The past year has been chock-full of memorable reality TV moments — and Us Weekly has narrowed down the best of the best.
Several tears were shed on shows such as Vanderpump Rules and Love Island USA, while things got heated in the Bravo universe on The Real Housewives of Orange County and The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Meanwhile, new shows such as Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives quickly became reality fan favorites for giving an inside look into the DCC and Mormon mom influencers.
Scroll through to see Us’ Top Reality Moments of the Year and pick up the Reality Stars of the Year issue out now:
Meet Us Weekly’s Top 11 Reality Stars of the Year
Fall 2023
Us Weekly’s Reality Stars of the Year issue.
September 29, 2023: ‘The Great British Baking Show’
“So, Nicky, tell us about your beaver,” judge Prue Leith asks. Um, the task is to make an animal cake.
October 22, 2023: ‘The Real Housewives of New York City’
“Jenna f—ing Lyons did it again,” cheers Andy Cohen when she wears jeans to the reunion. (A Saint Laurent blazer and tie and a Thom Browne blouse top her Levi’s.)
November 15, 2023: ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’
Like a broken record, Sutton Stracke demands examples of her alleged misdeeds from Kyle Richards: “Name ’em.” “Name ’em.” “Name ’em.” And so on…
January 2024: ‘The Curious Case of Natalie Grace: Natalie Speaks’
The Ukrainian orphan accused of being an adult con artist is happily adopted by another family. Months later, her new dad fumes, “Something ain’t right” with her.
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January 4, 2024: ‘The Golden Wedding’
After the Bachelor franchise’s most authentic season yet, Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner weds Theresa Nist live. Three months later, they would split.
January 11, 2024: ‘Southern Charm’
Taylor Ann Green outs Olivia Flowers for once hooking up with Thomas Ravenel. “I wanted to take it to my grave,” Flowers says of the “drunken night.”
February 14, 2024: ‘Love Is Blind’
Chelsea Blackwell inaccurately names Megan Fox as her celeb look-alike. After Jimmy Presnell picks her over Jessica Vestal, his disgruntled No. 2 warns that when he sees what he missed, “You are going to need your EpiPen to open up your airways.”
February 22, 2024: ‘The Traitors’
Phaedra Parks is a meme machine, from “This is not The Bachelor. And I don’t have to kiss your ass for a rose” to “Not my Bergalicious!”
March 7, 2024: ‘The Traitors’
The ol’ double-cross! Trishelle Cannatella and Chris “CT” Tamburello unite in the finale to block Mercedes “MJ” Javid from winning the cash.
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April 11, 2024: ‘Jersey Shore: Family Vacation’
Cringe! When exes Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro come face-to-face for the first time in years, he hugs everyone … but waves to her.
April 23, 2024: ‘The Valley’
A cast dinner at the Mondrian turned into chaos when Kristen Doute called Jesse Lally aggressive. When Kristen’s now-fiancé, Luke Broderick, and Jesse’s then-wife, Michelle Lally, got involved, the madness resulted in Michelle’s nipple popping out, Jesse lunging at Luke and Zack Wickham and Brittany Cartwright becoming collateral damage. The best (or worst?) part though was the final seconds of the episode when Kristen revealed on camera that Michelle allegedly had a boyfriend for a year — while already married to Jesse.
April 28, 2024: ’90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?’
Franchise vet “Big Ed” Brown cancels his wedding — without informing the bride, Liz Woods. (She gets the news via a call from the officiant.)
April 28, 2024: ‘MILF Manor’
Season 2’s twist to the older women–younger men formula? Adding in the guys’ love-seeking fathers! One reaction: “The dads are hotter than the sons!”
May 3, 2024: ‘Selling the OC’
Sean Palmieri gossips that Austin Victoria suggested a threesome, later accusing him at the office: “You told me you and your wife were experimenting.” (Austin denies the accusations: “You’re disgusting.”)
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May 6, 2024: ‘Deal or No Deal Island’
“Boston Rob” Mariano, the front-runner from day one, peeks at another competitor’s puzzle — and the penalty costs him everything.
May 28, 2024: ‘Vanderpump Rules’
At the reunion, the cast sees the finale’s coda for the first time, and Ariana Madix learns her friends turned on her for not wanting to film with Tom Sandoval.
June 20, 2024: ‘America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’
Former cheerleader Kat Puryear compares the pay to that of a Chick-fil-A employee “that works full-time.”
June 23, 2024: ‘Love Island USA’
So. Much. Sobbing. The girls dump Andrea Carmona, who’d connected with Rob Rausch, instead of their very single friend JaNa Craig.
July 11, 2024: ‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’
After a blowup with Alexis Bellino — who “spontaneously” utters, “There’s the door, Shannon Beador” before storming off — Beador breaks the fourth wall, saying, “Perfect” directly to camera.
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July 17, 2024: ‘Claim to Fame’
When Gracie Lou is eliminated, her famous relative, Jon Cryer, skips the prerecorded farewell message and rolls up in a limo.
July 24, 2024: ‘Big Brother’
In a WTF rant, a wild Angela Murray accuses “Crazy Eyes” (that’s the name she coins for Matt Hardeman) of “very aggressively” threatening her.
July 29, 2024: ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’
Power-tripping Ellie Dubaich puts Bri Muller in her place: “Since you don’t know how boats work, second stew outranks you. That is who I am.”
August 4, 2024: ‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’
A peacemaking lunch gets heated fast. Some choice words: “clown,” “sick animal,” “f**king disgusting human being with no soul,” “skank” and “white trash.”
August 25, 2024: ‘Chimp Crazy’
Tonia Haddix, the “Dolly Parton of chimps,” confirms she lied to PETA about her pet Tonka’s death and has been keeping him in her basement.
September 6, 2024: ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’
Jessi Ngatikaura drops her shorts to display the results of her labiaplasty. No more “meat curtains”!
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September 6, 2024: ‘Selling Sunset’
Former couple Jason Oppenheim and Mary Bonnet host an elaborate funeral for their late Chihuahua, Niko.
September 24, 2024: ‘Dancing With the Stars’
After being eliminated, emotion-challenged ex-con Anna Delvey announces what she’ll take away from the experience: “Nothing.”
October 2, 2024: ‘Love Is Blind’
Brittany Wisniewski goes blank when asked what she loves about her new fiancé, Leo Braudy, in the most awkward post-pods reveal yet. Text on the screen confirms they broke up weeks later.
