The Most Shocking Reality TV Moments

From "Jersey Shore" to "Basketball Wives," a look at the worst of the worst

The recent physical altercation that took place on “Basketball Wives” and is now the basis of a lawsuit is not the first to take place since the dawn of reality TV, and unfortunately, is unlikely to be the last. But below is a list of some of the most appalling, disturbing and unsettling reality TV moments.

1)    “Flavor of Love” (2006): It’s hard to believe that anything could be more shocking than the idea of women competing on national television to date Flavor Flav of Public Enemy fame, but that was not the most shocking revelation of the VH1 series.  One contestant defecated on herself in full view of other contestants and cameras during one of the program’s elimination ceremonies. Yes video of this exists. No we are not posting it because it’s disgusting.

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2)    “Bad Girls Club” (2006-the present): It’s impossible to pick one clip from this train wreck of a show since every season since its inception in 2006 has involved some sort of brutal physical altercation between young women. A video search for “Bad Girls Club fights” yields dozens upon dozens of shocking results. Scroll through them for yourself, if you can stomach them.

3)    “Real Housewives of Atlanta" (2009): Though this show also has more than one physical altercation to its credit, the most high profile of them all is one that was not actually captured on camera. Kim Zolciak alleges that she was choked by former friend, and fellow castmate Nene Leakes. Though no footage of said incident exists, a 911 tape of Zolciak reporting the incident to authorities surfaced. Despite the disturbing charges Leakes has managed to become one of the few reality stars to find some modicum of mainstream success, appearing as a guest star on programs like “Glee.”

4)    “Jersey Shore” (2010): It’s hard to believe that “Jersey Shore” invaded pop culture just a couple of short years ago, but when we were introduced to Snooki & the gang in 2010, they started off with a “bang” in the worst possible way. Snooki was assaulted. Yet shortly after the show was a bona-fide hit.

5)    “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” (2011): The most shocking incident in the history of reality TV is most likely an incident that took place when the cameras weren’t rolling, but some believe was precipitated by them, at least in part. Russell Armstrong, the husband of a “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Taylor Armstrong, took his own life. Supporters of his have alleged that he succumbed to the pressures associated with the unflattering portrayal of him on the show, including allegations that he was physically abusive and deep in debt. 

[Also Read: Racism On Reality TV]