The Biggest Fights in Reality TV History

The best hair-pulls, slaps and loogies in reality TV history.

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Complex Original

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Have you heard? Reality TV shows thrive on drama. Producers throw a bunch of polarizing figures into a restrictive space and just wait for chaos to erupt. Sometimes, when they're lucky, that chaos involves intense verbal and physical violence. Those altercations are what reality shows run on—it's their Gatorade.

Reality TV has gotten considerably more violent over the years—punching someone on The Real World is no longer an automatic send-off—but there are a ton of classic, even iconic, brawls that set the bar for the Love & Hip Hops of the new world. To figure out which reality show fights stood above the others—because you can only watch so much hair-pulling before it all blends together— the following factors were considered:


  • Cultural Impact: How big of a deal was the fight in the full landscape of pop culture? How many stories were written about it? How did it change reality TV?

  • Violence: This one's obvious. 

  • Mayhem: How much chaos did the fight cause? If the cops were called on your fight, that's a pretty good sign that you're scoring high on the Mayhem scale.

  • Anticipation: Basically, the reality show fights that go down in history are the ones that have buildup, to the point that viewers are thirsting for the confrontation long before it actually happens.

  • Unintentional Comedy: Violence should never be funny, but no one can deny that there's something funny about Teresa Giudice flipping over a table on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

So the highest any fight could score is a round 50. Keep all this in mind as we run down The Biggest Fights in Reality TV History

21. “Hold My Earrings,” The Jersey Shore

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20. “Pump It Up,” Love & Hip Hop: New York

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19. “The Battle of the White Tees,” The Jersey Shore

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18. “What Happens in Cabo,” Laguna Beach

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17. “Sundy Morning Heat,” Basketball Wives

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16. “You Know What You Did!” The Hills

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15. “Straight Up Domestic Violence,” 16 & Pregnant

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14. “The Battle at the Brownstone,” Real Housewives of New Jersey

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13. “The Godfather of Them All,” Mob Wives

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12. “Who Throws a Shoe?” Flavor of Love

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11. “What Love Looks Like,” A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila

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10. “Rev Up the Porsha,” Real Housewives of Atlanta

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9. “Umm, Holy S**t,” Bad Girls Club

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8. “The Slap,” The Real World: Seattle

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7. “Get Out Yo Hair Dryer,” The Real World: Portland

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6. “Joe v. Joe,” Real Housewives of New Jersey

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5. “Watch Ya Head,” The Jersey Shore

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4. “David vs. Goliath,” The Challenge: The Duel II

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3. “The Spit,” Flavor of Love

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2. “Welcome to Hell,” Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta

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