10 controversial reality TV moments of 2021: From Kameron's rude remarks to Olivia's hookup rumors
Love it or hate it, there is no way to escape reality TV. While some people are ardent fans, others claim it is a guilty pleasure. Either way, people always find themselves tuning in to their favourite shows to see what the cast has been up to. And with every favourite show comes a 'problematic fav', a cast member that loves to take it to the edge. And while their antics make for great reality TV, they sometimes tend to take it a little too far, leaving a wake of drama and backlash.
With the world still adjusting to this new normal, 2021 saw TV shows make a comeback after some of them had to take a break in 2020. And with new seasons came plenty of drama and chaos. Be it Chris Harrison having to step down as the host of 'The Bachelor' or Kameron Westcott making some damning statements, here is a look at ten controversial reality show moments of 2021.
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'The Bachelor' -- Chris Harrison defends Rachel Kirkconnell
Season 25 of 'The Bachelor' was all set to be a monumental one -- the series was getting its first Black bachelor after all. However, while Matt James didn't exactly wow fans, a lot went down on his season that did leave viewers stunned. The most shocking controversy that came out of it all was photos of Rachel Kirkconnell, the finalist and the season's winner, at Old South, antebellum-themed party. There were also disputed claims that she bullied people in high school for liking Black men.
While the photos led to Kirkconnell being called out on her actions, what was even more shocking was that Chris Harrison, the show's host since Season 1, defended her in a conversation with former 'The Bachelorette' Rachel Lindsay.
This led to fans' outrage, demanding that he quit the franchise. With no way to salvage the situation, Harrison quit the show, resulting in former 'The Bachelorette' stars Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe hosting Season 17 and 18 of 'The Bachelorette', both of which featured contestants from Matt James season -- Katie Thurston and Michelle Young respectively.
'Dancing With The Stars' - Olivia Jade slams claims about hooking up with pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy
Romances on 'Dancing With The Stars' are not uncommon. After all, the celebrities and pro dancers spend a copious amount of time together during rehearsals, and a steamy routine can often cause sparks to fly.
Olivia Jade joining Season 30 of 'Dancing With The Stars' wasn't exactly well-received, and fans continued to stay critical all through her run. Rumours began to swirl that she was hooking up with her dance partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, who is married to pro dancer, Jenna Johnson.
Jade took to TikTok to dispel the rumors. "I'm just going to be super blunt and straight up, and just say that Val and I are not hooking up. We've never hooked up. This is a complete rumor; we are genuinely good friends and I adore his wife." she stated in her video.
"It's just a dance show and we're just friends. I don't know why everything has to be something, but I've already obviously seen a ton of negative comments," she added, calling out the person who posted a video regarding the rumours. "And I'd get it if it was true, but it's not, so let's end this here and let's f–king dance and have fun on this show, and not create lies especially when you also have almost 400k followers. It's not cool." she added.
'Married At First Sight' -- Chris Williams' baby mama drama
Marrying a stranger sounds like a terrible idea if you're looking for a happy marriage. But it makes for great reality TV. 'MAFS' Season 12 had fans sceptical right from the get-go, as with each season, they find themselves trusting the experts a little less. However, Season 12 proved to be their biggest slip-up yet. Chris Williams, who married Paige Banks, did not waste a moment to tell her that he was not attracted to her.
To make matters worse, he announced that his ex-fiance was now pregnant. He stated that he needed to go back to her, leaving Paige stranded in their marriage. However, when said fiance, Mercedes Myrick came on the show, she cleared the air that although pregnant, she was not getting back with Williams, exposing his lies.
'Sister Wives' -- Christine leaving Kody Brown
For the Brown family, having the word accept their way of life has not been easy. After moving from Utah and dealing with COVID-19, the family has struggled to live together like they used to. While most of them are ready to build their homes in Flagstaff, Christine is determined to move back to Utah, as she is unhappy. With growing tensions, she made the call to separate after 25 years of marriage. This came as quite a shock, seeing that Meri was still with him. It looks like Christine, on the other hand, had had enough.
'Love Island' -- Cashay Proudfoot's elimination
Right from the get-go, fans rooted endlessly for Cashay' Cash' Proudfoot on 'Love Island' Season 3, hoping that the charismatic waitress from New York would take home the $100,000 prize. However, her elimination came as the ultimate shock to everyone, when Charlie Lynch picked Alana Paolucci over her.
The reason behind this? He believed they wouldn't work out and he knew that she still had feelings for Melvin 'Cinco' Holland. Although she picked Charlie Lynch over him, it was only later on that she realised that Cinco was the one she wanted, but by then, the damage was already done.
'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' -- Erika Jayne and Thomas Girardi's divorce
At the peak of his career, Thomas Girardi was a celebrated lawyer who was known to have handled high-profile cases that often made the headlines. However, between his losing his law license and his divorce from Erika Jayne, life has not been easy for the couple.
Moreover, a month after Jayne called it quits, the couple was accused of embezzling funds meant for the families of plane crash victims. Jayne was also accused of misusing $25 million worth of funds to pay for her credit card bill, glam team, assistants and public relations. In 2021, Hulu's 'The Housewife and the Hustler' gave fans insight into what went wrong between him and the 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star from their crumbling marriage to their financial issues.
With Jayne being the one to call it quits, most of Season 11 of 'RHOBH' featured her divorce drama. In a conversation with Andy Cohen, Jayne opened up about her ordeal, seeing that Girardi was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer's and dementia this year. "Andy, he doesn't even acknowledge anything," she stated "None of it. It doesn't even matter what he says because he's incompetent. So I'm left holding the f—king bag." she added.
'Real Housewives of Orange County' -- Kelly Dodd's racist remarks
When it comes to controversy, Kelly Dodd manages to find her way to it. Ahead of getting married to her FOX News reporter fiance, Rick Leventhal, she posted a selfie on social media, wearing a hat that said "Drunk Housewives Matter".
It came as no surprise that she received immense backlash for mocking the "Black Lives Matter" movement and even defended herself saying "No it's not I'm on the housewives it's a play on words it's funny come on", as well as ""People think I'm mocking BLM that hat was made well before the pandemic. I'm not mocking BLM I support them. why are people so sensitive?". When the matter came up yet again during the Season 15 reunion, Dodd began yelling "I'm Black", when Braunwyn tried to call her out on her racist behaviour. For the record, Dodd is of Latina heritage, and her parents are from Mexico. However, she was born and raised in Arizona.
'The Real Housewives of Dallas': Kameron Westcott says she'd rather eat dog food over traditional Chinese food
Kameron Westcott and Tiffany Moon of 'The Real Housewives of Dallas' aren't best of friends, and Westcott's statements are certainly the reason behind it. Moon, who is the first cast member of Asian descent to join 'RHOD', wanted t share her Chinese culture with her castmates.
She invited them to try traditional Chinese cuisine, which included chicken feet. Westcott refused to try the dish and the duo found themselves at odd's ends. To make matters worse, Westcott took to social media to promote her dog food brand, Sparkle Dog, where she wrote she would rather eat dog food than chicken feet. Moon called her out on Twitter, saying "Ok Kam – YOU said you'd rather eat dog food than food from my culture. I admit I was pushy, but this is outright offensive." Westcott has blocked Moon shortly after.
'Temptation Island' -- Kendal Kirkland, Nickole Ciszak and Alexcys Homan have a threesome
With 'temptation' literally in the name, 'Temptation Island' star Kendal Kirkland seems to have had quite a steamy night with Nickole Ciszak and Alexcys Homan on the show. While Kirkland has not been shy about getting it on with Homan, they seemed to have added Nickole Ciszak to the mix. Post their threesome, Ciszak noted that she is bisexual and was happy to have spent time with the couple. It looks like the more, the merrier!
'Bachelor in Paradise' -- Brandon Morias and Piper James forced to leave the show
For 'The Bachelor' alumni, showing up on 'Bachelor in Paradise' could very well be to find love or just to grow their social media numbers; it isn't uncommon. But when Brandon Morias began getting closer to Natasha Parker, rumours began to swirl that he was already seeing Pieper James and was waiting for her to join the show. When James eventually came one, Morias was quick to leave Parker and paint her clingy, stating that he was never into her, while footage said otherwise.
While the cast didn't hesitate to boot Chris Conran and Alana Milne for the same reason, Morias and James seemed to have gotten a free pass until they were called out as well. They two decided to quit the show due to the hostile environment and even lost many social media followers in the process. On the other hand, Parker received an honorary rose from production, allowing her to stay on the show.
Are there any other reality TV moments that shocked you? Sound off below and tell us about the messiest moment you witnessed on reality TV in 2021!