TIME: "32 Epic Moments in Reality-TV History"

[JamesG]

32 Epic Moments in Reality-TV History
Fri - April 8, 2011


From "American Idol" mania to "The Real World's" first spat, TIME looks at the best, the worst and the most tasteless episodes of the genre that's been a national obsession for nearly 30 years:







Snooki Gets Punched on "Jersey Shore"


"Jersey Shore" stirred up controversy before the first episode hit the airwaves. Starring eight self-professed "guidos" and "guidettes" living in a house in Seaside Heights, N.J., the characters led Italian-American activist groups to complain the show portrayed negative stereotypes.



But the series really took off when promotions showed castmate Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi getting punched in the face by a guy at a bar during the show's fourth episode. The clip instantly went viral, and Snooki was suddenly a star.

Under pressure from domestic-violence groups, MTV decided to cut the punch from its Dec. 17, 2009, broadcast, but the show had taken hold. Ratings skyrocketed, and the program became a must-watch train wreck.



Since then, the show has broadcast three seasons, and it's about to shoot a fourth in Italy. Snooki has recovered quite nicely after the punch heard around the world — she's published a novel, has graced the cover of Rolling Stone and has a spin-off show in the works.

The guy who hit her didn't fare so well. Unable to find a job after all the publicity, he recently joined the Army.











Captain Phil Harris of "Deadliest Catch" Dies On-Air


As a deep-sea fisherman, Phil Harris had one of the world's most dangerous professions — they don't call the show "Deadliest Catch" for nothing. But in the end, it wasn't the frigid waters of the Bering Sea that killed him.

Harris, who helmed the crab-fishing vessel Cornelia Marie and, along with his sons Josh and Jake, appeared on the hit Discovery Channel reality series, suffered a massive stroke Jan. 29, 2010, while unloading his ship and died almost two weeks later at age 53.




It was Harris himself who wanted his final days documented in the series. "Keep filming," he wrote from his hospital bed. "There has to be an end to this story."

It was the first time a death was portrayed on reality television, leaving the producers grappling with how much to show. They opted not to air any scenes from the hospital after the right side of Harris' skull was removed to relieve pressure on his brain, but they did show the touching goodbye between him and his son Josh.

In his final moments on-screen, Harris is seen looking out a window at the Alaskan land he loved. The episode garnered a record-setting 8.5 million viewers.











Justin Timberlake Cries on "Punk'd"


It was Ashton Kutcher's first prank and it might just have been his best.

During the series premiere of MTV's "Punk'd" in 2002, right around the time Justin Timberlake was striking out on his own with a solo album, the pop star was confronted by "IRS agents" who were repossessing his home, cars, priceless possessions and even his dogs because he supposedly owed $900,000 in back taxes.

The singer panicked, called his mom and cried it out on the stairs until Kutcher revealed it was all one big joke.





But Timberlake must have gotten over his embarrassment because he returned to the show three episodes later to help punk Kelly Osbourne.

He also spoofed Kutcher in a 2003 episode of "SNL".











Pre-Schooler Wears Madonna Cone-Bra on "Toddlers & Tiaras"


"Toddlers & Tiaras" follows very young beauty-pageant contestants as they prepare for competition and invites viewers to cringe at the extreme lengths parents will go to make their daughters "pageant-ready" (waxing, excessive makeup, surgery, spray tans).



In this infamous episode, 2-year-old Mia dances to a Madonna song in a white angel robe, which she rips off, revealing a form-fitting gold bodysuit, complete with a pointy cone bra.

The little girl gets a bit distracted during the performance, prompting her mother to jump on stage and physically guide her daughter's hips into an all-too-Madonna-like wiggle as the crowd cheers and whoops.



The number engendered more than a little controversy earlier this year as the video circulated online and was eventually picked up by TV newscasts.











"The Hills" is Revealed as Fake in Series Finale


No one really thought this was real reality TV, right?

For "The Hills'" series finale, the semi-scripted MTV show that launched the career of Lauren Conrad and spawned the creature known as Speidi finally fessed up to its fake roots.



In its final scene, the camera pulled back, revealing a makeshift set complete with a Hollywood-sign backdrop and a lighting crew for the now obviously staged dramatic goodbye between stars Kristin Cavallari and Brody Jenner.

MTV gets serious props for choosing to end the not-always-so-smart show in a very smart way.











Kelly Wiglesworth Gets Slammed in First Season Finale of "Survivor"


At the end of the first season of "Survivor", it was down to two competitors in what became TV's first, but not last, Lord of the Flies–style competition.

16 diverse Americans had been stranded on a remote island off the coast of Borneo. Neither of the two finalists — river guide Kelly Wiglesworth and the often disturbingly naked corporate coach Richard Hatch — were all that well liked, having connived their way to the final, so when their fellow tribe members and jilted competitors got a chance to ask them questions for the last face-off, it was not pretty.





Sue Hawk, a truck driver from Wisconsin, summed up her feelings in a rant: she compared Hatch to a snake and Wiglesworth to a rat, as in a snake hunting his prey while the rat runs from predators.

Hawk implored her castmates to let Mother Nature run its course so the snake could eat the rat. But she wasn't done attacking Wiglesworth.

"If I were ever to pass you along in life again, and you were laying there, dying of thirst," she told Wiglesworth, "I would not give you a drink of water. I would let the vultures take you and do whatever they want with you, with no ill regrets."



Moments like Hawk's have led "Survivor" to film 22 seasons, from its beginning in 2000 to the present day.











Puck vs. Pedro on "The Real World"


MTV's "The Real World", now in its 24th season, is, as its everlasting introduction tells us, "the true story of seven strangers, picked to live in a house, work together and have their lives taped, to find out what happens when people stop being polite ... and start getting real."




The show has had any number of memorable moments since its 1992 debut — Stephen slapping Irene in the Seattle season, Ruthie going to rehab for alcoholism in Hawaii — but it was the show's third season, set in San Francisco in 1994, and its cast of characters that made the series a hit.

This was the season that starred Pedro Zamora, who used the show as a launching pad to educate the nation about HIV/AIDS. It was a personal struggle for him as the show's first (and only) HIV-positive, openly gay cast member.




Pedro's conflicts with his roommate — the antagonistic bicycle messenger Puck — almost caused him to move out, but it was Puck instead who left the house.

Pedro passed away surrounded by members of his Cuban family and a few cast members just hours after the season finale aired. After his death, then President Bill Clinton praised his efforts to bring awareness and understanding to the HIV/AIDS cause.











Tyra's Big Tantrum on "America's Next Top Model"


Sixteen seasons in, "America's Next Top Model", a modeling competition created by Tyra Banks, has yet to produce, well, an American top model.

But fans of the series don't necessarily tune in to discover the next Cindy Crawford — they love the inevitable drama that comes from squeezing a dozen or so women into one cramped space, dressing them up in bizarre fashions and asking them to pose for bitchy, B-list photographers.





The show has long been more of a forum for Tyra to spread her independent-woman gospel than a springboard for aspiring models. So you couldn't really fault Tiffany for brushing off her elimination with a little humor during the show's fourth cycle. But Tyra could.

The supermodel launched a tirade against the unsuspecting contestant, blasting her for not taking her dismissal seriously. "How dare you? Learn something from this!" Tyra screamed. "I have never in my life yelled at a girl like this!"

Well, we find that hard to believe.











Jason Picks Melissa, Then Molly on "The Bachelor"


It's not easy to be a man on "The Bachelor".

In a matter of weeks the men have to narrow the field from 25 gorgeous gals down to the one they would like to wed for all of eternity. Such intense, hurried circumstances often lead the poor, confused fellas to claim they are falling in love with more than one woman.




But in 2009, the 13th season, bachelor Jason Mesnick literally fell in love with both of the final women. The show's rules said he had to pick just one, so he proposed to the fan favorite, Melissa Rycroft.

Six weeks later, during the "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" special, he shocked Rycroft and the nation when he dumped her for the other contestant, Molly Malaney.

Now, Molly and Jason are happily married with his son Ty, and for her part, Rycroft is happily married too.




But future "Bachelor" contestants, a word of advice: If you're not sure if you like it, don't put a ring on it.











The Louds Split-Up on "An American Family"


"An American Family" was reality TV before reality TV even existed.

Simply called a television documentary, beginning in January of 1973, the 12-episode PBS series chronicled seven months in the day-to-day lives of the seven-member Loud family of Santa Barbara, Calif.




While the show was pioneering in many ways — for one, it showcased the first openly gay character on television, the eldest son, Lance Loud — it was the moment the family broke apart that everyone remembers.

Before 10 million viewers, Pat asked her husband Bill for a divorce and asked him to move out of their home.











"American Idol's" Kelly Clarkson Becomes a Star


Since its 2002 debut, "American Idol" has enjoyed unparalleled success in the realm of reality television, easily beating out competitors to become the most watched show in the country.

Kelly Clarkson won the inaugural season of the singing contest, kicking off a successful career that's included two Grammy wins and popular hits like "Since U Been Gone."




Clarkson aside, "American Idol" has had no shortage of accomplished alumni, perhaps more so than any other reality show.

Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood has sold more than 12 million albums and won five Grammy awards.

Jennifer Hudson, a contestant in the third season, won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her 2006 film debut in Dreamgirls.

And for all the careers the singing contest has launched based on talent, the long-running series has also spawned viral stars such as the "Pants on the Ground" guy and a She-Bangin' William Hung.











The Racism Scandal on "Celebrity Big Brother"


One of the first shows to propel the rise of reality TV, the U.K.'s "Big Brother" series landed on a winning formula: throw myriad personalities into a house and have them compete with one another, and you're bound to have compelling drama.

The show led to an American version and inspired countless knockoffs, including a celebrity version that, unsurprisingly, only increased the theatrics.




Case in point: the 2007 season of "Celebrity Big Brother" was mired in an international scandal as three contestants — model Danielle Lloyd, reality-show veteran Jade Goody and singer Jo O'Meara — were shown routinely mocking and bullying fellow contestant Shilpa Shetty, an Indian actress.

The bullying was widely perceived as racist, as Shetty's name, accent and appearance were ridiculed, both to her face and behind her back.




The U.K.'s television regulator, Ofcom, received tens of thousands of complaints and there was substantial media backlash against Lloyd, Goody and O'Meara both in the U.K. and in India.

Goody and O'Meara both reported that they received death threats after leaving the house and Lloyd lost several lucrative modeling contracts due to the controversy.

While O'Meara maintained that she didn't bully Shetty, both Goody and Lloyd offered apologies to the actress — which she graciously accepted.











The White House Crashers Join "The Real Housewives of D.C."


In any city, the "Real Housewives" series is sure to shock and awe. The show's concept is simple: recruit incredibly wealthy women and follow them around as they prance about in five-inch heels with their tiny dogs from tanning salon to nail salon.

The popular Bravo franchise has had any number of astonishing moments, from when "Beverly Hills" housewife Camille Grammer split with famous hubby Kelsey Grammer to when "New Jersey's" Teresa Giudice got so mad she flipped a table over.

But it was Tareq and Michaele Salahi in Washington, D.C., who created an especially large media frenzy in November 2009 when they finessed their way into President Barack Obama's first state dinner.





Crashing the party (to which they maintain they were invited) wasn't the worst of it: the couple, known forever after as the White House gate-crashers, were being filmed for the show.

In the episode that aired Sept. 30, 2010, the couple is seen in a limo en route to the state dinner, with Michaele dressed in a traditional Indian sari (the dinner was for India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh).

The cameras do not follow the Salahis inside the party, but the next morning they recount their night and discuss meeting Obama and taking photos with Vice President Joe Biden and then White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.




The White House issued a statement that the Salahis were neither invited to nor seated for the dinner, but the truth may never be known. In their testimony before a House committee looking into White House security protocols, Tareq and Michaele took the Fifth.











Tom DeLay's 'Wild Thing' on "Dancing With the Stars"


ABC's "Dancing with the Stars", in which stars in the loosest sense of the word team up with professional dancers, has been on the air since 2005, and is now in its 12th season. America, apparently, craves a communal ballroom.

That and/or watching famous people shine and/or embarrass themselves. There have been many standout (or slipup) moments, but probably nothing as memorable as former House majority leader Tom DeLay's bid for dance champion.




In between indictment and trial, what else was he to do?

DeLay, sentenced this past January to three years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering and given 10 years' probation for a separate money-laundering charge (he's free on bail pending appeal) went on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2009.



Of his cha-cha set to "Wild Thing," it's hard to say what's most disconcerting. The butt shaking? The winking at the judge? The hip swiveling? We're gonna go with the moment he looks directly into the camera while lip synching, "Wild thing, I think I love you," and points at us unfortunate viewers.

The former Republican Representative from Texas wasn't voted off the show, but rather withdrew because of an injury.











"Extreme Makeover's" First Shocking Transformation


Let's be honest: the entertainment industry has never been about inner beauty.

"Extreme Makeover", which first aired in 2002, capitalized on this fact and lured viewers in with a reality series that transformed ugly ducklings into their most beautiful selves (or at least the selves that had smaller noses, thinner thighs and plumper lips) with dramatic plastic surgeries.



These days, viewers don't bat an eyelash at shows like Bridalplasty or the disturbing surgical transformation of celebrities like Heidi Montag.

But at the time, "Extreme Makeover" was hugely controversial, drawing criticism for remaking "average" Americans and perpetuating the idea that physical beauty equates with happiness.

Others blamed the show and its stunning transformations for the plastic-surgery boom that soon followed.











The Head-Shaving Incident on "Top Chef"


Combining three American loves — food, celebrity and competition — it's no wonder "Top Chef" has been a reality favorite since its inaugural season in 2006.

The competition show pits real-life chefs against one another in a series of cook-offs and has inspired nearly half a dozen spin-offs. However, the professionalism of the show's contestants definitely hasn't precluded a dose of bad behavior every now and then.




Near the end of "Top Chef's" second season, remaining contestants Cliff, Ilan, Sam and Elia took part in a night of drunken revelry, with Elia getting the wild idea of shaving her head.

However, it seemed that that wasn't quite enough carousing for the troublemaking chefs as they decided to accost the other remaining contestant, Marcel — who'd often been the odd man out throughout the season — and shave his head as well.




As Cliff pounced on the sleeping Marcel, wrestling him from bed and dragging him to the floor as the others looked on, what started as a prank quickly took a dark turn: Marcel was pinned to the ground, calling out for help.

While he managed to wrestle free both unscathed and unshaved, the judges were not pleased with the incident. Cliff was disqualified from the show for his aggressive behavior, and Marcel went on to finish in second place for the season.











Jessica Simpson and The Chicken of the Sea on "Newlyweds"


Like perfumes and fashion lines, reality shows are now another part of the modern celebrity package.

But the idea of having cameras inside celebrities' homes was a relatively new concept in 2003, when MTV debuted "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica", a reality series about Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson.




The show offered a candid look at the all-American couple as they navigated their first year of marriage and boosted Simpson's popularity — and record sales.

By now, the world knows Simpson's no dumb blonde. But in the debut episode of the reality series, viewers had good reason to doubt. While eating a can of tuna fish, Simpson turned to now ex-husband Lachey and asked, "Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? I know it's tuna, but it says 'Chicken ... by the Sea.'"

A dumbfounded Lachey could only laugh.











The Gosselins Announce Their Divorce on "Jon & Kate Plus 8"


After struggling with infertility, a couple unexpectedly learns they'll add sextuplets to their family, which already includes adorable twins.

From the onset, "Jon & Kate Plus 8" had the elements of a reality show that would tug on viewers' heartstrings. But by the fifth season, the on-air bickering between Jon and Kate Gosselin had sparked rumors that America's favorite family would soon split.

And when Jon and Kate eventually announced their divorce, bloggers had already taken away most of the shock value. Those pictures of Jon and other women in gossip magazines didn't help either.

Nonetheless, the episode featuring the couple's official statement, broadcast on June 22, 2009, became the most watched episode of the beloved series, drawing in 10.6 million viewers. Misery sure loves company.












Rat Smoothie on "Fear Factor"


Even if you've never seen a single episode of "Fear Factor", you know that it's the show in which contestants are more often than not challenged to eat really disgusting things like cow testicles and Madagascar hissing cockroaches (those were a show favorite).

But the show seemed to cross the already blurred line of grotesqueness when a January 2005 episode featured a blender — full of rats.



The episode incited criticism and even a lawsuit in which a man from Ohio sued NBC for $2.5 million in damages, saying that the rat-blender incident caused him to get dizzy, run into a wall and vomit.

The suit was dismissed.











Lori Gives Up Her Baby on "16 and Pregnant"


Starting with its attention-grabbing title, this controversial MTV series has been a lightning rod for debate. And while it's been criticized for glamorizing teen pregnancy, in truth you can't watch it without seeing what a predicament these girls are in.

The show, which became an instant hit when it debuted in 2009, has already made some of its subjects into tabloid stars.




But the most riveting episode so far is about one of the lesser-known girls, Lori Wickelhaus. Her parents talk her into an open adoption and she's conflicted but finally agrees.

In last year's Season 2, we see Lori in the hospital just after the birth of her son as she and Cory, the father of the baby, argue over the adoption. Lori sobs as Cory questions her decision and then takes the baby from her to kiss him goodbye.

Later in the episode we see the adoption ceremony, in which a more composed Lori, who was adopted herself, hands the child over to his new parents while her parents look on weeping.



And while we won't see Lori on MTV's spin-off show, "Teen Mom", she has told People magazine that she sees her son frequently and doesn't regret her choice.











The Osbournes on "The Osbournes"


He may be the Prince of Darkness, but aging goth rocker Ozzy Osbourne still has trouble getting comfortable in a kitchen chair.

Starting in 2002, MTV's "The Osbournes" took an intimate look into the lives of the Black Sabbath front man, his wife, Sharon, and his children, Kelly and Jack. (Daughter Aimee declined to participate.)



The Cleavers they weren't; the family conversed with F bombs aplenty and dealt with more serious issues like drug abuse. Like their antics or not, the show propelled the family, especially Kelly and Sharon, to fame.

It also set the stage for a deluge of celebrity-focused reality shows that endures today (and makes up most of VH1's programming).











A Cheating Designer is Kicked Off "Project Runway"


High fashion has never been an industry that has welcomed outsiders with open arms. But when supermodel Heidi Klum launched "Project Runway", a fashion-design reality show, in 2004 with designer Michael Kors and then Elle fashion director Nina Garcia, fans from all backgrounds flocked to the series.




Designer Keith Michael was the early favorite in the third season of the popular show, winning the first challenge and impressing the judges in the second and third weeks.

But in the fourth episode, Michael was abruptly disqualified for allegedly violating the show's contract by having design how-to books and leaving the premises to use the Internet.

Those actions, host Tim Gunn explained, constituted cheating, and he sent Michael packing immediately.




The departure of a contestant wasn't a total shocker — the show had teased a forthcoming dramatic fallout for weeks — but the fact that it was such a promising designer like Michael both shocked and saddened fans of the fashion-design competition.












The Bunny Swap on "The Girls Next Door"


A reality show starring the main girlfriends of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner initially seemed to promise nothing more than the convergence of the worst aspects of television — sex, partying and stereotypes.

And while "The Girls Next Door" did give us all of that, we also saw a sweeter, sillier side of the Playboy world, largely due to Hef's surprisingly likable girlfriends, Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson.

Yet the sixth season of "The Girls Next Door" started off with a major change: the cast.





Each episode of the show's first five seasons had featured an introduction with bobblehead cartoon versions of the three girls. The bubbly blondes had earned a large following through the first seasons of the show, making the show, which offered a glimpse inside life at Playboy Mansion, a hit.

Yet as Hef's romantic relationships with all three women evaporated, he moved three new blondes into the mansion — 23-year-old Crystal Harris and 19-year-old twins Kristina and Karissa Shannon — replacing the original girls next door.





In 2009, the sixth season's intro featured cartoon Holly, Bridget and Kendra briefly, before they're butted aside by cartoon versions of the three younger models.

The intro reflected not only the cast change but also the tasteless interchangeability of Hef's paramours. Harsh, yes, but not entirely unexpected in the world of a playboy.











Susan Boyle Stuns Everyone on "Britian's Got Talent"


They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

Still, in 2009, when a frumpy, hip-swinging Susan Boyle told "Britain's Got Talent" judges Piers Morgan, Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden that she planned to sing "I Dreamed a Dream," Morgan could hardly keep the smirk off his face.




The reality series, which debuted in 2007, brings singers, dancers and other entertainers together in a talent-competition format. But Boyle had the last laugh when, within seconds of opening her mouth, she silenced the crowd with a beautiful rendition of the Les Misérables classic.

Morgan moved her on with the "biggest yes" he's ever given anyone on the show, and the clip of Boyle singing became one of the year's biggest viral hits.




Boyle has gone on to astounding recording success; her first album, released in 2009, debuted at No. 1 on charts around the world.

She is also a favorite on TIME's annual TIME 100 poll in which readers vote on who they think are the 100 most influential people in the world.











Pumpkin Spits in New York's Face on "Flavor of Love"


"Flavor of Love" is VH1's answer to ABC's "The Bachelor".

While "The Bachelor" keeps it classy, Flavor Flav, of the rap group Public Enemy, keeps it, well, entertainingly scandalous. While in some ways the show is like any other dating show — 20 girls line up to win his heart — in many ways the show is unique Flav.

For example, rather than actually trying to remember the girls' names, Flav assigns them random nicknames, and instead of roses, Flav hands out giant clock necklaces (and similarly, he tells losers their time is up).




While the show is full of any number of ridiculous antics, it's the elimination ceremonies that really enrage the women.

In one particularly fiery episode, Pumpkin, one of the final three contestants, spits in the face of New York (Tiffany Pollard). But New York got the last laugh.

After the second season of "Flavor of Love" (in which she was again rejected by Flav), Pollard got her own series on VH1. The Jan. 8, 2007, premiere of "I Love New York" was the most watched series debut in VH1 history.











Omarosa Gets Fired, Hired, and Fired on "The Apprentice"


When she crashed her way onto the reality scene during the inaugural season of Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" in 2004, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, was showered with hate from viewers and fellow contestants.

On the program, Omarosa and other contestants were grouped in two "corporations" competing to be the most successful at the various projects assigned each week. But she could hardly get any work done given the amount of time she spent fighting.



Omarosa was booted off "The Apprentice" in Week 9, but that was only the beginning of her reality-TV career.

Appearing on numerous talk shows and other programs like "The Surreal Life", she became — to the benefit of her wallet — the villain everyone loved to watch.

So it wasn't such a surprise when, in 2007, Trump said "You're hired" and brought Omarosa back for the first iteration of his new show, "Celebrity Apprentice". Yes, even though she had been disgraced and accused of inflating her résumé, she was now considered a celebrity.




Omarosa was fired from "Celebrity Apprentice", too, but insists that her difficult character was mostly a fictional construct ginned up by "The Apprentice's" producers. A

nd while she isn't on a regular TV program at the moment, Omarosa is still on the reality circuit giving seminars to wannabe reality stars at events like this month's Reality Rocks Expo in Los Angeles.











Walmart Mystifies Paris Hilton "The Simple Life"


In an attempt to sample how the other, poorer half lives, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's first season of "The Simple Life" uprooted the heiresses from L.A. and took them to Arkansas, where they bunked up on the Leding family farm.

Among the "simple" challenges the two socialites faced — working minimum-wage jobs, manning a county fair kissing booth and cooking were just a few — it was often basic conversations with regular people that proved the most challenging.




In one particularly memorable scene, Hilton claimed to not know what Walmart was, asking if the megachain was a place where "they sold wall stuff."

Whether by design or legitimate ignorance (we hope it was the former, but suspect the latter) Hilton's comment made her look completely out of touch with not only simple life, but real life as well.











Bret Michael's First Annual Mud-Bowl on "Rock of Love"


There were reality-dating shows before. There was even a reality-celebrity-dating show before.

But until "Rock of Love", no such show had starred Bret Michaels.




On the VH1 series, which debuted in 2007, women competed to date the Poison front man. How, you ask, could such a lofty endeavor sink into the mud? If it hadn't done so already, it certainly did in the fifth episode: "First Annual Bret's Mudbowl."

The eight remaining potential girlfriends were divided into two teams, the Fallen Angels and the Sweethearts. The MVP would win a coveted one-on-one date with Bret. And so, mud met skin. Injuries were inflicted. Pants came off. And Bret found his winner: MVP Jes would go on to be the last one standing at season's end ... though the relationship didn't end up being one for the books.

In fact, in spite of its premise, "Rock of Love" ran for three years.











Baby No. 19 Goes Home on "19 Kids and Counting"


The show that started out in 2008 as "17 Kids and Counting" soon became "18 Kids and Counting", and when mom Michelle Duggar, 44, delivered yet another baby, the name became "19 Kids and Counting".

The Duggar family's most recent addition, Josie, born in December 2010, arrived three months early as a "micro-premie" weighing just 1 lb. 6 oz. After nearly six months in and out of the hospital, Josie was allowed to go home with parents Michelle and Jim Bob.




The conservative Baptists of Tontitown, Ark., say they decided to forgo birth control after a miscarriage early in their marriage, which the couple blamed on the use of a contraceptive.

The Duggars inspire both awe (for managing the herculean tasks of running such a household and home schooling their kids) and criticism for producing so many children.

Nonetheless, they say they still would like more. Michelle says her "mommy years" may be numbered because of her age, but the couple has also considered adopting.











Scott Plamer Sky-Dives Without a Parachute on "Jackass"


Of all the crazy stunts pulled on MTV's "Jackass", the one in which Scott Plamer skydives without a parachute seems like it would be one of the most dangerous, but the resulting video has a type of serenity — and painlessness — that's not often associated with the show.

In this 2008 episode, Plamer free-falls — wearing nothing but shorts, might we add — for approximately 40 seconds before joining up with a skydive instructor, who takes his precious time connecting a cord from himself to Plamer's belt.



While in free fall, Plamer plays with gravity by somersaulting, lounging on his back and swimming through thin air, basically coasting his way to a world record and becoming the first person to jump out of a plane without a parachute.

But as the show's producers like to remind eager fans, while that stunt might have looked like fun, attempt these moves at your own peril.











The Nudist Episode on "Queer Eye"


The Fab Five of "Queer Eye" — Carson Kressley, Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas, Thom Filicia and Jai Rodriguez — are probably better known for their on-air antics and overblown personalities than they are for their straight-men fashion makeovers.

And there's nothing like a hairy nudist dubbed "Scary Garcia" to bring out these characters' hidden eccentricities.




In this 2005 episode, the guys pull up to Jim Boyd's house, honking their trademark SUV while also yelling "Honk, honk, honk" to alert Boyd to put some pants on.

Of course, Boyd answers the door fully exposed anyway, much to the delight of the gang (and, inevitably, the show's producers). Shortly thereafter, Carson, purveyor of the show's most stylish clothes, decides to connect with his inner nudist, as he strips down to nothing and takes a trot around the house while his castmates look on in shocked amusement.




"Queer Eye", originally called "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy", won praise for addressing with good-natured humor the sometimes uncomfortable interactions between straight and gay men, and was an instant hit when it appeared on Bravo in 2003.

The series went on to win an Emmy in 2004 before going off the air in 2008.











Jeff Conoway Breaks Down on "Celeb. Rehab"


"Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" has revealed a side of many stars that is so unlike the characters they are known for that it's both shocking and saddening, yet we can't seem to look away as vaguely familiar B- and C-list stars enroll in a residential rehab facility and agree to be filmed as they struggle with their addictions.

Dr. Drew Pinsky, a TV personality and addiction specialist, plays host to this tragic spectacle, which has been criticized for exploiting its subjects at their most vulnerable moments.




In the case of actor Jeff Conaway, who appeared on the show in both the first and second seasons in 2008, it was difficult to find any trace of the good-hearted bad boy Kenickie from Grease, a role that has partially defined him for more than three decades.

As Conaway struggled to defeat his addiction to cocaine, alcohol and the painkillers he depended on for relief from numerous back injuries, audiences watched as he sank deeper into depression and exhibited increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/pa...063810,00.html