Top 10 Dating Show Controversies & Scandals
#10: Restraining Order & Stalking “The Bachelor” (2002-)
Every single season of “The Bachelor” is billed to us as the most dramatic yet. But in the case of Colton Underwood? That was kind of true. Colton’s famous “fence jump” moment more than lived up to its over-promoted hype, and his decision to just date winner Cassie Randolph in lieu of proposing was genuinely shocking. But what came after stunned fans even more. Cassie and Colton broke up a little over a year after they began dating. In the fall of 2020, she won a temporary restraining order against him. Cassie alleges that Colton put a tracking device under her vehicle, sent her threatening texts, and stalked her. This is incredibly frightening behavior, and we wish all the best to Cassie leaving this behind.
#9: Rigging a Season? “Are You the One?” (2014-)
It’s no secret that producer manipulation plays a massive role in many of our favorite reality television shows. Come on, we’ve all watched “UnREAL” – we know the drill! But “Are You the One?” may have gone too far. The show follows numerous singletons who have been paired up through an algorithm and have to figure out who their “perfect match” is. The season five cast was the first group to not win the game and take home prize money – something cast member Gianna Hammer says was purposeful. Hammer claims that producers pressured some singles into changing their picks for matches, causing them to lose. Hammer has made numerous other alarming allegations about the show, including of assault, casting a real shadow over this franchise.
#8: Rozlyn Papa “The Bachelor” (2002-)
Rozlyn Papa came onto “The Bachelor” scene like any other contestant. She was beautiful, fun, and seemed poised to make a pretty long play for Jake Pavelka’s heart. But in week two, all of that changed. In the middle of a cocktail party, then-host Chris Harrison kicked Rozlyn out, accusing her of having an “inappropriate relationship” with a producer. To this day, Rozlyn says the so-called “relationship” never happened, and that the entire fiasco was manufactured for entertainment’s sake. It definitely has gone down as one of the craziest moments in Bachelor history, but if Rozlyn’s telling the truth, that’s a pretty messed up way to create “good TV.”
#7: Shake Hits on Vanessa “Love Is Blind” (2020-)
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Throughout season two of “Love is Blind,” fans were disappointed in how the relationship between Shake and Deepti played out. Once the couple was out of the pods, Shake proved himself to be anything but husband material. Luckily, Deepti ended up refusing to marry Shake at the end of the season, but we still hadn’t heard the last from him. At the “Love is Blind” reunion, Shake continued to double down on his rude ideas about love and how he wasn’t attracted to Deepti. But he also, for some unknown reason, thought it would be a good idea to hit on Vanessa Lachey, one of the hosts of the show. Obviously, this choice immediately went south. We hope we never see Shake on TV again.
#6: Larissa’s Arrests “90 Day Fiancé” (2014-)
The entire premise of “90 Day Fiancé'' is odd, so it’s no surprise the show has produced some of the strangest personalities and controversies in recent reality show memory. But it’s hard to get more volatile than Larissa and Colt. The two met on the sixth season of the show and immediately, it was clear to fans the relationship was not going to work. A lot of viewers thought Colt had a toxic personality, and Larissa constantly clashed with his family – including his mother, whom he lived with. Throughout their relationship, Larissa was arrested three times for domestic violence. The two appear to have moved on from this time in their lives now, which is probably best for everyone involved.
#5: Chris Harrison & Rachel Lindsay “The Bachelor” (2002-)
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“The Bachelor” franchise has always had issues with race. The show brought on Rachel Lindsay as its first Black lead in 2017 – much too late, if you ask us – but it seems like things have just gotten worse since then. All that controversy came to a head in 2021. When old photos of frontrunner Rachael Kirkconnell at a racist “Old South” party surfaced during Black lead Matt James’ season, the show went into damage control mode. Host Chris Harrison sat for an interview with Rachel Lindsay. Instead of trying to hold the show accountable, he ranted about cancel culture and “wokeness.” Not a great look – and the rest of the world agreed. Harrison – a staple of the franchise – stepped down as host.
#4: Miss Great Britain No Longer “Love Island” (2015-)
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The pageant world is a staple of so many of the reality dating shows that we know and love. It makes sense – a pool of beautiful, young people? Let’s get them on a television show. Zara Holland, a former Miss Great Britain, starred on the second series of “Love Island,” which actually ended up costing her her title. During her time at the villa, Zara was physically intimate with another contestant, Alex Bowen. The decision wasn’t that popular amongst her fellow islanders, but doesn’t seem like that big a deal in the grand scheme of things. Miss Great Britain, however, felt differently. The organization stripped Zara of her title, in one of the most controversial moves in the show’s history.
#3: Corinne & DeMario “Bachelor in Paradise” (2014-)
“Bachelor in Paradise” is probably the most beloved of the Bachelor franchise shows. But the offshoot’s fourth season was rocked by a controversy so big, it almost ended production entirely. During shooting, someone reported alleged misconduct between contestants Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson, who both received villain edits on their respective seasons. Corinne later said she couldn’t really remember an intimate encounter with DeMario because she accidentally mixed alcohol and prescription medication. The two have since smoothed things over and an internal investigation found that no misconduct occurred. But both contestants have spoken about how the experience horribly affected their lives in its aftermath.
#2: The Treatment of Miriam Rivera “There’s Something About Miriam” (2004)
This entry could also be called – the entirety of what happened with “There’s Something About Miriam.” This short-lived reality dating show followed six single men as they tried to win the heart of model Miriam Rivera. At the end of the show, Tom Rooke ended up winning. But the show had one more twist – if you can even put what happens next into such glib terms. The series had Miriam reveal to Tom and the rest of the contestants that she was a transgender woman. The men ended up suing the show, alleging sexual assault and personal injury, among other things. The entire set up wasn’t fair to anyone involved, and put forth really negative stereotypes and perceptions of the transgender community. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Alleged Mistreatment, “Temptation Island” (2001-03; 2019-) Morgan & Evan Split Because of the Allegations Clare Blows Up “The Bachelorette,” “The Bachelorette” (2003-) Clare Didn’t Need an Entire Show to Know She Wanted Dale Jason’s Domestic Violence, “90 Day Fiancé” (2014-) Charges Are Dropped, but Fallout Remains Lucie Donlan’s Microaggressions, “Love Island” (2015-) The Truth Comes Out Eventually Lawsuit, “Love Is Blind” (2020-) Labor Violations Are Thrown into Question
#1: The Dating Game Killer “The Dating Game” (1965-21)
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Get ready, folks. This one’s a doozy. If you’re a true crime fan, you’ve probably heard of Rodney Alcala, the infamous “Dating Game Killer.” If you come to “The Dating Game” through reality TV and don’t recognize this name, allow us to explain. Alcala was a serial killer who murdered multiple people - mostly women - in the 1970s. During that time period, he also appeared on an episode of “The Dating Game.” Can you imagine?! Not only did Alcala go on the show – he actually won. Even though Alcala was officially dubbed the winner, the bachelorette in question, Cheryl Bradshaw, opted not to go out with him. Bradshaw called Alcala “creepy” – that’s what we call good instincts.