10 Weird And Uncomfortable Reality TV Moments In 2023

In today's society, there seems to be a reality show for just about anything. Pop culture has become obsessed with following our favorite characters from dating shows to Housewives and everything in between. There's something raw and vulnerable about watching cameras follow the ins and outs of other people's lives. It's even more entertaining given the fights and drama that come along with being a reality star. We've watched normal people enter shows and leave as Instagram influencers, newfound celebrities, or with a reputation that makes or breaks them. In a world where cancel culture has become the norm, the stakes are higher than ever before for television personalities.

With camera packs on and cameras following their every move — including in the bedroom — there aren't many places for reality stars to hide. With that being said, some of the most cringeworthy moments occur on reality shows. Whether it's catfights, hookups, or awkward conversations — sometimes the drama unfolding on-screen is like a car crash. While it may be hard to watch, we simply can't tear our eyes away. Factor in a production team whose job is to entertain, the most painful moments onscreen typically make for the best ratings. For many individuals, participating in a reality show is a fast track to being famous. Whether they're given fifteen minutes of fame or they remain relevant in pop culture remains to be decided. We're breaking down the 10 most weird and uncomfortable moments during reality tv shows in 2023.

It doesn't get much more uncomfortable for viewers than the TLC series "Milf Manor." The show follows eight single mothers between the ages of 40 and 60 as they travel to a luxury destination and attempt a shot at love with men nearly half their age. The catch is that realize upon arriving in paradise that the men they will be dating are the sons of their fellow contestants. The series is the definition of cringe-worthy, and episode titles like "I'll Always Love My Milf" do little to help the show's reputation. To start off the series, the MILFs were blindfolded and had to touch the chests of the male contestants to try and figure out which one was their own son. The winner got their pick of where to sleep in the villa.

Another uncomfortable aspect of the show is the contestant's children deciding whether or not they approve of their mother's love interest. In this clip, Gabriel Jayne and Stefany Johnson match up, and he asks Johnson's son Billy if he approves of him dating his mom. It's painful to watch, and while it's unclear how old Billy is — he could easily be older than his mother's pick (who was 23 years old at the time of filming).

In the end, the show's less about true love and more about shock value. Or at least that's what fans are led to believe since Jayne was posting videos with another woman before the Season 1 finale even aired. 

The pinnacle of drama in Season 6 of the Netflix series "Selling Sunset" revolved around Chrishell Stause and her beef with her co-worker Nicole Young. The drama was brewing all season, and it started after Young claimed Stause took credit for listings the real estate agents worked on together years prior. Young also accused Stause's close relationship with their boss Jason Oppenheim as a reason why she was allegedly put on the listing with her. Stause was less than pleased with the accusations, ripping into Young on the series for claiming she had an inappropriate relationship with Oppenheim at a time when she was still married to her ex-husband Justin Hartley.

The tensions reached a breaking point during a girl's trip to Palm Springs. During the mini-vacation, a dinner between the ladies of the Oppenheim Group took a turn for the worse. In a clip from Season 6, Stause accuses Young of being on drugs during a heated conversation, going as far as saying the realtor was acting "cracked out." The damaging accusation led Young to take a drug test the following day, which ended up being negative.

The drama led to fans sending Young death threats online. TMZ caught up with both of the stars following the incident, but they seem to be on different pages about moving forward. Young told the outlet she had hope that she could one day co-exist with her co-star, and Stause admitted it was up to Young to repair their relationship.

Louie Ruelas has been one of the most controversial characters in "Real Housewives of New Jersey" history. The businessman, who married Teresa Giudice in 2022, has been called out for his questionable behavior on the Bravo series. From inserting himself into his wife's drama with her brother and sister-in-law to being accused of abusive behavior, Ruelas has been far from the fan-favorite on the show.

One of the weirdest moments involving the "RHONJ" star was his revelation to his brother-in-law Joe Gorga that he wore Gorga's late father's pajamas to sleep. In Season 13 Episode 8 (per People), Rueas told Gorga: "I live with your four nieces," adding, "I wear your father's pajamas at night to make them feel safe and loving, do you know that?" Giudice's father Giacinto passed away in 2020 from pneumonia. Following her brother's less-than-enthusiastic reaction, and the criticism from viewers, Giudice defended Ruelas. The mother of four told People that her husband's comment "was definitely coming from an endearing place. I love him even more so for that." She went on to add: "And that was just a brand new pair of pajamas that I said, 'Babe, these are new pajamas that my dad never used.' ... So I think it came out the wrong way."

Endearing wasn't the word most fans used to describe Ruelas' admission. "It's not endearing, it's concerning," one user tweeted. "Endearing?! More like creepy af!!!" another wrote.

Tom Sandoval was quite possibly the most hated man in the Bravo universe after his shocking affair with co-star Raquel Leviss was revealed in March 2023. TMZ first broke the news that the "Vanderpump Rules" star had been having a six-month-long affair with Leviss while in a relationship with his girlfriend of nearly 10 years, Ariana Madix. Madix and Sandoval split up following the news, but week after week, more shocking allegations came out about the scandalous controversy. 

While it looks bad enough that Sandoval cheated on his long-time girlfriend, it was even more shocking when Leviss revealed shocking details about their secret relationship. In part three of the Season 10 reunion, Leviss revealed she slept with Sandoval while Madix was away for her late grandmother's funeral. "It's a really bad look to hook up with someone's boyfriend, in their own house, when they've gone out of town ... especially for like a funeral of all things," Leviss admitted through tears.

But Leviss' confession wasn't the only shocking admission made by the former pageant queen. The "Vanderpump Rules" star even admitted to suggesting to Sandoval to ask his then-girlfriend to start a throuple with Leviss. "...What would Ariana think about like, having me as an addition?" the former SUR waitress allegedly asked the TOMTOM co-founder. Levis said Sandoval declined the idea. Madix has also claimed on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast that Leviss and Sandoval had sex in the guest room while she slept next door. 

Zach Shallcross faced backlash from fans during his season of "The Bachelor" for what many thought to be a rude comment he made to one of the contestants. During Season 27 of the show, Shallcross got covid, which led to a virtual rose ceremony via Zoom. In a one-on-one virtual chat, Greer Blitzer, who works in medical sales, empathized with him about contracting the virus. "I had COVID at the end of the quarter during year-end, so it messed with my career in sales. I know how you feel missing out on things," the contestant said. Shallcross responded back by saying: "Yeah, I think me missing out on finding a wife is slightly more important than your little sales problems."

Blitzer felt blindsided by the comment, even admitting that it made her think twice about remaining on the show. Fans didn't exactly love the exchange either, with one user tweeting: "Ouuuuu Zach did not handle that date with Greer well, that was mega uncalled for and rude and she was just trying to connect with him and make him feel seen." Another user chimed in following the episode writing: "Dang, that was awkward. I don't think what Greer said was demeaning his love journey. Zach was a bit aggressive there. #TheBachelor." 

Ultimately Blitzer was sent home later in the season, and Shallcross went on to find love with Kaity Biggar. He popped the question on the finale, and as of the time of writing the two are engaged. 

Vanessa Papa starred in the Netflix series "The Ultimatum: Queer Love" in 2023, but she didn't exactly get the warmest reception from her co-stars. The show takes queer couples that are at a crossroads in their relationship on marriage. The couples split up for a few weeks and select one of their co-stars' partners to do a trial marriage, and later decide whether they want to explore another connection or accept their partner's ultimatum and get engaged.

The controversy surrounding Papa ignited when she was intimate with her trial wife Rae Cheung-Sutton. She broke a vow to her girlfriend Xander Borger at the time, as the two had promised to remain faithful to each other while on the show. Borger also broke that boundary and had a physical relationship with her trial wife, Yoly Rojas. Lexi Goldberg, Cheung-Sutton's then-girlfriend, was less than thrilled to find out the news about her girlfriend and Papa, after already doubting Papa was on the show for the right reasons. "I think for Lexi, it was way easier to blame a stranger than to blame the partner she loves," Papa told E! News regarding the criticism from her cast mate.

While Papa tried to explain away the night with Cheung-Sutton by admitting she wasn't sexually attracted to her trial wife, Goldberg unleashed her anger. "You end up being inside of the person I came here with and that I love," she told Papa on the series (per E! News). "You have zero feelings for them."

It wasn't exactly love at first sight for the former "Love Is Blind" Season 4 co-stars Irina Solomonova and Zach Goytowski. The two decided to get engaged sight unseen after spending weeks talking to each other in the pods, but sparks weren't exactly flying during their first meeting. In a clip from the Netflix series, the criminal defense attorney embraces Solomonova and asks her "Do you want a kiss?" to which his former fiancée replied, "Just a hug for now." Ouch. Solomonova went on to say in her confessional (per ET Canada): "I had no idea what Zach looked like and it's going to take me some time to get used to. I thought he would be a little more normal."

The couple's chemistry only went downhill from there, and they ended up splitting up before making it to the altar. Goytowski ended up finding love with contestant Bliss Poureetezadi, with who he had broken things off within the pods to pursue Solomonova. "I don't know how much you could see of the turmoil that I was going through, but when I did end it [with Irina], then my very first thing was I wanted to go and tell [producers] to bring [Bliss] back and that I had made the wrong choice, but I knew I had to live with the decision," Goytowski told Us Weekly. Poureetezadi ultimately gave Goytowski another shot, and the two ended up tying the knot on the show.

Micah Lussier and Paul Peden seemed like a match made in "Love Is Blind" heaven — until they weren't. The couple met on Season 4 of the Netflix season and went on to get engaged after falling in love in the pods. While it's a cardinal rule for many people that one's friends have to approve a significant other — Peden's encounter with Lussier's girl squad didn't exactly go off with a hitch.

In Season 4 Episode 8 (per Today), When it came time to introduce her fiancé to her girlfriends, Peden was bombarded with questions. When he left to use the restroom, Lussier's friends questioned her intentions. "Micah, Micah, you're in love with him?" one of her friends said during the episode. While Lussier attempted to defend their relationship, the girls weren't buying it. "I'm 100% not with it," her friend said, adding, "I just feel like this wasn't meant for you ... Like you're meant to have the most spectacular everything." Peden told Today he didn't take her friends' concerns that seriously at the time. "I didn't care that much because they are just strangers to me," he says. "But I did care to the extent that it mattered to her. So, we had a little bit of a conversation about that," he admitted.

Ultimately Peden and Lussier didn't say "I do" at their filmed wedding on the show. After Lussier gave her former fiancé the opportunity to answer first, Peden decided to end the relationship. 

Francesca Farago is a household name on reality television. Fans first got a glimpse of the Toronto native in 2020 on the Netflix series "Too Hot to Handle" in Season 1. She went on to be featured in the Season 1 "Love Is Blind: After the Altar" special, which premiered in 2021. Farago's attempts at finding love didn't end there, however, she was also a contestant on Netflix's "Perfect Match" in 2022. 

Farago caught the eye of several suitors during her time on "Perfect Match," with many contestants trying their hand at matching up with her. The show requires contestants to match up each night and share a room together, if they are not picked as a match, they are sent home. "The Circle" star Nick Uhlenhuth missed his shot to match up with Farago during Season 1 Episode 1 (per Cosmopolitan), after failing to get alone time with the model.

After Farago decides to match up with Dom Gabriel, Uhlenhuth still attempts to change her mind. After chasing her up the stairs, he is able to steal her away from Gabriel for a quick chat. "So I'd love to get to know you better, spend more time with you," he told Farago, to which she replied: "Yeah, I think you missed your shot." Fans weighed in on the awkward moment, with one user tweeting: "Idk how I feel about this show. It's so cringey. And I got the worst second hand embarrassment with Nick stopping Dom and Francesca on the stairs #PerfectMatch."