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'Temptation Island,' 'The Ultimatum,' & More: The Best Reality TV Love Triangles
Deac Conti and Samantha Hoffman return to "Temptation Island" after being on the losing end of love triangles in Season 2.
“Temptation Island” is spicing things up in Season 4 with the return of former Season 2 singles Deac Conti and Samantha Hoffman, both of whom are looking for redemption after finding themselves in love triangles previously on the show.
Deac was kicked to the curb when Ashley Howland decided she preferred Ben Knobloch to him. Meanwhile, after Samatha Hoffman had an incredibly steamy night in the shower with David Benavidez and Payton Burgess, David ultimately told them both that he was interested in Toneata Morgan instead.
While “Temptation Island” is certainly responsible for some of the most shocking and wild love triangles throughout the past few years, the truth is they happen often in the fast-paced world of reality television. As Deac and Samantha seek to write a new chapter in their romantic lives, let's take a look back at some iconic recent reality TV love triangles.
Craig Conover, Kristin Cavallari, and Paige DeSorbo on "Summer House"
Kristin Cavallari first sparked romance rumors with Craig Conover in October 2020 when she was spotted out with him and a handful of other guys after sliding into his DMs. For more than a year, they both shut down rumors that they were anything more than friends.
That’s when Paige DeSorbo came into the picture. After finishing filming on Bravo’s “Winter House,” Paige and Craig started dating. Cut to Season 6 of “Summer House,” and the Craig/Kristen relationship was discussed yet again, with Craig seemingly confirming he had hooked up with Kristen earlier, around the same time he was seeing Paige.
The scandal was discussed heavily throughout that season of “Summer House,” leaving Craig in the hot seat and Kristin with no way to defend herself.
Jake Cunningham, Rae Williams, and Zay Wilson on "The Ultimatum"
One of the more interesting stories on Netflix’s recent reality hit “The Ultimatum” was that of Rae Williams and Zay Wilson. The duo were college sweethearts who had dated for two and a half years, but she wanted more. She issued an ultimatum for him to pop the question, but he was reluctant. So, they did what all reasonable couples do: take a break and agree to a trial marriage with someone else for a few weeks.
Rae dated Jake Cunningham, and they ultimately ended the show by breaking up with their previous partners and agreeing to give it a try with each other. Rather than propose at the end of the experience, Jake offered Rae a ticket to anywhere in the world, which she accepted. However, it didn’t last.
During the reunion, Rae revealed things cooled things off between her and Jake after the show, and she actually made one more unsuccessful attempt to fix her relationship with Zay. In the end, she ended up with neither of the two men who fought for her affection on the show. Instead, she revealed that she was dating a woman she met after filming. Unfortunately, “Today” reports she told her followers on social media that the newer relationship fizzled out as well.
Sammi Giancola, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino on "Jersey Shore"
Many may remember the exhausting relationship between Sammi Giancola and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro that lasted the entire run of “Jersey Shore.” However, some may forget that for one very brief moment, she paired up with none other than "The Situation" himself, Mike Sorrentino. Mike and Sammi immediately hit it off and even made out on the first night. The man who would become known for picking up a new girl every night on the boardwalk seemed like he was going to immediately get wifed up in that first episode.
However, once Ronnie expressed some interest in Sammi, she immediately jumped ship and started hooking up with him. Mike was upset about it and began moving on from her with a cavalcade of random women from around the Jersey Shore. Eventually, he learned he dodged a bullet as he spent the next six seasons watching Ron and Sammi's rocky relationship before they ultimately broke up for good after the show ended.
Jared Haibon, Ashley Iaconetti, and Caila Quinn on "Bachelor in Paradise"
“Bachelor in Paradise” is a show all about second chances, either with someone old or someone new. Unfortunately (or fortunately for viewers), that can often lead to love triangles.
Fans watched Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon fall in love during Season 2. They weren’t on the most solid ground, though, so they broke up after the show ended. He returned in the next season, in which he began dating Caila Quinn. However, that was thrown out of whack when Ashley returned to the show hoping for another shot at love with Jared.
Fans weren’t sure which side to fall on given that Ashley revealed Calia promised her she’d stay away from Jared before filming on Season 3 began — a promise that Calia told "Us Weekly" she ultimately regretted. Jared left that season with Calia, but the story wasn’t over just yet.
They eventually broke up and he found his way back to Ashley once again. In 2019, they finally stopped the on-again-off-again thing and got married.
Harry Dubin, Sonja Morgan, and Luann de Lesseps on "The Real Housewives of New York City"
As “RHONY” fans know, Harry Dubin makes many connections with members of the cast, and therefore is not the most popular figure on the show. However, one of the original “Real Housewives” love triangles happened in Season 6 between him, Sonja Morgan, and Luann de Lesseps.
Sonja and Harry began seeing each other that year, but both were reluctant to put a label on it — that is, until they attended a party together and he approached her saying he wanted things to be more official between them. So, he offered her a promise ring and planted a kiss on her for all of New York’s elite to see. Just as she was brimming with girlish excitement and telling a friend about the promise ring, the camera cut over to Harry chatting up Luann.
Luann was fresh off a breakup, so when this man started talking about how beautiful she was, she was just intrigued enough to leave the party with him. Although they never confirmed that anything happened between them, the hookup has been alluded to for years on the show.
Evan Smith, Kaci Campbell, and Morgan Lolar on "Temptation Island"
Kaci Campbell and Evan Smith came to “Temptation Island” to see if they were ready to take the next step in their 10-year relationship. The high school sweethearts went into the experience with a lot of confidence in their bond, having only really dated each other up to that point.
However, there were some weak spots between them — namely, that he admitted to cheating on her in the past. When they separated for a few weeks and lived with singles, she remained pretty faithful while he quickly became infatuated with Morgan Lolar. He resisted his attraction at first, but ultimately succumbed to temptation and made it clear he wanted to be with Morgan after the show.
In one of the more heartbreaking final bonfires in “Temptation Island” history, viewers watched as Kaci begged Evan not to end what they had together over an infatuation with a girl he barely knew. Ultimately, though, he decided to leave the island with Morgan. They moved in together and he ended up proposing to her. However, the story doesn’t end there.
In 2020, Morgan told “Us Weekly” she broke off their engagement. She revealed that, during the entire year and a half they lived together, Evan did not have a job and she supported him. What’s more, she claimed he cheated on her, alleging it was because she pressured him to find work. The breakup made her realize she has a lot in common with Kaci and the two became friends.
Randall Griffin, Shanique Imari and Madlyn Ballatori on “The Ultimatum”
Shanique Imari issued an ultimatum to her boyfriend of two years, Randall Griffin, because she was ready for marriage. He, however, wanted to be more financially stable before pulling the trigger on an engagement.
They joined the Netflix series "The Ultimatum" and lived with other people for a while to see if it strengthened their bond. Shanique would later admit she expected Randall to spend the whole time missing her. However, that didn’t happen. He ended up really hitting it off with Madlyn Ballatori. They spent their time on the show exploring that connection and even gave genuine thought to leaving with each other.
In the end, though, Randall ultimately decided to work things out with Shanique, noting that his time with Madlyn taught him a lot about being a better partner, including how to be more emotional and honest with his feelings. The duo still aren’t engaged and even broke up for about six months after filming ended. Today, though, they’re still making a go of it together.
Madlyn, meanwhile, ended up reuniting with the partner she came on the show with, Colby. In the finale, despite a lot of fighting and proof of his infidelity, he proposed to her and they got married on the spot. At the reunion, she revealed that she is pregnant with her and Colby’s first child.
