Reality TV Hall of Shame: The Hall of Shame Moments

Introducing the Hall of Shame Moment, by Ken Kellam III & David Bloomberg: In sports halls of fame, sometimes individual accomplishments are noted but the person isn't actually enshrined. By the same token, there are individual acts that should be included in the Reality TV Hall of Shame – these are the Hall of Shame Moments.

Hall of Shame Moment: Globetrotters Fail to Live Up to Their Name on The Amazing Race 15, by Jenn Brasler: Herb & Nate (better known as Flight Time & Big Easy), the Harlem Globetrotters, were two of the most competitive racers in the 15th season of The Amazing Race – until they were faced with a task that Nate thought he just couldn’t finish. He chose to take a four-hour penalty, even though he had already spent a great deal of time on the task and the guys were fighting to stay out of last place – and in the race. In addition to just missing out on the final fight for the million-dollar prize, the Globetrotters earned themselves a Reality TV Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: Big Brother 11’s Braden Slurs His Speech, by William Hammon: It’s common to see a Big Brother contestant do something incredibly stupid on the show, which contributes in large part to their eviction. When that happens, they often end up here. It’s also not unheard of for a contestant to utter phrases and epitaphs that offend the majority of ears, especially if there’s some mitigating factor compounding it. When that happens, they often end up here. Braden, the first evictee of Big Brother 11, earns his place as he falls into both categories. Read on for all the details.

Hall of Shame Moment: The Biggest Loser Lies About Dane’s Marathon Detour, by William Hammon: The point of The Biggest Loser is to show overweight contestants working to lose massive amounts of weight and improve their lives. Even after a player is voted off, their journey continues, cementing that aspect. But what happens when the show takes a great accomplishment and lies to your face about it? In the case of Season 7’s Dane, we now know the answer – it results in recognition here, in the Reality TV Hall of Shame.

Hall of Shame Moment: Big Brother 9’s Chelsia and Joshuah Show the Poorest of Taste, by Sandy Lamparello: Big Brother 9 has already had as many mentions in the Reality TV Hall of Shame as there have been evictions. But guess what? This week brought us yet another! What did Chelsia say to earn her place, and how did Joshuah make it even worse to earn his? Read about it here.

Hall of Shame Moment: Big Brother 9’s Adam Slurs the Kids He’s Supposed to Be Supporting, by David Bloomberg: How can Big Brother have only been on for two episodes and already there is a Hall of Shame Moment? We have Adam to thank for that – but unfortunately, the kids with whom he’s supposed to be working in his real life job won’t be thanking him after the remarks he made. What was even worse than his initial statement? His follow-up. Read on for details.

Hall of Shame Moment – Badda-Bing, Badda-Boom: Vincent Pastore Quits Celebrity Apprentice, by Brian Towers: For the second time this season, the Reality TV Hall of Shame opens a spot for a competitor of The Celebrity Apprentice. This time, Vincent Pastore is being accorded the dubious honor. What happened? Read on to find out how Vinny landed in the Hall of Shame.

Hall of Shame Moment: Gene Simmons Fires Himself on Celebrity Apprentice, by Brian Towers: Many people get mentioned in the Reality TV Hall of Shame after they make a commitment to participate in a reality TV show and then quit. That’s essentially what happened on The Celebrity Apprentice when Gene Simmons orchestrated his own firing. Read on to find out how Gene’s actions in his final Boardroom have landed him in the Hall of Shame.

Hall of Shame Moment: Survivor’s James Ignores Immunity, by David Bloomberg: James was in the best position anybody could ever hope for on Survivor. He was guaranteed to make it through two Tribal Councils and had a good shot of going all the way to the win. But instead of making use of his immunity idols, James trusted that his cohorts would simply let him waltz away with a million dollars.

Hall of Shame Moment: The Amazing Race 12’s Julia Gives a Helping Hand and Loses a Million Dollars, by Jenn Brasler: There are few times on The Amazing Race when helping other teams is beneficial – mostly when it will either benefit the helping team, or at least not risk that team’s place in the leg. But when you help a team that could potentially beat you to the Pit Stop? That earns you a Reality TV Hall of Shame Moment, like Julia from The Amazing Race 12.

Hall of Shame Moment: Ryan’s Disastrous Drunken Debacle on ‘The Apprentice: Martha Stewart’, by David Bloomberg: Ryan had been a front-runner in the eyes of many on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. But then the show got down to the final five and Ryan decided to have a little fun with a task. Unfortunately, that fun came at the expense of his professionalism as Ryan made several key and shamefully bad decisions – not the least of which was getting drunk during the task! Read on for all the details of why Ryan has been recognized with a Reality TV Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: Excel Strikes Out in Dick’s Sporting Goods Challenge, by David Bloomberg: Excel thought they could hit a home run when they chose to focus on baseball for the Dick’s Sporting Goods challenge on The Apprentice 4. Instead, they created the biggest strikeout ever seen on the series. How did they get to that point? What was the biggest factor? And why did it deserve special recognition in the Reality TV Hall of Shame?

Hall of Shame Moment: Shawn’s Big Mouth Gets Her Fired from ‘The Apprentice: Martha Stewart’, by David Bloomberg: What does it take to get Martha Stewart so annoyed that she overturns the decision of the Project Manager and fires somebody who wasn’t even picked to be eligible? Shawn found out when she opened her big mouth not once, not twice, but three times. Her unprofessional bragging – not backed up by any actions, of course – and speaking without thinking has earned Shawn this Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: Ivette’s Doomed Decision in ‘Big Brother 6’, by David Bloomberg: As Big Brother 6 drew closer to the end, one thing became obvious: Anybody who faced Maggie in the finale was doomed. But that is exactly what Ivette chose to do, knowing full well it would cost her the big money. Based on precedent, the Reality TV Hall of Shame had little choice but to recognize this as a Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: The ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Imperfect “Perfect” Score, by David Bloomberg: When the finale of Dancing with the Stars came down to John O’Hurley vs. Kelly Monaco, it was clear who the better dancer was. Clear to everybody except the in-studio judges, that is. Kelly made obvious errors but was presented with a perfect score. The only thing “perfect” about it was that it made a “perfect” Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: Howie’s Bad Decision Leads to ‘Big Brother’ Ruin, by David Bloomberg: Fairly early in the game of Big Brother 6, Howie held the most powerful position, Head of Household. The alliance lines were clearly drawn, and it should have been an easy decision to nominate somebody from the other side. But that’s not what Howie did. He chose to nominate James and Sarah instead, in what proved to be a dramatic turning point for Howie and his entire alliance. In fact, the decision was so bad from a strategic standpoint that it had to be recognized as a Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: The Apprentice 3’s Tana – Fumbling Her Way to Failure, by Betsy Wasser: Coming into the final task of The Apprentice, it was anyone’s game. Both Kendra and Tana had excellent records, so it was crucial to execute that last task as successfully as possible. But Tana, who had been so strong before, failed utterly. Not only did she find herself the runner-up, but she’s now earned herself a Reality TV Hall of Shame moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: Ian’s Fateful and Faulty Final Decision on ‘Survivor: Palau’, by David Bloomberg: Ian Rosenberger fought hard to get to the final three. He fought even harder on the longest challenge ever, hanging on to a buoy for almost 12 hours to try to win immunity and face the jury for a million dollars. Instead, he made a decision that might have seemed honorable, but was absolutely horrible from a game perspective, he took a dive. Despite everything else, the Reality TV Hall of Shame had no choice but to give him a Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: The Amazing Race 6's Kendra – The Ugliest American of Them All, by Sting7: Part of the struggle of being in The Amazing Race is that you never know where the race will take you. Some of those places are definitely very unlike the comfortable living many of us enjoy here in the USA. Sadly, many of us would whine and complain about our discomfort, instead of finding something to be thankful for. Amazing Race’s Kendra Bentley found a whole new level of ugly!

Hall of Shame Moment: Jonathan’s Anger Goes Too Far on ‘The Amazing Race 6’, by Mel Ellis: Jonathan has been a simmering pot since we first saw him on The Amazing Race 6. Several times, his anger has threatened to boil over. Finally, he exploded at his wife, Victoria, as they approached the fifth pit stop. He may well end up with a full induction by the time the show is over, but for now this incident deserves recognition for the shameful moment it was.

Ivana Tramp: A Hall of Shame Moment from The Apprentice 2, by Betsy Wasser: Ivana of The Apprentice 2 promised early on that she wouldn’t exploit her sexuality to get ahead. So how did she wind up getting fired because Donald Trump wasn’t looking to hire a stripper? The answer, and all of the events leading up to it, make up her very own Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: Leann Knocks Herself out of ‘Survivor: Vanuatu’, by David Bloomberg: Leann was in a great position as Survivor: Vanuatu headed towards the Final Four. But then, suddenly and without warning, she found herself voted out! What happened? Well let’s just say it was bad enough to end up here!

Hall of Shame Moment: No Humor in NBC’s Handling of 'Last Comic Standing' Finale, by Dale Sherman: There’s no doubt about it, NBC needs to appear in the Hall of Shame for the way they went about canceling, uncanceling, and short-changing Last Comic Standing 3. But who should have the final word? In a fever-dream, Dale Sherman imagines what two comics famous for their show on NBC would have to say. Click here for more.

Hall of Shame Moment: Apprentice 2 Bradford’s Bad Boardroom Bet, by David Bloomberg: Bradford was a star on his “Apex” team on The Apprentice 2. He led them to victory in the first challenge and was agreed to be among the best in the second, even though they lost. Everything turned upside-down for him, though, when he opened his mouth in the Boardroom and told Donald Trump he would give up his immunity. It was a bad bet as Trump made him pay for his mistake by firing him.

Hall of Shame Moment: Crazy Colin, a Cab, and a Cop on ‘Amazing Race 5’, by David Bloomberg: On The Amazing Race 5, viewers have seen Colin get a bit stressed out almost every week. He’s controlling and he’s short-tempered, but then he really went over the edge. His cab blew a tire, and Colin blew a gasket. He deserves a Hall of Shame Moment for two different reasons stemming from the same incident. Read on to find out why.

Hall of Shame Moment: Lex Van Den Berghe Cuts His Own Throat, by David Bloomberg: Some Hall of Shame entries seem like no-brainers. Then again, some game play decisions seem like no-brainers. For example, deciding whether to trust Rob Mariano should have been a no-brainer. But if players always used their brains for the no-brainers, the Hall of Shame would have significantly less to talk about. Let’s take a look at how Lex Van Den Berghe cut his own throat.

Hall of Shame Moment: Meredith Phillips of ‘The Bachelorette 2’ – Because All Is NOT Fair in Love and War, by Betsy Wasser: One of the sad truths of reality TV dating shows is that in the end, someone will have their heart broken on national television – it’s inevitable. But Meredith Phillips, the star of The Bachelorette 2, did something that made that heartbreak even worse than it had to be. She said something to runner-up Matthew that has landed her the dubious honor of a Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: Brandon Quinton Dooms His Team – And Himself, by David Bloomberg: It’s time for the Hall of Shame to look back a bit to an earlier edition of Survivor. Back in Africa, Brandon Quinton made a game-changing decision that reverberates to this day. Unfortunately, it was a horrible game-changing decision. So bad, in fact, that he is being recognized with a Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: Vanilla Ice, Hypocritical Psychopath, by Jamie Goralski: Anybody who saw the way Vanilla Ice acted on the second episode of The Surreal Life had to know he was going to end up with a Hall of Shame Moment. He’s actually lucky – he had three incidents that in and of themselves might have qualified him, but because they were all in the same episode, he just gets one “Moment.” But it’s a biggie…

Hall of Shame Moment: Traci Bingham Goes Beyond “Surreal” in Her Diva Behavior, by Jamie Goralski: Traci Bingham is one of the ex-pseudo-celebs on the new edition of The Surreal Life. Who is Traci Bingham? That’s a question that many people would ask, but perhaps few could answer. Traci, however, apparently has a greatly inflated sense of her own importance, as she showed the very first day she was on the show. She gave the term “diva” new meaning as she complained about idiotic things and put down the other cast members.

Hall of Shame Moment: Paris & Nicole Don’t Understand Why Stealing Is Wrong, by David Bloomberg: Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie have tiptoed along the line between what is truly shameful and what is just bad throughout most of The Simple Life. But in Episode 5, they definitely crossed the line when they stole something and then gave it away as a gift.

Hall of Shame Moment: Jon Dalton’s Despicable Lie, by David Bloomberg: You knew it was coming – though not everybody agrees with it. Jon Dalton made up a lie about his own grandmother dying to get ahead on Survivor: Pearl Islands. We address both the view that it was a strategically brilliant move and also explain why it definitely belongs in the Hall of Shame.

Hall of Shame Moment: Drake Throws It All Away, by David Bloomberg: At first, it seemed like just another stupid move in the history of Survivor stupid moves. But as the game has progressed, it has become obvious that Drake’s decision to throw an immunity challenge is more than that – it’s a Hall of Shame Moment. Read on to find out why.

Hall of Shame Moment: The Very First Pagonging, by David Bloomberg: The first Survivor tribe to get “Pagonged” was, well, Pagong. Some of their members suggested that they form an alliance to fight against Tagi, but they chose not to, and instead were picked off one-by-one. It may have been the first series, but shouldn’t somebody have figured it out?

Hall of Shame Moment: Morgan Tribe’s Village Fiasco, by David Bloomberg: Survivor: Pearl Islands began in a new way, forcing players to go overboard with just the clothes on their backs and a little money to spend in a small village. The Morgan tribe blew even that small opportunity with a host of mistakes that, taken together, ranks as a Hall of Shame Moment.

Rocco Dispirito: Elbowing His Way into a Hall of Shame Moment, by Betsy Wasser: Rocco Dispirito has shown viewers a lot about his personality on his show, The Restaurant. Unfortunately, a lot of what we’ve seen has not been good. The most glaring example of this occurred when waiter-turned-runner Gideon injured himself and Rocco handled the situation in such a poor manner that he has earned himself a Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: ‘Fame’ Spoiled by the “Spoiler”, by Donna Reynolds: NBC’s Fame had all the right pieces to be a hit, but it failed. Not only did the show fail, but the producers blew it big-time when they came up with the “spoiler” concept. It was poorly-thought out, poorly-executed, and the “spoiler” himself was, well, poor. Read on to find out how they ended up in the Hall of Shame.

Hall of Shame Moment: Alex Spills His Guts, Ends Up on Jury, by David Bloomberg: Alex Bell was in the perfect position on Survivor: The Amazon. But then he decided to fully explain his plans to Rob – and Rob wasn’t in them once they got to the final four. Not a smart thing to do. In fact, it’s such poor strategy that it’s a Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: I’m a Whining Child – Get Me Out of Here!, by David Bloomberg, with C. Brian Devinney and Dale Sherman: Apparently, the contestants on I'm a Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here! thought they had signed up for two weeks at a spa. Instead, when it actually rained in the rainforest, they freaked out and started acting like whiny children. It was one big shameful moment for almost all of the cast of this show.

Hall of Shame Moment: JoAnna Ward’s Idol Thoughts and Vicious Attack, by David Bloomberg: JoAnna Ward of Survivor: The Amazon says she is a better person since becoming a Born-Again Christian. If that's true, I'd hate to have seen her beforehand! Her acts of shame piled one on top of another in the second episode, from preaching against the immunity idol while others were trying to sleep to screaming at Christy. One long, shameful moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: Big Brother 2’s Shannon, a Toothbrush, and a Whole Bunch of Germs, by C. Brian Devinney: Everybody remembers a few specific events from Big Brother 2. One that stands out is Shannon’s use of Hardy’s toothbrush to clean the house toilet. If that doesn’t deserve recognition as a Hall of Shame Moment, nothing does.

Hall of Shame Moment: Zach Unzips While Flo Gives Up, by David Bloomberg: Zach and Flo, the two "friends" participating in The Amazing Race 3, managed to actually win it all. But their progress was not easy - especially on the ears of those who have had to listen to Flo screech. One moment stood out at the time as particularly shameful when, in the ninth episode, Zach gave up precious time and Flo just plain gave up.

Hall of Shame Moment: Colby’s Final Decision in “Survivor 2”, by David Bloomberg: Sometimes we here at the Reality TV Hall of Shame recognize overall horrible behavior. Other times, though, a player might overall be a decent person, but make shamefully poor game-based decisions. When it came time for Colby to pick somebody to take into the final two of Survivor 2, he had one of those moments.

Hall of Shame Moment: Three Climbs Up the Eiffel Tower for Lenny, by Jeffrey Clinard: Lenny and Karyn from The Amazing Race 1 were never a good racing team - nor even a good "team" at all together. But one moment stands out from all the others, when Lenny made not one, not two, but three trips up the Eiffel Tower.

Hall of Shame Moment: Clarence Black Spilled the Beans, by Jeffrey Clinard: Clarence Black may have made it until the merge in Survivor: Africa, but really, his excommunication had been assured within the first three days. By stealing food while the rest of the tribe was out getting water, Clarence assured himself a quick exit when he was no longer needed. And he also assured himself a Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: No Loophole for Lawyers when ‘Amazing Race’ Says “Walk”, by David Bloomberg: Heather and Eve, the law school roommates of The Amazing Race 3, were doing fairly well. They have overcome some difficult spots and were solidly in the pack. But then they misread a clue. OK, such things happen. But what happened when they realized they had misread it is what really makes their situation into a Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: Rotu-Rooter, That’s Their Name, and Their Win Went Down the Drain, by Ken Kellam III: It caused the biggest power shift in Survivor history – the Rotu 4 telegraphed their plans in an immunity challenge and gave away their likely win by forcing a counter-alliance that never would have happened otherwise. This, folks, was a true Hall of Shame Moment.

Hall of Shame Moment: Team Guido’s Blocking Maneuver, by Jeffrey Clinard: Joe and Bill, aka Team Guido, were a team of two life partners in the first Amazing Race who raced with intelligence for the entire race, only to be eliminated on the final leg, with themselves in Alaska while the remaining teams were in New York, celebrating the victory of Rob and Brennan. A fitting end to a team that made themselves, to quote Kevin and Drew "Outcasts." But one moment stands out as particularly shameful in their quest to win.

Hall of Shame Moment: Sook Jai’s Shameful Behavior In and After the Episode 3 Reward Challenge, by David Bloomberg: It is not uncommon for teams on Survivor to blow a challenge. But in Episode 3 of Survivor: Thailand, Sook Jai took a comfortable lead and turned it into a loss by completely ignoring the rules. To compound their stupidity, Robb acted shameful in his loss – towards Jeff Probst, Clay, and pretty much everybody else in the vicinity. Sook Jai’s actions deserve to be recognized as a Hall of Shame Moment.

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