20 explosive reality TV episodes that gave us chills

No reality TV episode will ever shake us up quite like Vanderpump Rules' Season 10 finale. It exposed Tom Sandoval's salacious affair, otherwise known as Scandoval, and showcased the fractures happening within the Pump Rules friend group in real-time. However, witnessing Ariana Madix's righteous indignation was the real icing on the cake. 

You couldn't surf the internet in January and February 2024 without being blasted with references from Bravo's RHOSLC Season 4 finale. In it, one of the group's original cast mates discovered that the group's newest friend was actually their biggest foe. When it was time to confront them about their behavior during their final dinner, Heather Gay slammed them with "receipts, proof, screenshots," and everything else to nail them to the cross. 

We all know that Bravo's Real Housewives of Atlanta is top-tier television. So, there's no way we'd be able to leave the infamous "pillow talk" scene that occurred during Season 6 off of this list. Chaos between cast members, husbands, and guests popped off from all corners, and it fractured the group forever.

Whether you want to admit it, Quad Webb is the star of Bravo's Married to Medicine. The veteran television personality has been involved in her fair share of dramatic storylines. However, the one that we'll never be able to forget involved her and Lisa Nicole. During a hot-tempered conversation over drinks, things reached a dark place after Nicole threw a glass of water at Webb, sparking a near physical altercation in the middle of Atlanta, Georgia. 

This explosive moment really needs no explanation. The scene of Tyra Banks yelling at America's Next Top Model contestant Tiffany over her lack of energy will always be a top-tier moment. "We were all rooting for you, how dare you!?" the supermodel screamed. "I have never — in my life — yelled at a girl like this." 

Violence is never the answer. However, the fight between Kenya Moore and Porsha Williams during the RHOA Season 6 reunion is too thrilling to look away from. 

The same sentiment is true for Dance Moms. After trolling her kids one too many times, Kelly Hyland decided that she'd had enough of Abby Lee Miller. Before departing the series for good, Hyland bopped Miller in the head during an argument before being escorted out of the building by her co-stars. "You're nuts," Miller told her. "No, you are!" Hyland replied.

No matter how often it happens, watching a Real Housewives cast member be whisked off to prison for unimaginable crimes can be hard. However, watching the Department of Homeland Security swarm a Utah strip mall's parking lot with police cars to locate one of the show's cast members, Jen Shah, for her role in a nationwide telemarketing scheme that targeted the elderly for over a decade was true cinema that we can binge over and over. 

Who could ever forget about Lisa Rinna smashing a wine glass before trying to choke Kim Richards during an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? Certainly not us. 

Real Housewives fans know that the Jersey iteration of the franchise has become so toxic that Bravo paused the series to decide how to move forward. Although a surprising announcement, it shouldn't have been, considering Andy Cohen's reaction during the Season 12 reunion. After listening to the women speak over each other throughout the night, the talk show and radio host blew up in his seat, telling the ladies to "shut up" while clenching his teeth and slamming his fist. 

Tiffany "New York" Pollard from Flavor of Love became reality TV royalty after her first season on the VH1 show. She was electric, energetic, and a walking meme. However, her beef with Pumpkin, especially during the finale episode where the latter spit on her after being eliminated, is what does it for us every time. 

The Challenge is already a physically intense show, but when tensions spill over from the elimination grounds into the house, things really heat up. Chris "CT" Tamburello and Adam King experienced this firsthand during Season 20 when the two had a showdown to prove who was the toughest. Their fight escalated quickly, leading to both of them being sent home early.

JWoww, Snooki, and Sammi literally rocked each other's worlds during an earlier season of MTV's Jersey Shore. After detailing Ron's infidelity at the bar, Sammi couldn't take the heat, causing her to lash out at her co-stars, which led to one of the biggest brawls the show had seen.

Another Jersey Shore moment that gives us chills when we rewatch is the time Sammi decked Ronnie in the face because he wanted to be friends with JWoww. "Tell me right now — are you friends with her?" she asked repeatedly. After acknowledging that he was friends with her, Sammi drew her hand back before releasing a lethal blow to his jaw.  

Hey, we can't help it that Jersey Shore was that girl back in the day. During the show's fourth season, which was filmed in Florence, Italy, Ronnie Ortiz and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino got into a mouth-dropping fight after the latter was caught circulating rumors about the former. The altercation ended with one of these Italian stallions suffering a concussion after tearing their entire hotel apart. 

In Summer House Season 6, Episode 9, Ciara Miller shocked viewers and her houseguests when she threw a wine glass at Danielle Olivera during a heated dinner. Following the incident, Miller expressed regret and said her emotions got the best of her. 

MTV's The Real World was quite messy and known for featuring physical altercations between castmates, who were often total opposites. Although sometimes they form deep bonds and lasting friendships, other times they go at each other pretty hard. During the show's 28th season, co-stars Nia, Johnny, and Avery got into a three-way brawl over house drama, resulting in one of them getting hit with a blowdryer. 

Kim and Kourtney Kardashian's physical fight on their show over who wants to work more was ridiculous and uncalled for, but the moment was unlike anything seen before on their show, making for captivating television. 

Teresa Giudice is known for doing a lot of problematic things on RHONJ. However, the moment that gives us chills to this day is her epic crash out on co-star Margaret Josephs. After being called a liar, Giudice emptied an entire table of drinks and food onto Josephs, who couldn't believe her eyes. And quite frankly, neither could we. 

Again, violence is never the answer ... unless you're on the Bad Girls Club and about to be double-teamed by two people. In that case, channel your inner Meghan James from the franchise's ninth season and take care of business.