Is Reality TV the Kiss of Death for Marriages?
Newlyweds: Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey
Finding romance on television is hard (or indecisive, as The Bachelor tells us), but holding onto it on television is even more difficult. Look no further than the apparent unraveling of Jon and Kate Gosselin's nearly 10-year marriage on Jon & Kate Plus 8. Caught in a media frenzy and battling infidelity reports, the two said on the Season 5 premiere that they are unsure about their future together. "Parents of multiples have, like, triple the divorce rate, and I was thinking we were going to beat that," Kate said. "I don't know if I can say that anymore." Another overwhelming statistic working against them is the trail of divorced reality-TV couples that came before them. Check out our roundup of the small-screen lovebirds who didn't have a happy ending.
Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica
Married: Oct. 26, 2002
Series premiere: Aug. 19, 2003
Series finale: March 30, 2005
Filed for divorce: December 2005
Newlyweds catapulted Lachey and Simpson to the A-list in ways their music careers never did. The show portrayed Simpson as a stereotypical dumb blonde and maybe, after three years of marriage, Lachey realized how annoying that shtick could be. We did.
Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler, Meet the Barkers
Married: Oct. 30, 2004
Series premiere: April 6, 2005
Series finale: Feb. 7, 2006
Filed for divorce: August 2006
Is it sad that Barker and Moakler's off-screen drama is way more entertaining than their series ever was? Watching Moakler sleep the day away? Meh. Their post-split MySpace war of words? Amazing. So is the fact that you never know when these crazy kids will make up and break up again.
Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro, 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen + Dave
Married: Nov. 22, 2003
Series premiere: Jan. 21, 2004
Series finale: March 3, 2004
Filed for divorce: August 2006
It was a double whammy for MTV's first couples when the Barkers and Navarros filed for divorce within days of each other. Unlike Meet the Barkers and Newlyweds, Death chronicled the planning of Electra and Navarro's eccentric nuptials, during which one of their live parrots failed to, uh, hold its peace. (A sign?) But perhaps the union was cursed from the start, seeing as the show's title just begs for contradiction.
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, Britney and Kevin: Chaotic
Married: Sept. 18, 2004
Series premiere: May 17, 2005
Series finale: June 14, 2005
Filed for divorce: November 2006
Living up to its name, Chaotic was just that. The short-lived series chronicled Brit-Brit and K-Fed's whirlwind courtship and wedding through amateur home-video footage, shot by the lovebirds themselves, who generously employed the night-vision option on their camcorder. Combine that with their slurred speeches on love, sex and, like, life, it's not surprising this didn't last.
Hulk and Linda Hogan, Hogan Knows Best
Married: Dec. 18, 1983
Series premiere: July 10, 2005
Series finale: Oct. 21, 2007
Filed for divorce: November 2007
Unlike the aforementioned couples, Hulk and Linda's marital strife caused the cancellation of their VH1 series, which originally set out to show life outside the ring for the famed wrestler and his clan. But then 2007 happened: Son Nick was sentenced to jail for causing a car crash and Hulk cheated on his wife with his daughter Brooke's friend. Speaking of Brooke's buddies, after filing divorce papers, Linda started dating Charlie Hill, a then 19-year-old former classmate of Brooke's.
Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, Being Bobby Brown
Married: July 18, 1992
Series premiere: June 30, 2005
Series finale: Sept. 8, 2005
Filed for divorce: October 2006
When your marriage is already carrying the burden of rehab stints, brushes with the law and reports of infidelity, is a reality show really the best idea? Sure, the show was a hit, but that was all due to Houston, who refused to return for a second season. At least we'll always have "Hell to the no."
Danny Bonaduce and Gretchen Hillmer, Breaking Bonaduce
Married: Dec. 6, 1990
Series premiere: Sept. 11, 2005
Series finale: Jan. 1, 2007
Filed for divorce: April 2007
If you've seen a second of Breaking Bonaduce, news of the Bonaduces' split may not come as a surprise as the show was built around the couple's struggles to cope with the actor's alcoholism and reckless lifestyle. The pair's couple's counseling was documented as well, but the damage was already done.
