15 Couples Who Found Lasting Love on Reality TV

Reality TV is created, scripted and manipulated for ratings, so it’s no stranger to drama of every kind – especially when it comes to dating and relationships. We love to watch people flirt, flail and flounder as they try to form personal connections. Despite being thrown into precarious situations with cameras following them around, some people actually end up finding true love on a show. While the vast majority of these “showmances” are short-lived, here are 15 couples who, against all odds, actually found lasting love on reality TV.

1. Trista and Ryan Sutter

Trista was the runner up on the very first episode of The Bachelor, and subsequently became the first star of The Bachelorette. It was there that she met firefighter Ryan Sutter, who she ended up marrying in 2003. The lavish wedding was televised, of course. The couple live in Colorado with their two children and serve as the poster couple of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise – see, it sometimes actually works!

2. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jionni LaValle

Snooki was known for being quite the party girl on the MTV reality show Jersey Shore, and she had her fair share of man friends throughout the show’s life. But when she met Jionni LaValle on the shore, sparks flew for real. The two are married today with two children.

3. Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano

Amber and Rob first met on Survivor: All Stars. Let’s just say their alliance went a little further than a game strategy. Amber ended up winning not only the million dollar prize, but also a public proposal from Boston Rob, which she accepted without hesitation. They also starred together on The Amazing Race twice. They’re the real deal. The couple married in 2005 and now have four daughters together.

4. Jason and Molly Mesnick

Jason was another contestant on The Bachelor, only his case was a little more dramatic. After being a runner up on season four of The Bachelorette he became the bachelor, and ended up proposing to Melissa Rycroft who he quickly dumped for the runner up. It seemed like a ratings ploy, but this change of heart seems to have been the right move. Jason and Molly got married in 2010 and welcomed a daughter in 2013.

5. Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt met while filming the Laguna Beach spin-off The Hills which took place in L.A. The couple quickly became the villainous duo known as “Speidi.” They got married and today live together in Santa Barbara. They still try to milk their D-list celebrity status on various other reality shows when they can.

6. Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas

Rachel and Brendon met on season 12 of Big Brother, and were engaged by season 13 (which Rachel won). They also appeared on the Amazing Race twice. The couple married in 2012 and are currently expecting their first child.

7. Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum

Ashley was the second runner up on the 15th season of The Bachelor, and ended up choosing J.P. as her match on her own season of The Bachelorette. It’s easy to be skeptical on a show like that, which has an abysmal track record of lasting love, but these two seemed authentic from the get-go. The couple married in 2012 and live in Florida with their son.

8. Jenni “JWoww” Farley and Roger Mathews

JWoww was another Jersey Shore castmate who met her future husband while on the show. It was a match made in guido heaven. After having one child together, the two married in October of 2015 and announced that they are expecting baby number two.

9. Catherine Giudici and Sean Lowe

Catherine Giudici won the 17th season of The Bachelor when devout Christian Sean Lowe chose her to be his wife. Sean was dubbed “the virgin bachelor” and the couple choose to wait until marriage to have sex. The two married in January 2014 (on TV, natch). Lots of other Bachelor/Bachelorette couples were in attendance at their wedding. They recently announced that they are expecting their first child.

10. Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Peta and Maksim first met on a Broadway production but they didn’t exactly hit it off. Years later they were both cast on Dancing With the Stars and were in several relationships with other people. Eventually they fell for each other. Today they are engaged to be married, and we hope they go the distance.

11. Desiree Hartsock and Chris Siegfried

Desiree and Chris met on the 9th season of The Bachelorette in 2013. Chris proposed during the finale and the two wed in January 2015. Guests included Bachelorette producer Elan Gale as well as a few different former contestants on the show.

12. Rachel Campos Duffy and Sean Duffy

Rachel and Sean met in 1998 on MTV’s Road Rules: All Stars after appearing on different The Real World seasons (one of the original reality shows ever produced). The two have been married since 1999 and have seven children (yep, seven). These days Sean is a Republican member of Congress.

13. Tori Hall and Brad Fiorenza

Tori and Brad met on MTV’s Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet 3 back in 2007. They continued on the reality path as an engaged and even a married couple. Today the two have two children together.

14. Holly Durst and Blake Julian

Holly and Blake met on The Bachelor spin off show Bachelor Pad 2. This show doesn’t have a great track record of love connections, but these two got engaged only a few months after meeting. The two married in 2012 and now live in South Carolina.

15. Christina Hsu and Azaria Azene

Christina Hsu and Azaria Azene met on The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business, where Christina was teamed up with her dad and Azaria was teamed up with his sister. Neither team won, but these two did win a life-mate who obviously shares their passion for travel and adventure. They started off as friends and were engaged by 2011. Today, they have one son.