From ‘Summer House’ to ‘Vanderpump Rules’ why on-screen relationships between reality TV stars end in messy break-ups.
The Big Picture
- Reality TV relationships face added pressure from cameras, leading to recent breakups.
- Healthy relationships on reality TV are possible when couples openly communicate on camera.
- Reality TV stars should balance personal life and on-camera behavior to maintain relationships.
Being in a relationship can sometimes have its complications. Still, for reality TV stars, there is an extra layer of complexity. Cameras are constantly being followed by cameras to document their everyday lives. A rise in reality television stars breaking up their longtime relationships recently raises the question whether these recent breakups happened not only because of personal indiscretions, but also, having to put up a front of the relationship being perfect since they are a part of a TV show. Carl Radke, Lindsay Hubbard, Tom Sandoval, and Ariana Madix from Summer House and Vanderpump Rules recently broke off their relationship because the first couldn’t make it work and the pressure of marriage got to them, and the second because of a cheating scandal with the couple’s best friend. Still, both of these relationships had been going on for almost a decade, whether it was a friendship at first, and then it grew to something bigger. Both couples were constantly shown as #relationshipgoals, and it made viewers excited to see them grow into the following chapters of their lives. Sometimes, though, the fairytales may not be as they seem, and the relationships fall apart, and both have had repercussions coming to them, whether good or bad.
It is important to note that not all relationships on a reality TV show may be horrible. Sometimes, the relationship results from both parties being on a show and having experienced past relationships that did not help them but brought them together. Such is the case with Paige DeSorbo and Craig Conover from Summer House and Southern Charm. Both of them went through their fair share of toxic relationships before they started dating. Still, in the most recent seasons of their shows, they have shown what it’s like to have a healthy relationship on TV, because they have been open enough to have tough conversations on camera and not beat around the bush like some other relationships.
Summer House
For years, this group of friends has been spending their weekends, from Memorial Day to Labour Day, at one of the most exclusive beaches on the East Coast. As soon as they arrive, they throw themselves into this luxury lifestyle.
- Release Date
- January 9, 2017
- Cast
- Kyle Cooke , Lindsay Hubbard , Carl Radke , Amanda Batula
- Main Genre
- Reality-TV
- Seasons
- 8
Difficulties Being a Couple on Camera
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When on a reality TV show, the cast knows that every aspect of their lives will be shown on camera, and they all know what they signed up for. If someone is in a relationship during this time, they may choose not to show the relationship on camera, but people will also opt to show it because they want viewers to see the real them. It has been a curse when a relationship is being shown on camera. It may either lead to a break-up or a divorce, which has been seen on manyReal Housewives shows and more recently on Summer House and Vanderpump Rules with the breakups of Lindsay and Carl and Tom and Ariana. These relationships showed some cracks, but the issues seemed easily fixed for the viewers, and the relationships usually continued.
Carl and Lindsay could be seen as a toxic relationship because their personalities are opposite to each other, and there is a big thing about the fact that one of the parties is sober. The sobriety part doesn’t define Carl as a person, but it is a big part of his life that he needed his partner to be supportive of. As was shown in the recent season of Summer House, Lindsay used it as a crutch to question him during one of their fights. The fallout of the relationship doesn’t all fall on Lindsay, though, since it was seen that Carl was showing doubts, but he wasn’t expressing his feelings, and a conversation he had with his parents with Lindsay raised a red flag. It is important to mention everything is constantly being filmed. When something is said about the other’s partner, the other party will find out what was being said since it will air on national TV. Reality TV stars sometimes forget they are being filmed and must be reminded when essential things about their personal lives are being shared on camera. It makes it difficult for them to balance what can or can’t be said on camera.
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Everything is not always as it seems, which seemed to be the case for Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix when they broke off their relationship last year because Tom cheated on Ariana with Rachel (Raquel) Levvis. When news of their breakup came out, viewers and the cast couldn’t believe it since they had been going strong for almost a decade. The couple got together while filming Vanderpump Rules and had been friends for a long time before making their relationship official. Still, when the breakup happened, Tom Sandoval said that he had planned on breaking up with Ariana a long time ago, but he couldn’t because she didn’t let him go and would put up a front that everything was great while being on camera. This relationship should probably not have lasted as long as it did, since both parties have now spoken of what the relationship was ‘really’ like. It can be shown how Tom cared more about what was being shown on camera than his everyday real life.
Reality TV Stars in Relationships Can Work
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Even though it may seem like being in a relationship on camera may be difficult, there are instances where it has been helpful to have to be in a relationship. At the same time, they were on a show because it opened their eyes and led them to the right path. Such is the case with Craig Conover from Southern Charm and Paige DeSorbo from Summer House. The two have been on their respective shows for a while, and they have been in relationships with different people during the times they don’t on their shows. Still, it seemed they weren’t finding the right people because some may have been toxic to them, such as the case with Craig when he was dating Southern Charm cast member Naomie Olindo. It was a known fact by viewers that Craig and Naomie did not have a future together because they were constantly bickering, and Naomie was not a positive person towards Craig when he was trying to fix his career path.
Enter Paige DeSorbo. They met during the Summer House spinoff Winter House filming, but Craig was in a relationship with someone else, so they couldn’t work out until the following summer, which changed their paths towards each other. Their relationship is unique and healthy from any other reality TV show relationship because they know they are filming. They can have open conversations about their relationship while being on camera. Any healthy couple typically does this without a camera in front of them.
Sometimes, some couples are not meant to be, and they need to have the harsh reality of their lives outside the cameras to see that they are not meant to be in said relationship or take a break from them in general, because it can be difficult to show their lives on camera for millions of people to see.
Summer House airs on Bravo Thursdays at 8 PM ET with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.
This article was originally published on collider.com