Top Five Reality TV Couples

Some reality shows are designed to bring men and women together to find love and happiness and hopefully, one day, wedded bliss.  Other shows are about competing for dolla billz.  These shows occassionally produce short-lived showmances.  Romances that last only as long as the cameras are rolling.  But once in a while, once in a rare blue moon, these showmances blossom and endure.  Today we celebrate some of those showmances that matured to real romances.

In no particular order, because how do you rank one couple above another?  The Top 5 couples are:

Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd, Big Brother 11 and The Amazing Race 16

Jeff and Jordan were Season 11′s sweetheart couple who didn’t know it.  We knew it, but they didn’t.  Well, actually I think Jeff did and then maybe Jordan did a little bit, but denied it.  BUT, come finale night, she caved and gave the guy his kiss.  The kiss he’d been fighting for for the whole summer.  She kissed him and the whole world cheered.  The couple went on to compete in The Amazing Race and are still together a year later.  In reality tv showmance time, that’s like an eternity.

Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano, Survivor All-Stars and The Amazing Race 7

The two met on Survivor: All Stars.  They were tribesmates and quickly formed an alliance.  By some miracle of science the two made it to the finale together and before the winner was revealed, Boston Rob proposed to Amber.  The couple wasn’t expected to last past their exit from the studio, yet they have survived (heh…see what I did there?) a stint on The Amazing Race, coming in second place, thanks to their international celebrity and the underestimation by other contestants, The Amazing Race: All-Stars, and yet ANOTHER Survivor for Rob (Heroes Vs. Villains).  They married on May 24th, 2005 and have a baby girl Lucia Rose, born in July, 2009.

Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca, Survivor: Africa and Survivor: The Amazon

Despite not technically meeting while filming Survivor, Ethan and Jenna met at a Survivor party, which sort of counts.  Ethan Zohn, the winner of Survivor: Africa, and Jenna Morasca, the winner of Survivor: Amazon, are one of the hardest working pairs in television.  Ethan has long struggled with a rare form of Hodgkins disease, which has finally gone into remission, with girlfriend Jenna at his side the whole way.  Since their original appearance on Survivor, they competed on Survivor: All Stars together, Ethan hosts a show on Outdoor Television entitled Outside Today and the pair has filmed two pilots: Ethan and Jenna Surviving Life and an as-of-yet-untitled show for Animal Planet.  With his winnings, Ethan founded Grassroots Soccer to raise awareness of AIDS in Africa.  Jenna is a spokesperson for the Humane Society.

Such a cute, supportive, loving couple.  Makes me wanna puke a little.  But in a good way.

Christopher Knight and Adrienne Curry, The Surreal Life

After winning the very first season of America’s Next Top Model, Adrianne went on to star in The Surreal Life, where she met Peter Brady, Christopher Knight.  Despite the age difference (Knight is 25 years Curry’s senior), the two went on to star in My Fair Brady, a show documenting their blossoming relationship.  Subsequent seasons followed their engagement and wedding preparations.  The two wed on May 29, 2006.  Though there have been divorce rumors in recent months, the two are still together.

Suzy Preston and Matt Hoover, The Biggest Loser

Matt and Suzy met as contestants of the second season of The Biggest Loser, losing a combined weight of nearly 300 lbs.  They LOST that.  Impressive.  The two dated secretly during the show’s filming, but went public after the finale.  Matt proposed to Suzy on The Today’s Show in March, 2006, and the couple wed six months later.  They’ve since grown their family to include two sons and they are going strong – happy, healthy and thriving.

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What other couples, still together, borne from reality show splendor have I forgotten?  Which couples had showmances that you wish could have worked in real life?