Iran
26:50reimagining
26:51Persian melodies
26:52as modern rock
26:53metal and pop songs.
26:55Check out the full
26:55track and album below.
26:57Maybe in another
27:00place in time
27:02we'd still be
27:05dancing
27:06your hand in mine
27:12Number 1
27:13Children dressed
27:14wildly inappropriately
27:16Toddlers and Tiaras
27:17Some parents
27:18would do anything
27:19in their power
27:20to keep their young ones
27:21from growing up
27:22too fast
27:22but this concept
27:23seems fairly impossible
27:25in the world
27:25of toddler pageantry.
27:27How do you evoke?
27:29One of the most
27:30shocking examples
27:31came in this show
27:32when a child
27:33came out in
27:33Madonna's infamous
27:34cone bra.
27:35That incident
27:36can only be beat
27:37by the mother
27:37who thought
27:38an appropriate outfit
27:39was one similar
27:40to the one
27:40Julia Roberts wore
27:41when she played
27:42a sex worker
27:43in Pretty Woman.
27:44Both incidents
27:44were met with outrage
27:45from audience members
27:46and judges alike.
27:48Outfits like that
27:49that gives us
27:50a bad rap.
27:50Did some of these
27:51moments change
27:52your opinion
27:52of reality TV?
27:54Tell us in the comments.
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