Onscreen Romances That Didn’t Make It To The After Show (Together)

After being eliminated by Jason Mesnick in Season 13 of The Bachelor, Season 5 of The Bachelorette (which aired in 2009) would be Jillian Harris’ year. You’d think with ABC’s good track record of selecting eligible-future-husbands, one of them would be The One. Jillian gave her ‘final rose’ to Ed Swiderski, a technology consultant from Michigan, but their relationship ended in July 2010. What, you mean you can’t find true love on a reality TV dating game?

Food and fitness entrepeneur and RHNYC cast member Bethenny Frankel seemed to have it all. Especially when she met businessman Jason Hoppy in 2008, which led to the Bravo reality TV spin-offs Bethenny Getting Married? and Bethenny Ever After. Bethenny’s 2010 marriage, her real or imagined conflicts and in-depth look at, well, every aspect of her life kept ratings up, but perhaps at a more personal cost. The couple filed for divorce in 2013.

Even alt couples like Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler capitalized on the reality-TV-show-newlyweds train. The Blink 182 drummer and ex-Miss USA starred in Meet The Barkers, which first aired in April of 2005, just six months after getting hitched. Maybe it was never having time to enjoy themselves… alone, or maybe it was irreconcilable differences, but the Barker filed for divorce on August 8, 2006, six months after the final episode of Meet The Barkers’ second season. Just goes to show that two people in love plus a camera crew does not a marriage make.

In 2007, Kim Kardashian and her family started Keeping Up With The Kardashians, a wildly popular reality TV series that followed their every overdramatized move. When she started dating professional basketball player, Kris Humphries, in December of 2010, it looked like a match made in reality show and real life heaven. Note the K. It wasn’t long before Kris joined the cast, proposed marriage and the two were married in August of 2011. After an extravagant wedding (which coincided with the release of her “Kim Kardashian In Love” fragrance) and a mere 72 days of married life, she filed for divorce. The question on everyone’s lips: was it real or just for reality TV?

Originally an unknown family from a small town, the Gosselins attracted local media attention when their attempt to have a third child culminated in sextuplets. The Discovery Health channel offered the exponentially growing family a reality series that would chronicle their lives, Jon & Kate Plus 8. The family was filmed three to four days a week, drawing criticism concerning the exploitation of their children. In 2009, two years after the show started airing, the couple announced their plans to divorce. Jon & Kate Plus 8 became Kate Plus 8. The show must go on!

What could have been a high school sweetheart situation, the Nick Lackey and Jessica Simpson romance was extra unordinary. The two singing sensations shared small-hometown-pasts and high-profile pop star lives, a match made in heartthrob heaven. After marrying in late-2002, their 2003 MTV reality TV show, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, made them supercelebs. Viewers ate up Jessica’s “dumb blonde” naivety, the couple’s fights over laundry, whether she was eating chicken or fish, and too-cute-for-words cuddle sessions. The last episode aired in March 2005 and they filed for divorce nearly five months later. Can’t stay newlyweds forever.

Like Jillian Harris, Jake Pavelka (who was eliminated in episode 6 of Jillian Harris’ season of The Bachelorette) was given a second chance at love. Or something like that. He starred as Season 14’s Bachelor and ended up proposing to Vienna Girardi in the final episode. Rather split amicably, these two went through a highly publicized break up that stirred up media attention. Whether it was “real” drama or not, kind of surprising for only lasting three months after the finale aired.

After having to leave the 14^th season of The Bachelor in order to keep her job, Ali was given a chance to do the choosing in Season 6 of The Bachelorette. In the finale episode, after being introduced to her family in Bora Bora, Robert Martinez asked Ali’s father his permission to marry Ali. Instead of a final rose, Ali sent the other competitor, Chris, home and Roberto popped the question. Unlike most Bachelor or Bachelorette alums, the pair seemed truly in love and didn’t break up until a year and a half of being engaged. So close!