Reality television didn’t just entertain us this year — it opened up some important conversations about ethical concerns, the rights of participants and the virtuous circle between TV and TikTok. We’ve gathered the moments in 2024 that revealed where reality TV is going.
‘Vanderpump Rules’ Starts Over
The affair between Tom Sandoval and Rachel Leviss, which came to light during Season 10 of “Vanderpump Rules,” was one of the biggest moments of reality TV in 2023, bringing in new viewers and making headlines. But in 2024, the Scandoval drama tore apart the cast and outshone the show itself.
By Season 11, the cast was famous enough on and off the show to derail production. In the finale, Ariana Madix walked out of filming after Sandoval, her ex, tried to talk to her, prompting Lala Kent to quip, “I’ve never met someone who got cheated on and became God.”
In November, Bravo announced that it would dump the “Vanderpump Rules” cast entirely and get back to the show’s original premise: fresh, new faces, all of whom actually work at the restaurant Sur. The move coincided with a downturn for the show’s O.G.s: That month, Toms Schwartz and Sandoval announced that their restaurant, Schwartz and Sandy’s, would shut down after two years, and in December, James Kennedy was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence. No charges have been filed.
‘Love Island USA’ Breaks Out
Madix followed “Vanderpump” by hosting Season 6 of “Love Island USA,” a series in which contestants pair up or risk being thrown off for their singledom. The show immediately soared in the ratings to become the most streamed series in the United States — beating Season 3 of “The Bear” in some weeks — and continued to amass viewership throughout its run.
The show’s casting boom wasn’t limited to Madix. The self-described “snake wrangler” Rob Rausch gained a British bestie in Aaron Evans, and the pair became fan favorites. Leah Kateb, JaNa Craig and Serena Page named themselves “PPG,” a.k.a. the Powerpuff Girls, and spat memorable one-liners. And the whole cast explained their antics on social media after filming in Fiji wrapped, stirring so much engagement that Peacock gave the show its first reunion episode — where the cast mostly discussed their social media use rather than the series itself.
The Internet Looks Out for Bachelorettes
First there was the disastrous live special after this season of “The Bachelorette,” where Jenn Tran sobbed watching Devin Strader propose to her days after he ended that engagement in a phone call. Then viewers discovered that Strader had been arrested on a felony burglary charge in 2017 and had a restraining order filed against him by a former girlfriend, facts which should have kept him from appearing on the show. (Entertainment Weekly reported that Strader pleaded guilty to lesser charges and received one year of unsupervised probation.)
The news emerged in September, just before the premiere of the first ever “Golden Bachelorette” season. While the senior version of the franchise aired, more internet sleuths found and posted online the revelation that two of the male contestants on that show had previously had restraining orders filed against them. Producers said they would minimize those suitors’ story lines, but uneasiness about ABC’s vetting process — and the safety of the women looking for love — persists.
Labor Victory for ‘Love Is Blind’ Cast
In a complaint against “Love Is Blind” alleging that the show committed several labor violations, the National Labor Relations Board classified the show’s contestants as employees. The move could open the door for cast members, and other reality stars, to unionize.
The complaint, filed this month, comes as popular shows across networks are being challenged in court by members of their casts over contracts that include nondisclosure agreements and call for disputes to be resolved in private arbitration.
Several “Love Is Blind” contestants have objected to their contracts in lawsuits, which producers have defended by arguing that participants are not employees. The N.L.R.B. complaint concludes that there is merit to the participants’ accusations, paving the way for their claims to be litigated.
Love Isn’t All That Blind
In Season 6 of Netflix’s “Love Is Blind,” which premiered in February, one contestant, Chelsea Blackwell, flirted with a potential love interest who had yet to see her: She said she was often told that she looked like the actress Megan Fox. Her suitor, Jimmy Presnell, eventually proposed, but meanspirited viewers screamed through their screens that she didn’t look that much like the “Transformers” star, and bashed Blackwell’s looks, weight, personality and very existence — to the point that Fox got involved, telling E! News, “I believe she’s telling the truth and I hope like she still has that sparkle in her eye. I hope the world didn’t steal it from her.”
When Season 7 aired in October, another contestant, Hannah Jiles, riled up the trolls by telling a potential partner that she was “hot.” Facing an onslaught of hateful commentary on social media, she lost 75 pounds, telling Us Weekly she was driven by “feeling better about myself and a little bit of revenge.”
TV Finally Embraces TikTok
After years of worry about short-form video platforms stealing eyeballs from reality TV, producers finally embraced the drawing power of TikTok.
Hulu in September debuted “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” a series that followed influencers living in Utah who called themselves “MomTok,” as they navigate the social conservatism of Mormonism. It was the streamer’s most-watched unscripted premiere of 2024, prompting the network to greenlight a 20-episode second season. ABC, its parent company, plans to air Season 1 in 2025.
“Dancing With the Stars” also had a very successful season, using TikTok and social media to continue its campaign to add younger viewers.
From ‘The Real World’ to the Cabinet?
After the former reality star Donald Trump won the presidency for a second time in November, he nominated Sean Duffy, a veteran of late-1990s MTV reality and a Fox Business host, to lead the Transportation Department.
Duffy had been a cast member on “The Real World: Boston” in 1997 and “Road Rules: All Stars” in 1998, before winning a congressional seat representing Wisconsin in 2010. More recently, Duffy was a regular commentator on Fox News, along with his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a former “Road Rules” castmate.
Mehmet Oz, who first rose to fame as a health expert on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and then starred on “The Dr. Oz Show” for 13 seasons, was tapped by Trump to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Phaedra Parks Completes Her Redemption Arc
In 2017, the eminently quotable lawyer-cum-mortician Phaedra Parks was fired from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” for spreading a damaging rumor about a fellow castmate. She spent the next seven years of her banishment hopscotching other reality franchises. This year alone she had a turn on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” returned for another season of Bravo’s “Married to Medicine,” and was one of the few Housewives to join the 15th-anniversary special of Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live.”
But Parks this spring produced perhaps the most memorable moment of the wildly popular U.S. version of “The Traitors,” when she feigned shock at the elimination of a competitor: “My Lord, sweet baby Jesus, not Ekin-Su!” In July, it was announced that Parks would regain her peach, joining Season 16 of “R.H.O.A.” and effectively uncanceling herself.
Honorable Mentions: The Fun Moments
Of course, reality TV still delivered the stellar viral moments viewers expect.
Heather Gay from “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” confronted Monica Garcia over her online trolling, uttering a line that made its way onto the subway, Etsy shops and countless TikToks: “Receipts. Proof. Timeline. Screenshots.”
Though there were countless memorable moments from “Love Island USA,” Leah Kateb dissing Rob Rausch and his penchant for wearing overalls stood out.
And who could forget the time that the former N.F.L. player Danny Amendola lifted the professional dancer Witney Carson up by the leg on “Dancing with the Stars” and brought dancing trends back to TikTok?
Finally, let’s take one moment to reflect and enjoy Paige DeSorbo’s commentary on Carl Radke asking Kyle Cooke to be flower boy at his wedding on Bravo’s “Summer House.”
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