Top 10 Reality TV Couples: Breaking The MTV Curse

By Tom Rose
Fancast.com

According to a report on People.com former Full House child star (and recovering Meth addict) Jodie Sweetin, alongside set designer hubby Cody Herpin, are in talks to begin shooting a new Reality TV show in the next few months. The as yet unnamed series will follow the old recipe as the two share their lives as new parents (Jodie gave birth to a baby girl, Zoie, earlier this year.) “It was one of those things where we were like, ‘Wow. Let’s totally do it’ said Jodie. “I think it’s sort of a fun way to show the other side of celebrity and a sort of semi-normal life.”

But fans of the genre know all too well the fate which has befallen so many other famous couples who’ve bared their souls to the world under the merciless glare of the TV spotlight. The current wave includes 2 Live Crew potty mouth Luther “Luke” Campbell of “Me So Horny” fame and his rush to the altar with lawyer fiance Kristin Thompson. The show is called “Parental Authority” and we’ll be watching this express train in case it goes off the rails.

Despite the track record, Sweetin tells People that she and Herpin are “hoping to break the reality show curse.” Only time will tell. In the meantime, let’s take a look at how some other well-known Love Birds have fared in their quest to break the Curse of the Reality TV Show Couple.

10. Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson:

THEN: Fans of Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica couldn’t get enough of the cooing couple and the joys they shared together at the top of the pop pile. But by the third season, it seemed like Nick wanted to stuff a sock in his wife’s mouth to keep her from blurting out ignorant statements (Is this chicken or is this fish?) And Jessica had grown tired of Nick’s loutish, uncouth manners.

NOW: The couple divorced soon after and both have since been burning up the sheets with a string of new lovers. Jessica has felt so liberated in fact that she’s finally opening up about the years of abuse she’s suffered looking for her soul mate.

RESULT: Cursed

9. Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown:

THEN: It’s undeniably fascinating to peep in on past-their-prime pop stars living out their fabulously wealthy, yet incredibly tedious lives. But Being Bobby Brown revealed something shocking: hanging with screw-up Bobby was actually preferable to enduring an always crabby Whitney. Who’d a thunk it?

NOW: When the show ended, rumors flew of an impending breakup due to Bobby’s philandering and Whitney’s drug use. Although denying the obvious for several years, the end finally came with an acrimonious divorce and custody battle. But the two are back to being on civil terms and working again on new projects.

RESULT Cursed

8. Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro:

THEN: Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen & Dave followed the lives of Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro as they prepared for their often delayed wedding day. Playing out against the backdrop of celebrity, wealth and excess, the nuptials were anything but traditional - though the show did end showing them driving off “into the future.”

NOW: The future is past as the marriage ended in divorce and a reminder that wedding vows make terrible show titles.

RESULT: Cursed

7. Flavor Flav and Brigitte Nielsen:

THEN: One of the oddest love stories of all time, Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav made a splash together in and out of the pool on The Surreal Life. So VH1 reunited Ghetto-flash and Euro-trash on Strange Love to see if their affection was real. After jet-setting back and forth from Milan to Minsk, “Fuffy-Fuffy” and “The Grand Teuton” ended the first season dangling by a thread.

NOW: Before Season 2 could get off the ground, Nielsen fled back into the arms of her long-time Lothario, Mattia Dessi and Flav ran off to rediscover the joys of New York.

RESULT: Cursed

6. Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler:

THEN: MTV followed newlyweds Travis and Shanna through Punk Rock style and All American beauty on Meet The Barkers. The show caught on with the public, proving the old saying that opposites attract.

NOW: They are currently back together after waging a bitter split on their MySpace pages, with Barker accusing infidelity and Moakler expressing her “concern for his mental well-being.”

RESULT: The show cursed them; cancellation helped. All in all: Cursed for the way they behaved.

5. Scott Baio and Renee Sloan:

THEN: When former Happy Days star Scott Baio embarked on a soul-searching mission, revisiting old love interests and questioning the meaning of bachelorhood, VH1 followed along with Scott Baio is 45… and Single.

NOW: It worked. After rekindling the flame with former girlfriend Renee Sloan, they married and had a baby. Season 2 chronicled the experience under the new banner Scott Baio is 46…and Pregnant.

RESULT: Saved

4. Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry:

THEN: Chris Knight and Adrianne Curry caught each other’s eyes on The Surreal Life 4 and they moved in together, which was played out during season 1 of My Fair Brady. In Season two, My Fair Brady: We’re Getting Married! the couple faced a variety of challenges including suspicions of lesbianism and Chris’ wobbly legs as he’s finally dragged to the altar.

NOW: Despite their proclamations of undying love, the couple has been dogged by the bizarre accusation from Knight’s real TV mother, Florence Henderson, that their marriage is a hoax.

RESULT: Saved

3. Corey Feldman and Corey Haim:

THEN: The first season of The Two Coreys left Corey Feldman and Corey Haim in opposite corners and their brotherhood at stake. It created major buzz when the childhood friends, who played out their adolescence on the silver screen, realized they had grown up into two very different worlds. But it’s less well known that most of their resultant battles were actually scripted and bore no resemblance to reality.

NOW: The charade continues on season 2, but the bloom is off the rose.

RESULT: Too Close To Call

2. Hulk and Linda Hogan:

THEN: A blonder, tanner, trashier family filled the gap left by Ozzy and company when Hogan Knows Best came to TV. The series took viewers out of the ring and into Hulk Hogan’s Florida home, where he struggled to deal with his feisty wife, car-obsessed son, and pop star wannabe daughter.

NOW: Linda has served her papers and Nick was involved in a horrifying car crash so Brooke will be taking over the show, renamed Brooke Knows Best.

RESULT: Cursed

1. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne:

THEN: The show that started it all. Enough said. Although The Osbournes wasn’t able to sustain its enormous buzz over the life of the show, it remained popular throughout its run.

NOW: The First Family of Fame to allow cameras into their home spawned a celebreality craze that’s still going strong. Just like Sharon and Ozzy.

RESULT: Saved

Score: CURSED: 6 SAVED: 3 TC2C: 1