Top 30 Most Awkward Reality TV Moments EVER

#30: Joseph Charges Chef Ramsay

Hells Kitchen (2005-)

As one of the scariest chefs on television, Gordon Ramsay is not the guy you want to mess with. Former Marine turned sous-chef Joseph wasnt scared. He got mad, even though he was the one who misunderstood or simply ignored Ramsay's request to name the two weakest members of his team. Soon, he was smarting off to the chef instead. Then, everything escalated for no reason. Joseph was charging the chef and threatening to fight him. It all just read as pathetic and sad. The hilarious thing is, Joseph wasnt even on the chopping block at all. Needless to say, he was eliminated on the spot. Right after nearly tripping on his way out.

#29: 50 Cent Pushes Jael Into a Pool

Americas Next Top Model (2003-18)

The cast of Top Model Cycle 8 was surprised by a genuinely star-studded pool party. Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and rapper 50 Cent are just some of the famous faces the competing models are supposed to impress. Most of them were uncomfortable. But contestant Jael Strauss might have gotten a little too comfortable. Watching her goof around with 50 Cent like they were old friends was ultimately a little hard to watch. But no one expected him to push her into the swimming pool. In a show that never failed to deliver uncomfortable moments, this was an all-timer.

#28: Tom Sandovals Comment About Cheating

The Traitors (2023-)

As soon as the former Vanderpump Rules star set foot in the Scottish castle where betrayal is the name of the game, the reaction was mixed. Viewers and fellow players knew him well for his highly publicized and brazen affair, the fallout of which was all captured for the cameras. During The Traitors roundtable segment, he was making his case as to why one of the women was a Traitor. However, a Freudian slip saw him saying girls are better cheaters instead of traitors. Now, both comments would probably earn some pushback. But the fact that the main player of #Scandoval said something that boneheaded is so ironic youd almost think it was scripted.

#27: Somethin Has an Accident

Flavor of Love (2006-08)

Somethin was a contestant on Flavor of Love, and she really left her mark. She may have made it to the second episode, but she didnt make it to the bathroom. After the premiere episodes champagne toast, Somethin booked it for the bathroom, and apparently, she didnt make it in time. As her fellow contestants and potential suitor, Flavor Flav, see what she left behind, its enough to make you question why anyone would ever do a reality show. Crazily enough, she lasted a few more episodes. Whether it was because she was a real contender for Flavor Flavs heart or she was just good TV, well never know. Frankly, we may have seen too much already.

#26: What Is Walmart?

The Simple Life (2003-07)

Awkward moments are the reason this fish-out-of-water series existed. The Simple Life saw rich, spoiled socialites Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton getting a taste of working-class life. Hiltons now-iconic question from the series premiere became an early viral sensation. Of course, Hilton confessed years later that she was just playing a heightened character and didnt actually think Walmart was a store where people buy walls. Were not sure whats more awkward, though. Paris Hilton not knowing what Walmart is, or Paris Hilton pretending not to know what Walmart is. Either way, its early reality TV at its very best.

#25: Stop Taking Pictures of Yourself, Your Sister Is Going to Jail

Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007-21)

Sometimes, the Kardashians seem completely out of touch with the everyday realities of life. In this 2009 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Khloé Kardashian was ordered to report to jail for a 30-day sentence. Kim Kardashian is taking selfies the whole car ride over while mother Kris Jenner reprimands her. Its like a family road trip gone twisted. The, albeit limited, group of paparazzi awaiting them at the jail is enough to remind Jenner of her connection to the O. J. Simpson trial. But then, all that backstory seems like an overreaction when Khloé is released not three hours later due to overcrowding. Its so unserious that maybe Kim had the right idea all along.

#24: Damian & Giannina Discuss Their Love Life

Love Is Blind (2020-)

On the debut season of Love Is Blind, the couples who made it to the next phase of the experiment had amazing chemistry in the pods. It was translating that chemistry to real life that tripped a few of them up. Damian and Gianninas spark didnt exactly carry over into the bedroom. And Damian was none the wiser until Giannina told him. His dumbfounded expression pretty much says it all. Its hard navigating intimacy in a new relationship. So, clearly, the best thing to do is throw a camera and a streaming audience of millions into the mix.

#23: Do I Have Something On My Face?

RuPauls Drag Race (2009-)

Throughout the drag competitions 7th season, Pearl was too cool for school. She wasnt going to play by the rules, she wasnt going to let them use a tragic backstory against her, and she certainly wasnt going to take a critique lying down. During Rus weekly check-in with the queens, she tried to get Pearls response to those critiques. Instead of saying what the host may have wanted to hear, Pearl stood her ground. Once Ru stared her down, Pearl decided to double down with some well-timed and deeply awkward sarcasm. When you step into the Werk Room, theres at least one golden rule. RuPaul is the queen. So on the rare occasion a contestant smarts off to her, its a big deal.

#22: The Note

Jersey Shore (2009-12)

Who wrote the note? Youse two wrote the note, thats who. Snooki and JWoww were Jersey Shores dynamic duo, but they werent always using their powers for good. This classic Season 2 episode sees them ratting out Ronnies philandering ways via an anonymous letter to his girlfriend, Sammi. But the fallout proves to be worth way more than they bargained for. The ensuing fight between JWoww and Sammi is one of the biggest blowups of the whole series, but the lead-up to all that is pure awkwardness. The note is an instant scandal. The guys immediately lie to cover up for Ronnie, despite his cheating being caught on camera, and the women decide to lie about their involvement in the whole thing.

#21: Showdown with Monica

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (2020-)

Newcomer Monica Garcia painted herself as the Salt Lake City cast member who was going to show these spoiled rich ladies a thing or two. Instead, she got the biggest smackdown in Real Housewives history. Garcia was outed as one of the contributors to an Instagram page that publicly lambasted her castmates, spreading gossip and insults about them. With Heather Gay as ringleader, the women aired their grievances and inundated their co-star with proof that she just could not come back from, no matter how much she defended herself. And she tried. It was a shining moment for the show, but an intensely cringeworthy one for Garcia. Unsurprisingly, she was fired after the season ended. They did it at her birthday dinner.

#20: Raj Helps Himself

Hells Kitchen (2005-)

This personal chef from Queens, New York lasted only three episodes into the eighth season of Hells Kitchen, and even that seemed like two too many. From his bumbling during dinner service to his clashes with his more experienced teammates, lets just say no one was placing their bets on Raj to win. But his most awkward moment came in his elimination episode. While his team struggled to send out even one entrée, Raj was eating the leftovers. Even when his teammates asked him not to, he just couldnt help himself. Clearly, their dishes were too good to resist. Chef Ramsay wasnt amused, but what else is new?

#19: Greig Leaves Dinner

First Dates (2013-)

This popular British reality show takes place in a restaurant where two strangers would meet for a blind date. As if first dates werent awkward enough for the Brits, they had to add cameras and potential humiliation in front of millions to the mix. In this memorable episode, Greig got dumped by his blind date, John, before the main course even arrived. Apparently, John didnt find Greig attractive at all, and wasted no time in letting him know that. Despite Greigs disappointment, its clear he dodged a bullet. When he gave the show a second go, he actually found a husband.

#18: Wheels of Cheese

The Amazing Race (2001-)

If the idea of desperate people rolling wheels of cheese down a hill seems ridiculous to you, youd be correct. On the fourteenth season of The Amazing Race, contestants were tasked with transporting heavy hunks of cheese down a steep hill while drunk Swiss men laughed at them. Its a very specific anxiety fever dream of a challenge. From the jaunty little tune playing over the soundtrack to the wheels of cheese rolling down the hill at killing speed, everything here is just so bizarre. Its almost hard to believe that this is what stands between these people and a million dollars.

#17: Chicken or Fish

Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica (2003-05)

Long before he hosted Love is Blind, Nick Lachey and then-wife, singer and fashion designer Jessica Simpson let their own love story play out for millions of viewers. The two were just like any other couple trying to answer lifes big questions. How many kids should we have? How should we spend our money? Is tuna fish, or is it chicken? Jessicas adorable confusion over the brand name, Chicken of the Sea, lives on in reality TV infamy. What makes it even more awkward is that, instead of laughing or helping her out, Lachey just stares at her dumbfounded. The interaction would be replayed and dissected for years to come, and its arguably one of reality TVs first viral moments.

#16: Uticas Roast

RuPauls Drag Race (2009-)

Weve seen our fair share of bad stand-up routines on RuPauls Drag Race. Season 13s Utica Queen bombed her comedy set so hard that the judges started reading her during the challenge. Her jokes, such as they were, got only pity laughs for most of her routine. But when Utica made the mistake of going after guest judge Loni Love, the roaster became the roastee. To make things even worse, this happened not once, but twice. Uticas next joke about RuPaul wasnt nearly as funny as Rus wordless response. You know you messed up when the people youre roasting get the bigger laugh.

#15: Fake Tears

Love Is Blind (2020-)

Viewers couldnt believe what they were seeing when they tuned into the anticipated third season of Netflixs Love is Blind. After participant Nancy turned down Andrews proposal of marriage, he told producers he was hurt. Then, with the cameras still rolling, he applied some eye drops and claimed that Nancys rejection had brought him to tears. Maybe he assumed theyd work some magic in editing to make the eye drops and his alleged tears appear genuine. But no, the show left all of this in for everyone to see. The audience may have been stunned, but his castmates were not surprised at all.

#14: Davids Dead

Celebrity Big Brother (2001-18)

David Bowies death sent unintended shockwaves through the Celebrity Big Brother house. Bowies grieving ex-wife, Angie, decided to tell fellow housemate Tiffany Pollard the news. If theres one thing Tiffany New York Pollard is known for, its keeping things calm, cool, and collected. So, naturally, she began wailing like a widow at a funeral. Turns out Pollard thought Angie meant their fellow housemate, David Gest, had died. The miscommunication sent a panic through the house. In the span of a few minutes, Pollard experienced the entire spectrum of human emotion, but everyone else was just along for the ride. As Angie said, it was a mess.

#13: Hotties Chicken

Flavor of Love (2006-08)

Schatar Taylor, also known as Hottie, is an undersung hero of the Flavor of Love franchise. However, Hotties most awkward moments were not with her castmates, but with food. When she and her fellow Flavor of Love contestants are tasked with cooking up some fried chicken, Hottie has an ingenious idea. She proceeds to stab raw vegetables and other condiments into a whole uncooked chicken and put it in the microwave. MoNique may not have appreciated her apple, but at least that was edible. The chicken she presented to Flavor Flav and his mother was not only unsavory, it actually might be a crime to serve that in some states.

#12: Raquel or Ariana?

Vanderpump Rules (2013-)

Breakups are always messy. And those brought about by infidelity are a lot messier. Add the cameras and youve got epic reality television. Season 10 of Vanderpump Rules brought to light the affair that brought down one of the shows most enduring couples, Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix. Sandovals affair with Madixs friend, Raquel Leviss, made it to air on the season finale. The two laid out a timeline of their relationship for the benefit of the cameras, during which Tom accidentally called Raquel by Arianas name. This would be awkward at any time. But right in the middle of the two establishing their relationship amid his breakup? Its cringe to the nth degree.

#11: Ashley Gets Roasted

The Bachelorette (2003-)

Roasts can be fun, right? Right? Is this thing on? When Season 7 Bachelorette Ashley Hebert asked her suitors to roast her, she clearly was asking for trouble. Ashley was a good sport at first, taking the repeated jokes about the size of her chest. But a joke would be one thing, most of these guys just decided to say the meanest thing they could think up without even attempting to pass them off as punchlines. Ashley was reduced to tears when her clear favorite contestant expressed that he and many of his castmates were disappointed that she was the seasons bachelorette. With potential husbands like these, who needs enemies?

#10: Rob Accidentally Takes a Male Enhancement Pill

Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007-21)

This is embarrassing on so many levels. After Kris obtains *ahem* enhancement pills from her friend, she slips some into her partners coffee. However, her son Rob intercepts the second cup, resulting in a two-hour erection and a hospital visit. Robs parents then visit him in the hospital, resulting in a supremely embarrassed Rob sporting an erection around them. If that wasnt humiliating enough, Kris is forced to admit to her family that she had slipped him the erection pills. Just imagine being Rob here - awkwardly sporting an erection in front of your parents while they are discussing their sex lives and the use of enhancement pills.

#9: Baby Madonna

Toddlers & Tiaras (2009-16)

To be honest, we could probably put every episode and segment of Toddlers & Tiaras on this list, but arguably no moment was more controversial than Baby Madonna. The Madonna impersonator in question is Mia, a two-year-old beauty child pageant competitor. These contests are problematic enough as is, but her outfit is even more egregious - a gold bustier complete with cone breasts, modeled after sex icon Madonna. You know, the outfit she wore while she famously feigned touching herself during the Blond Ambition Tour? Its not something you ever put a two-year-old in, and it was met with fierce backlash by the mainstream media. It was not just awkward - it was reprehensible.

#8: Snooki Is Punched in the Face

Jersey Shore (2009-12)

Snooki being punched directly in the face is now reality TV history, and it is every bit as iconic and awkward today as it was back in 2009. In the shows first season, Snooki was brutally punched in the face by high school teacher Brad Ferro, who was later fired from his position at Queens Community High School. The punch itself was widely shared across the internet and made Snooki a national celebrity. MTV later pulled the footage and called it extremely disturbing, but not before it had used the punch in promos and made Jersey Shore and Snooki household names. Funny how that works, huh?

#7: Go Big or Go Home!

Vanderpump Rules (2013-)

Reality TV usually centers on an egocentric cast, but rarely are the stars as overtly vain and shallow as this. In the fourth season of Vanderpump Rules, Jax admitted that he was falling back into bad habits. To perk himself up, he convinces his girlfriend Brittany to get a full D breast enlargement. While she was considering a C-cup, Jax managed to convince her to go bigger, telling her in an incredibly obnoxious manner, Its not just for you. Its for me. Worse, he later complained about helping her after the surgery, calling his help serious boyfriend duty. It made for really awkward TV, and it just made us feel bad for poor Brittany.

#6: Aviva Takes Off Her Prosthetic Leg

The Real Housewives of New York City (2008-)

This show is full of ridiculous and childish behavior, but this is on another level. After Avivas co-stars accused her of embellishing her asthma, Aviva responded in the intelligent and mature way of slamming her prosthetic leg on the table. Everyone was understandably shocked; its a weird move. However, it seems as if Aviva was fully aware of how inappropriate the action was, as she later told HuffPost Live that she did it for the drama. In her own words, Would I ever do that in real life? No. But there were several cameras around me, and was I thinking about making a show and be[ing] entertaining? Yes, absolutely.

#5: Asias Butterfly Fail

RuPauls Drag Race (2009-)

If youre going to attempt some dramatic flourish onstage, best to make sure it actually works before the big moment. On the season 10 finale of RuPauls Drag Race, Asia had planned to release some butterflies from her chest and wrist compartments during the lip sync in an amazing... display of optimism. Unfortunately, the butterflies were feeling a little lazy that day. Most of them simply stayed put in their little compartment, while others just fell to the floor after Asia forced them out. The horrified (and hilarious) reactions from the audience say it all. This fail instantly became a meme, and Asia was rightfully eliminated from the competition, placing fourth.

#4: Tiffany vs. Tyra

Americas Next Top Model (2003-18)

Is there anything more awkward than watching two people scream at each other? Well, in this case its one person screaming while the other sheepishly takes it, but the point still stands! After Tiffany was eliminated from the fourth cycle, Tyra criticized her seemingly careless attitude and for treating the competition like a joke. And when Tiffany fought back by explaining her side, Tyra exploded in a scene right out of an Oscar-winning drama, complete with tear-choked lines like I was rooting for you! and you take responsibility for yourself! We never saw Tyra explode like this, and it made for really uncomfortable viewing.

#3: Why Mohamed Has Stopped Having Sex with Danielle

90 Day Fiancé (2014-)

You see, this is what is wrong with reality TV. Sure, weve had some fun before this, but the idea of cameras capturing such a personal and intimate conversation like this is justwrong. It makes us feel voyeuristic and dirty. Here we see Mohamed and Danielle talking about their sex life (or lack thereof) and how Danielle threatened to have Mohamed deported if he didnt sleep with her. Danielle further explains that Mohamed has told people that she smells (she does, says Mohamed) and that she has peed on him, prompting many bewildered looks. Everyone is clearly uncomfortable talking about this, and we are just as uncomfortable watching it.

#2: Josh & Emilys Kiss

Love at First Kiss (2016)

Many of us have experienced awkward first kisses. But the next time youre lying awake and thinking about your God-awful first romantic impression, take comfort in knowing that it couldnt have been any worse than Joshs. The whole concept of this show is having complete strangers kiss each other and seeing if anything sparks. Nothing sparked between Josh and Emily. Imagine that. We watched in horror as inexperienced kisser Josh approached Emily with a really creepy and uncomfortable smile before lightly smooching her cheek, weirdly embracing her, and walking away. We are forced to watch through our fingers, because this is just too much. Anyone who didnt physically recoil from this wins one MsMojo point.

#1: Jason Dumps Melissa

The Bachelor (2002-)

Well, you dont see this every day on The Bachelor, thats for sure. Though it was shot a month and a half after the filming of the main episodes, the After the Final Rose special aired right after the season finale was broadcast. It followed Jason as he dumped winner Melissa to get with Molly. This is another instance of cameras capturing a moment of incredible intimacy, and it again made us feel terrible for gobbling it up as entertainment. How would you feel if your fiancé dumped you on national television in front of about 15 million people? Luckily everything worked out for Melissa, as she married Tye Strickland and had three children with him - but in the moment, our hearts were shattered for the poor woman.

Did your favorite show make the list? Let us know in the comments.