Reality TV Storylines We Never Got To See

Reality TV would be nothing without those juicy storylines that persist throughout a season and keep viewers hooked until the finale. These storylines have hypnotizing build-ups that leave viewers with bated breath, waiting for tensions to boil over or culminate in an unforgettable moment that makes reality TV history. Whether it's a brewing rivalry between two competitors that's about to come to a head or a blossoming romance that has you waiting until an inevitable hook-up, some reality TV plots are honestly as good as any beloved movie or scripted series. Some storylines become even more iconic when a twist gets introduced and everyone is left stunned by the fallout.

Unfortunately, viewers don't always get to see every storyline play out as intended since some arcs get left on the cutting room floor. Maybe the moment just didn't fit into the flow of the episode and was ultimately edited out, or perhaps it was too hot for TV and simply left a secret until the reunion special. Regardless, there are plenty of fun storylines that fans missed out on. That's why we're here to spill the tea and — with the help of your favorite reality TV stars from shows like "Survivor" and "The Bachelorette" — dive headfirst into some reality TV storylines that got cut out.

The immediate success of Netflix's social experiment "Love is Blind" apparently caused a couple of engagements in the first season to be completely left off. Castmates Rory Newbrough and Westley Baer spoke with People about their respective engagements being slashed out of the show. "As we were preparing to go to the Mexico trip, the leads of the show came in and said, 'Hey, we were expecting maybe one or two [engagements],'" Newbrough explained. "... 'Then we got eight engagements.'" 

Newbrough was then given the news that his and his fiancée's story on the show ended there: "We got our phones back. They thanked us graciously and said, 'Sorry, we just don't have enough to cover everybody.'" Baer had a similar story. He told People, "The next day [we were told], 'Unfortunately we can't follow your journey.' I don't know the reasoning, but I'm glad I was able to connect with somebody, at least."

In the same story from People, a representative of the series disclosed why Newbrough and Baer's stories were cut. According to the rep, it came down to a lack of bandwidth and the sheer shock of how much there was to suddenly cover. "They practically picked names out of a hat because it was hard to predict what the outcomes would be for anyone," said the rep. Although the "Love is Blind" production crew would be better prepared in later seasons, the trend of engagements being axed only continued. 

While most seasons of "The Challenge" generally follow the same format, there was one that took some inspiration from "Survivor" that no fan has forgotten — "Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Island." As described by series legend Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio to Entertainment Weekly: "The format was very similar to 'Survivor,' where 28 cast members were marooned on an island in Panama and basically forced to survive on meager food rations which usually consisted of a bowl of rice and a small piece of fish." It was a pretty wild season and the conditions got so rough that some cast members turned to thievery to stay afloat — which never got shown.

Along with fellow "Challenge" veteran Kenny Santucci, Devenanzio stole food from a production tent. "Like a scene out of the movie 'Shawshank Redemption,' we cut a hole in a fence, trudged through close to 100 yards of knee deep mud, and sneaked past ARMED guards until we reached the food tent," recounted Devenanzio. Eventually, the two used their pants like shopping bags and they took as much food as they could back to camp and hid it as fast as possible.

Sadly, it wasn't long until these two got caught and they paid a hefty fine of around $2,000 for their robbery. That might be a harsh price to pay for stealing food, but the unaired story is a priceless entry in Devenanzio's legacy in the series. 

MTV's "Are You the One?" has its fair share of hookups and no-match couples heading to the infamous Boom Boom Room for a night of pleasure as everyone finds their perfect match. However, there was one couple in Season 6 whose trip to the Boom Boom Room resulted in a pregnancy scare that wasn't brought up until the reunion.

In a never-before-seen clip that played during the reunion (via Hollywood Life), cast member Keyana Land was concerned about possibly being pregnant after sleeping with castmate Michael Johnson. In the clip, she mentions that her worries stemmed from a past pregnancy prior to the show, where she experienced a similar illness. While Land ended up not being pregnant, there were rumors that spread amongst the cast. 

Although Land entrusted fellow castmates with the situation, news of it eventually got to Johnson before she discussed the situation with him — which led to some mistrust. During the reunion (via YouTube), some cast members openly apologized to Land for spilling her secret and she accepted it, saying, " If I was in your shoes, I would've done the same thing because I wouldn't want him to not know."

So, while everything was resolved by the reunion, "Are You the One?" fans were left in the dark about a very serious storyline that would've been shocking to watch unfold. 

Along with "The Real World," "Road Rules" was a quintessential tentpole in MTV's reality TV lineup. But, many probably don't know that there was an unaired pilot episode filmed that set the stage for what the series became known for. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Jonathan Murray and cast members Mark Long, Shani Rosenzweig, and Heather Maclean all talked about what fans missed in the never-before-seen pilot. 

"We were able to find great people among the people we had rejected for 'Real World' but who had the qualities that we thought would be great for 'Road Rules,'" said Murray. Rosenzweig also confirmed that she was up for a slot on "The Real World: San Francisco" at the time, but was glad this opportunity came. 

Long — who went on to be cast in the first season of "Road Rules" when it eventually got greenlit — also brought up how the series-standard RV wasn't around and that the group drove a van and navigated with multiple maps. In the pilot, the group was tasked with making money in Long Beach, California, where they found an Arabian horse ranch to work at.

"I remember saying, 'I will not shovel manure.' Cut to me shoveling manure," said Rosenzweig. Although fans never got to see this pilot on TV, it led to the iconic MTV series being created — so, it played the role it needed to. 

Throughout all 33 seasons of MTV's "The Real World," there were plenty of wild moments that got edited out. For instance, in Season 22 — "The Real World: Cancun" — a cast member's rebellious act against the MTV crew never made it to the final cut. Based on an interview with Cracked.com,  a "Cancun" cast member — anonymously identified as Pat — revealed that fellow cast member Joey Rozmus openly defied MTV's constrictive rules. To maintain a sense of continuity within the season, the producers often instructed cast members on how to maintain their image. "We weren't allowed to get new haircuts or tattoos. I tried to grow a mustache as a joke and they said 'You have to shave it,'" said Pat. 

The frustration between the cast and producers grew because of this, and eventually, Rozmus got a wrist tattoo that directed his disdain right toward MTV. "One time Joey got really mad that they fined him for breaking a rule, and he actually had the balls to run away from the house," said Pat. "He comes back with this brand new tattoo on his wrist that says, 'F–k MTV.'"

Given that this action was incredibly negative towards the network, it wasn't surprising that it got left out of the show. But it could've been an interesting meta-storyline for reality TV.