A Brief History of Threesomes on Reality TV

Because sometimes, two just isn't enough.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Reality TV isn't known for being the classiest or the most well-adjusted, but therein lies the beauty of it: It's guaranteed entertainment if the network assembles a group of the biggest trainwrecks they can find and sticks them all in a house together for a couple of months. There will be fights, there will be drunken breakdowns, there will be rampant hook-ups, and, of course, there will be threesomes. 

Recently, rumors began swirling that Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta stars Mimi Faust and Joseline Hernandez don't actually hate each other as much as the show would have us believe, and often participate in threesomes with their shared boyfriend, Stevie J. Though the rumors were (fortunately or unfortunately, depends what you're into) denied, it did get us thinking—what shows have actually featured the elusive threeway on screen?

Featuring any risqué scenes, let alone a threesome, is still a taboo for both scripted and unscripted television, moreso in the U.S., due to strict FCC laws and parent watchdog groups. Some shows have managed to get away with it despite this, though.

In an effort to chronicle the evolution of the threesome on reality television, we put together a list of the most memorable threesomes ever shown on reality television, complete with accompanying pictures and video. It's safe for work, don't worry, but we can't say the same about your eyes and/or mental status. Proceed with caution, things are about to get weird.

Written by Tanya Ghahremani (@tanyaghahremani)

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Mike, Melissa, and a Waitress on The Real World: Miami (1996)

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Trishelle, Steven, and Brynn in The Real World: Las Vegas (2002)

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Rachel, Veronica, and Abram on Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet I (2004)

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Jonna, Ayiiia, and Pat on The Real World: Cancun (2009)

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Ronnie's Three Way Kiss on Jersey Shore (2010)

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Granted, these three didn’t go on to have sex, but it was still pretty gross to see Ronnie macking on not one, but two heavily tanned clubgoers before heading home only to sleep with his girlfriend Sammi. After his transgression, Ronnie had these words of wisdom about the situation.

No shit, Sherlock. This scene became a huge turning point for that season and led to a lot of Sammi and Ronnie’s very explosive relationship problems that came up during the entire run of the series. Such significance for such an icky scene.

Lexie, Kendra, and Marc on Bad Girls Club (2010)

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Vinny and Two Lesbian Women on Jersey Shore (2012)

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Vinny and Two Canadian Women on Jersey Shore (2012)

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Gaz, Scott, and Two Women on Geordie Shore (2012)

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Gaz and Two Women on Geordie Shore (2012)

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Yet another threesome involving Gaz the town bicycle (this joke is too easy) in Geordie Shore. This one took place in Cancun and was just about as unsurprising and uncomfortable to watch as any sex scene on Geordie Shore is.

It may be unrelated to this particular threesome, but it's worth noting: A year later, just before the cast was set to film the sixth season in Sydney, Australia, reports broke that producers had actually went around asking local women if they'd be down for having a threesome on camera with Gaz. According to a report in The Sunday Telegraph, Australia’s Next Top Model contestant Madeline Huett claimed she and her friend were approached by “researchers” at a party, and asked if they’d like to have sex with Gaz on screen.

“I felt humiliated,” Ms Huett said. “This guy came up to me and told me he was bringing the Geordie Shore crew out to Australia and asked if me and a friend would have a threesome with Gaz.

“We were at my boss’s house who owns No Vacancy nightclub and we got chatting. He said he was going to bring the cast to the club and asked if I would pose as their head waitress.

“He said, ‘Would you f*** Gary?’. Then he said, ‘You’d have to do it on camera though’ and said me and my friend should have a threesome with him on camera. I told him no way.”

Reality television: now literally just prostitution.

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