Since the dawn of reality TV in the new millennium, sharing one’s love life on unscripted television has almost certainly spelled the death of one’s marriage — no matter the ZIP code or size of the bank account. From Basketball Wives to the Real Housewives, the Kardashians to the Hogans, it’s become commonplace for a relationship that dominated one season of a reality show to wind up cancelled the next.
With a new wave of celebrity breakups dominating headlines, it may seem no one is safe from the reality TV relationship curse. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky recently announced their separation after 27 years of marriage and 13 years on the Bravo franchise. Vanderpump Rules’ Tom Sandoval is still expressing regret over his affair with costar Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, which ended his nine-year relationship with fellow Vanderpump star Ariana Madix. And The Bachelorette’s Kaitlyn Bristowe and Jason Tartick called off their engagement in August after dating for four years, while fellow alums of the ABC dating show, DeAnna Pappas and Stephen Stagliano, announced their split at the top of the year.
Three Real Housewives of Potomac stars — Monique Samuels, Ashley Darby and Mia Thornton — also announced the end of their current relationships in 2023 alone.
Despite the odds, a number of couples have been able to withstand the test of time — and production schedules — no matter whether they found love on a dating show, went head-to-head on a reality competition or joined a docuseries as husband and wife. Scroll below to see the reality TV pairs who are still going strong in front of and behind the cameras.
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Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd
Image Credit: jfizzy/Star Max/GC Images Lisa Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd, met in May 1982, when they were 21 and 37 years old, and married three months later, on Aug. 28. The former cast member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and her husband have two children, and fans of the pair continue to watch their personal and professional lives play out on the Bravo TV spinoff Vanderpump Rules.
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Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker
Image Credit: Prince Williams/Wireimage Atlanta Housewife Kandi Burruss began dating Todd Tucker, a former line producer for The Real Housewives of Atlanta, in 2011 while filming the fourth season of the Bravo reality show. The couple wed on April 4, 2014, and had their first child together, a son, on Jan. 6, 2016. On Nov. 22, 2019, they welcomed a daughter via surrogate.
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Trista and Ryan Sutter
Image Credit: John Parra/Getty Images America’s first Bachelorette, Trista Rehn, married Ryan Sutter in a televised ceremony at the end of season one of The Bachelor spinoff on Dec. 10, 2003. The couple welcomed a son on July 26, 2007, and a daughter on April 3, 2009. To mark their 10-year anniversary, the Sutters renewed their vows in a ceremony that aired on ABC in 2013. This December, they’ll celebrate 20 years of marriage.
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Heather and Terry Dubrow
Image Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images The Real Housewives of Orange County’s Heather and Terry Dubrow married in 1999, long before they were reality stars. The parents of four first appeared on season seven of RHOC in 2012 before departing the Bravo reality show in season 11. The Dubrows rejoined the cast in 2021 and appeared on the most recent season together.
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Heidi and Spencer Pratt
Image Credit: MEGA/GC Images Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt began dating in 2006 while starring on the MTV reality TV spinoff The Hills, earning the nickname “Speidi.” The couple eloped on Nov. 20, 2008, during a trip to Cabo San Lucas, and tied the knot again in front of friends and family one year later on April 25, 2009. In July 2010, Heidi filed for divorce from Spencer, citing irreconcilable differences. However, two months later the divorce was called off, with the pair admitting the move was a publicity stunt. In November of that same year, Heidi and Spencer renewed their vows. The couple welcomed their first child on Oct. 1, 2017, and had a second son on Nov. 17, 2022.
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Jen and Sharrieff Shah
Image Credit: Gotham/GC Images (2) Jen and Sharrieff Shah met while students at the University of Utah and married in 1994. The parents of two joined the original cast of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City in 2019; however, during the second season Jen was arrested for wire fraud and money laundering. On Jan. 6 of this year, Jen was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison and began serving her sentence on February 17. Sharrieff declined to continue to appear on RHOSL without his wife, but said in a statement to People that “their marriage is still going strong.”
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Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jionni LaValle
Image Credit: Gary Gershoff/WireImage Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi met her future husband, Jionni LaValle, in 2011 while filming season three of the MTV reality series. The couple welcomed two children, a son and a daughter, before marrying on Nov. 29, 2014. Their third child, another son, was born on May 30, 2019.
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Dorit Lemel and Paul Kemsley
Image Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty Images Dorit Lemel married husband Paul Kemsley on March 7, 2015, one year before joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The couple, who have two children together, will appear on the upcoming 13th season of RHOBH.
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Tamra and Eddie Judge
Image Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images The Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Barney’s pending nuptials to Eddie Judge in 2013 spawned its own three-part miniseries spinoff Tamra’s OC Wedding. The couple married on June 15, 2013, and after a three-year TV hiatus, they returned to the RHOC franchise for season 17 which debuted on June 7, 2023.
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Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin
Image Credit: Unique Nicole/FilmMagic Actors Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin married on March 29, 1997, and welcomed two daughters in 1998 and 2001. In 2014, Rinna joined season five of the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which she appeared on for eight seasons. Though she announced her departure from the franchise in January of this year, she and Hamlin are still united after 26 years of marriage.
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Kirk and Rasheeda Frost
Image Credit: Prince Williams/WireImage Atlanta rapper Rasheeda Frost’s marital woes have been well documented since she and husband Kirk joined Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta in its premiere season in 2012. Despite the ups and downs, the couple who are parents to two sons, will celebrate 24 years of marriage on Dec. 18.
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Melissa and Joe Gorga
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images The Real Housewives of New Jersey veterans Melissa and Joe Gorga joined the series in its third season in 2011 and have remained with the franchise ever since. The pair, who tied the knot on Aug. 20, 2004, live together with their three children in Montville, N.J., and recently celebrated their 19th anniversary. In an Instagram post, Joe marked the occasion with a photo of their summer travels, writing, “Here’s to many more years of laughter, adventures, and a love that continues to grow stronger each day.”
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Sean Duffy and Rachel Campos-Duffy
Image Credit: Ida Mae Astute/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images The Real World: San Francisco star Rachel Campos began dating The Real World: Boston cast member Sean Duffy after the two appeared on Road Rules: All Stars in 1998. The couple married on April 10, 1999, and have welcomed nine children together over the course of their 24-year marriage.
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Danielle and Dominic Briones
Image Credit: CBS via Getty Images Danielle and Dominic Briones met in 2011 while filming Big Brother 13 and tied the knot on Jan. 19, 2013. The couple announced Danielle was pregnant with their first child on Valentine’s Day 2018. She gave birth to their daughter six months later on her birthday, Aug. 20, 2018. Their second daughter was born on Nov. 19, 2021.
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Sean and Catherine Lowe
Image Credit: raig Sjodin/ABC/Getty Images Sean Lowe proposed to Catherine Giudici on Season 17 of ABC’s The Bachelor and the couple wed one year later in a live ceremony performed by Lowe’s father on Jan. 26, 2014. Despite an appearance on WE tv’s Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars in 2015, the pair is still married and parents to three children born in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
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Whitney Duncan and Keith Tollefson
Image Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Whitney Duncan and Keith Tollefson met in 2011 while filming season 23 of Survivor: South Pacific. Duncan, who was still married to her first husband, Donny Fallgatter, became officially divorced in November of 2011 and got engaged to Tollefson on Feb. 14, 2013. The couple wed in the late summer of 2014 after postponing their first wedding date to compete on The Amazing Race 25. They welcomed their first child together in 2022.
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Rachel and Brendon Villegas
Image Credit: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas met in 2010 while filming season 12 of CBS’ Big Brother and one year later returned for Big Brother 13 engaged. The pair were married by fellow houseguest Matt Hoffman on Sept. 8, 2012, and went on to compete in two seasons of The Amazing Race together. The couple welcomed a daughter on April 8, 2016, and had a son on Nov. 11, 2020.
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Jamie and Doug Hehner
Image Credit: Taylor Hill/Getty Images Jamie Otis first appeared on TV as a contestant on the 16th season of The Bachelor, but it was during the first season of Married at First Sight that she found love with Doug Hehner. The Hehners married on March 23, 2014, and starred in their own spinoff, Married at First Sight: The First Year. The couple welcomed their first child on Aug. 22, 2017, after miscarrying during their first pregnancy one year prior. Jamie experienced a second miscarriage during the couple’s third pregnancy and welcomed a second child on May 13, 2020.
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Molly and Jason Mesnick
Image Credit: Rick Rowell/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Images The Mesnicks celebrated 13 years of marriage this past February but the road to the altar was a rocky one. Jason became America’s Bachelor during season 13 of the ABC show in 2009 after first appearing as a contestant on season 4 of The Bachelorette the year before. Though he initially proposed to Melissa Rycroft, on the After the Final Rose special, Jason broke up with Rycroft and reunited with Molly. The couple became engaged in October 2009 and married in front of cameras on Feb. 27, 2010. Molly and Jason, who had a son from a previous relationship, welcomed a daughter together in March 2013. This past Valentine’s Day, Jason sent his wife loving wishes in an Instagram post, writing, “Here’s to 50 more!”
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Todd and Julie Chrisley
Image Credit: Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images Todd and Julie Chrisley married on May 25, 1996, and began starring in the USA Network reality series Chrisley Knows Best, based around the real estate tycoon’s family life, in 2014. In June 2022, Todd and Julie were found guilty on federal charges of bank fraud and tax evasion, with Todd being sentenced to 12 years in prison in Pensacola, Fla., and Julie seven years in a federal facility in Lexington, Ky. Despite the distance, and rumors of divorce, the couple’s attorney, Jay Surgent, told RadarOnline, “I can confirm that Julie is more in love with Todd today than ever.”
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Pam Ling and Judd Winick
Image Credit: Arun Nevader/WireImage Pam Ling and Judd Winick met on the first day of filming for MTV’s The Real World: San Francisco in 1994 and began dating one year later. The couple were married in a civil ceremony on Aug. 26, 2001, and still live in San Francisco together with their two children.
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Rob and Amber Mariano
Image Credit: David Livingston/Getty Images Amber and Rob Mariano, known as Boston Rob, met in 2003 while filming Survivor: All-Stars. The couple became engaged during the show’s live finale on May 9, 2004, and married on April 16, 2005. They now live in Florida with their four daughters, ages 14, 13, 11 and 9.
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Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd
Image Credit: Randy Shropshire/Getty Images Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd met during filming of Big Brother 11 in 2009 and starting dating shortly after the season wrapped. The couple returned to the house to film Big Brother 13 together, and Schroeder proposed to Lloyd in September 2014 during a special appearance on season 16 of the reality competition. After starring in a season of Marriage Boot Camp Reality Stars, the pair became husband and wife on March 15, 2016, and welcomed a son seven months later on Oct. 13. The couple, who are now parents of two, host a podcast titled “Togethermess.”
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Ashley Petta and Anthony D’Amico
Image Credit: Kim Markgraf Photography Ashley Petta & Anthony D’Amico were matched by experts on Season 5 of Married at First Sight and chose to remain married on decision day in 2017. The next year the couple returned for Married at First Sight: Happily Ever After? and welcomed their first child together on Jan. 12, 2019. The pair’s second daughter was born on Feb. 3, 2021.
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Cameron and Lauren Hamilton
Image Credit: Paras Griffin/Getty Images Love is Blind’s most successful union to date is still solid. Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton met on the first day of filming for the series debut of the Netflix reality dating show and got married on Lauren’s birthday, Nov. 16, 2018, which was day 40 of the experiment. Next month they will celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.
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Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert
Image Credit: JC Olivera/Getty Images Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert met while filming season two of Bachelor in Paradise in 2015 and became engaged during the season finale. The couple married on Jan. 24, 2016, with ABC airing a wedding special of their ceremony titled The Bachelor: A Celebration of Love. The parents of three were expecting their fourth child soon; however, on Aug. 13, Roper announced that she had recently experienced a miscarriage.
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Sam Mark and Aussie Chau
Image Credit: Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection Sam and Aussie, the only couple to survive The Ultimatum: Queer Love, are still headed toward the aisle. The pair who had been together for a year and a half at the time of filming, chose one another on proposal day and shared they were still together during the reunion special. They recently appeared on The Changing Tides Podcast to discuss their relationship and experience on the Netflix show in an episode titled, “Keep it Saussie.”
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Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk
Image Credit: Cooper Neill/Getty Images Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk made a love connection when they met while filming season four of Bachelor in Paradisein 2017, but the couple decided not to get engaged during the finale because they were living in separate cities. After successfully navigating a long-distance relationship, Gottschalk proposed on May 31, 2019, and the pair wed on April 16, 2021, after having to postpone their nuptials several times due to the pandemic. The couple became first-time parents on Jan. 18, 2022, and welcomed a second child on July 23 of this year.
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Ashley laconetti and Jared Haibon
Image Credit: Mike Coppola/WireImage Though Ashley laconetti and Jared Haibon considered themselves nothing more than “really good friends” after meeting on season 2 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2015, the two announced they’d became a romantic pair in May 2018. A fast engagement followed on June 18 while Laconetti and Haibon were filming season five of Bachelor in Paradise, and the couple married one year later on Aug. 11, 2019. They welcomed their first child on Jan. 31, 2022.
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Desiree Hartsock and Chris Siegfried
Image Credit: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images After competing on season 17 of The Bachelor in 2013 — and finishing in fourth place — Desiree Hartsock became the next Bachelorette. At the end of season nine of the ABC dating competition, Hartsock became engaged to Chris Siegfried and the pair tied the knot on Jan. 18, 2015. One year later they welcomed their first son on Oct. 19, 2016. Their second son was born on Jan. 12, 2019.
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JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers
Image Credit: Steven Ferdman/Getty Images Former NFL pro Jordan Rodgers proposed to JoJo Fletcher for the first time on May 12, 2016, the final day of production of season 12 of The Bachelorette, but it would be another six years before the betrothed pair walked down the aisle. After Rodgers re-prosed to Fletcher without cameras on Aug. 25, 2019, the couple set a wedding date of June 13, 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic they were forced to postpone their ceremony and finally wed on May 14, 2022.
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Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo
Image Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images After establishing an instant connection the first night of filming for season 13 of The Bachelorette in 2017, Bryan Abasolo proposed to Rachel Lindsay while they were in Spain taping the season finale. The pair immediately started living together in Lindsay’s hometown of Dallas, Texas, then moved to Miami, Fla., in March 2019. Five months later, they got married on Aug. 24 and spent their honeymoon in Greece after exchanging vows in Mexico. The couple now lives together in Los Angeles and recently celebrated four years of marriage.
