Being on a reality TV show is seemingly one of those things that can either make or break a person. For the Kardashians, their TV show highlighted some of their darkest moments, but it also brought them more fame and fortune than the family could have ever dreamed of. In the reality TV world, the Kardashian outcome is the dream. However, this is not always the case for those who venture into reality TV.
Whether it's The Bachelor, Love Island, or 16 and Pregnant, there are a plethora of stars who regret being attached to their shows. While reality TV can bring a person a fancy paycheck and their name in lights, it can also cast a dark shadow on their name and image that's hard to shake.
Shayne Lamas - Leave It To Lamas
In 2009, actress and Bachelor star, Shayne Lamas, was asked to do a reality TV show on her family called, Leave it to Lamas. With Shayne as the leader of the pack, the show focused on her, her siblings, and her parents' lives in Los Angeles. The E! show only lasted one season and thanks to an interview with Shayne on Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald, it's easy to see why.
Shayne stated that her family started doing "crazy things" once they were being filmed and were no longer acting like their true selves. She felt that the show was "overly produced" and that her perception as the "blonde bimbo" made her hate the show and reality TV in general.
Jesy Nelson - The X Factor
Before the British group Little Mix became a household name, they were on one of the best singing competition shows, The X Factor UK. The group ended up winning the show, which launched their way into stardom. However, one member of Little Mix, Jesy Nelson, actually regrets doing The X Factor in the first place.
After winning the series, Nelson told The Guardian that she should have been on "Cloud Nine," but she soon was the targeted bullying and online trolls. The amount of negative feedback she received on her appearance took a toll on her, and when asked if she would have done The X Factor after knowing what she knows now, she said, “I don’t think anything is worth your happiness, and it was a lot of my life that I won’t get back.”
Erika Owens - 90 Day Fiance
Erika Owens was on season 4 of 90 Day Fiance. The series followed Owens as she tried to make her relationship with Stephanie Matto more serious. However, it was shockingly rumored that Matto was only on 90 Day Fiance as a way to gain fame from the show.
According to an Instagram Q&A shared on Reddit, Owen said, "I'd take it back in a heartbeat," when asked about her time on the show. She continued saying, "I also had no idea how the fanbase of [90 Day Fiance] is and how mean and vile people really can be."
Charles Ommanney - The Real Housewives Of DC
The Real Housewives of D.C. was only on the air for one season in 2010 before getting canceled. Most Housewives fans forgot all about this iteration of the series, so there aren't many Housewives that are loved or hated by fans. Cat and Charles Ommanney were one couple in the group, but they shortly divorced after the series aired.
When talking to The New York Times, Charles Ommanney said, "I have very few regrets in my life, but [RHODC] is the one." He never ended up watching the series out of fear for how his relationship was projected, but he said he, "made a promise to myself to not sit and watch my ex-wife."
Amber Portwood - Teen Mom
Amber Portwood was one of Teen Mom's most memorable cast members during the first four seasons of the series before transitioning into Teen Mom OG. Over the years, fans have watched Portwood struggle with her relationships, being a single mother, and staying out of trouble with the law.
In various, shocking scenes, Amber was seen hitting her daughter's father. She was also arrested for domestic abuse for hitting her son's father, on a separate occasion. According to a Life & Style interview shared on Celebitchy, Portwood regrets going on TV because she "wouldn’t have been in jail because nobody would have known about [the altercation with my husband]." The Sun also reported that Portwood feels "ashamed" of her former behavior and has grown since then.
Tara Wallace - Love & Hip Hop
Fans loved Tara Wallace during her time on Love & Hip Hop. She starred on the show from seasons 4 to 6 before making supporting cameos. During Wallace's time on the show, cameras followed her long-term relationship with Peter Gunz. At the start, the couple had two children together and Wallace was ready to be honest about her relationship. But everything changed when she found out her boyfriend got married to Amina Buddafly.
Because of Gunz cheating on her, Wallace regrets her time on the show. "I think that if I were clear on what we were doing before we did it, I definitely would not have done the show,” she said in an interview with VH1 Unveiled that was shared on Cheatsheet. With two kids at home, she didn't want her messy relationship out in the open.
Jess Impiazzi - Ex On The Beach
The premise of Ex on the Beach surrounds a group of beautiful strangers who get away for a short time, but then their getaway is ruined when an ex of their appears on the beach. Do they flirt with their exes? Do they push their exes away? It's all part of the show.
Jess Impiazzi was one of the more memorable cast members on Ex on the Beach: UK, but she didn't love her time on the show. Film Daily noted that Jess Impiazz said that she hated the fact that some of their love scenes were shown on TV. Conversely, she supported Love Island's choice in not showing those intimate moments because "you do make these mistakes and you don’t see the long-term.” Impiazzi continued saying, "I completely regret it, there are things in my life where I would love to take an eraser and wipe away but I can’t."
Zara Holland - Love Island
Zara Holland was a member of Love Island's season 2 in 2016. She was most known for her relationship with Alex Bowen while on the island, but it's a time she wishes never happened. Since being on the show, the former Miss Great Britain lost her title after a clip of her sleeping with Bowen was shown on TV.
She told Cosmopolitan, "It was the biggest regret of my life – I think about it every day." She continued saying, "I’m still so embarrassed. I went on the show thinking I’d never do anything like that, but it all happened so quickly."
Tori Spelling - True Tori
Tori Spelling is an actress who has been in the spotlight for years. However, she gained the wrong kind of attention during her reality show stunt with her husband, Dean McDermott. The couple has been in a few reality TV shows together, but True Tori was the darkest because it followed them after a cheating scandal surrounding Dean.
The family-based reality show was anything but family-friendly because of the dark discussions. And during an interview with the 9021OMG podcast, Tori admitted that she regretted doing the show. "I regret the second season, which [Sisanie Reategui] told me not to do. And you were right on. Because it shouldn’t have been a series. It wasn’t a series.”
Genevieve Shawcross - Love Island USA
Genevive Shawcross was on season 3 of Love Island: USA. She was voted off the island rather quickly, but her time on the show is remembered by fans.
According to her social media, Shawcross shared that she regrets doing the show because she didn't think she was given a "favorable edit" by producers, but that "hopefully I won't one day."