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USA Insider Temptation Island

Shocking Hookups, Cheating Scandals, And More: The Biggest Reality TV Reunion Reveals

When a dating reality show finishes, we think we know which couples have found their happily ever after. But as reunions for shows like "Love Is Blind" and "Temptation Island" show, that's not always the case.

By Becca van Sambeck

We love watching reality TV, especially shows about finding love. It's so fascinating to watch the relationship dynamics play out, and we normally find ourselves really rooting for some couples on the show. However, any reality TV fan knows the story isn't over when the season ends. No, it's at the reunion when the biggest reveals come out.

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On shows like "Love Is Blind" and "Temptation Island," we discover what happened to the couples after the show aired — and surprising moments we didn't get to see during the season. Every reality TV reunion has some sort of bombshell reveal it seems, but these are the revelations that stunned us the most.

Cole's Bachelor Party Shenanigans On "Love Is Blind"

Cole and Zanab dancing together

Cole and Zanab easily had the most dramatic altar moment on "Love Is Blind" Season 3 when Zanab said no to marriage with Cole and let him have it with an angry speech explaining why. Her side of the wedding even applauded after!

"The last two months have not been picture-perfect. You have disrespected me. You have insulted me. You have critiqued me. And for what it’s worth, you have single-handedly shattered my self-confidence. And I hate that you have had that kind of effect on me," she said.

During the reunion, more about their doomed relationship came out. Apparently, Cole got a girl's number at his bachelor party and even tried to kiss her. Zanab claimed Cole told her this the night before the wedding, although Cole denied it ever happening (and that he would tell Zanab that). No one exactly rushed to his defense, either.

Lascelles Got Involved With Multiple Women After "Temptation Island"

Ashley And Lascelles seated together

It was clear early on that Lascelles would not be leaving the island with his long-term girlfriend Ashley. Almost immediately, he fell for one of the singles, Trace, telling the others Trace was the only girl for him and that he was falling in love with her. At the final bonfire, he rejected Ashley after she said she was willing to leave together and chose to be with Trace.

But at the reunion, viewers learned Lascelles and Trace wouldn't be working out, either. Lascelles and Trace tried to date, they both said, but it didn't quite work. However, it didn't seem like things between them were over — until Trace learned Lascelles had tried to get back together with Ashley after the show.

RELATED: Is Giving An Ultimatum Ever OK In A Relationship?

Then, another single, Alexa, dropped a bomb: Lascelles had kissed her at night out at a club after the show, and made out with another one of the single women that night, too. Trace and Ashley were horrified to learn this, so it's safe to say Lascelles left the reunion alone.

Chad Johnson From "The Bachelor" Reveals He Slept With Other Contestants' Girlfriends

Reality Reunions Chad Johnson

Chad Johnson was easily one of the biggest villains to ever emerge in the history of "The Bachelor" franchise. During Season 12 of "The Bachelorette," Chad constantly took swipes at the other men, to the point where the men hated him so much they held an "elimination funeral" and tossed his protein powder to the wind as they celebrated his demise in the competition.

During the "Men Tell All" reunion special, Chad made sure they wouldn't change their minds about him. He revealed that he actually had hung out with two of the contestants' ex-girlfriends after leaving the show! Both Grant Kemp and Robby Hayes were infuriated by the reveal.

Shanique And Zay's Physical Relationship Was News To Rae On "The Ultimatum"

Reality Reunions Zay Rae

On "The Ultimatum," couples who are at a crossroads in their romance try having a relationship with someone else to see if they're ready for marriage with their significant partner. Yes, it's a wild idea, but it has led to some thriving relationships — and some broken ones.

On the Season 1 reunion, Rae revealed although she left the season planning to go on a trip with the man she was paired with, Jake, it ultimately didn't work out and she tried to make things work with her former partner Zay.

Things then got heated, with the two lobbying accusations against each other: Zay said Rae was secretly seeing him while dating Jake, and Rae said she was blindsided to learn Zay had hooked up with Shanique, the woman he had been paired with, and that he later lied to her about it.

The fight got so bad Zay indulged in another classic reunion trope: the walk-off.

Nick Viall Exposes How Far His Relationship With Andi Dorfman Went On "The Bachelorette"

Reality Reunions Nick Viall

There are a lot of unspoken rules with reality TV shows — especially when it comes to sex and "The Bachelor." Contestants are not supposed to go further than kissing until the final three reach the Fantasy Suite, and what happens in the Fantasy Suite is usually expected to be kept quiet as well.

That's why it was such a bombshell in the Season 10 reunion of "The Bachelorette" when Nick Viall, who was the runner-up, exposed his physical relationship with Bachelorette Andi Dorfman in a particularly surprising way.

“If you weren't in love with me, I'm just not sure why you made love with me,” he said to Andi at the reunion, which led to speculation of slut-shaming and potentially the demise of Andi's romance with the winner, Josh Murray.

“I was at a point where I felt deeply for these two men,” Andi would later write in her defense in her memoir, "It's Not Okay," according to ABC News. “Every woman who is 27 years old that is looking to be with a man for the rest of their life that has dated them for seven weeks and met their family and been told that they’re loved by them and had these intimate experiences outside the bedroom, probably feels like they can extend that intimacy into the bedroom.”

Viall later claimed he made this comment at the reunion because he felt Andi wasn't being transparent with him, according to PEOPLE.

A New "Love Island" Couple Is Revealed  — And So Is A Mystery

Reality Reunions Tyler Sereniti

Love Island USA came to Peacock for its fourth season, and also for its first reunion. During the special, viewers were able to learn what happened to the many contestants after they left the island. There were many relationship reveals, including the revelation that Sereneti and Tyler were giving it a go.

Tyler was only in the "Love Island" villa for a short time, and while they were briefly paired together, Serenti ended up being recoupled with Chazz. It seems like their chemistry was real, though, because the two said at the reunion they're now casually dating. 

However, Tyler did say someone from "Love Island" was DMing him on social media and trying to flirt with him. Which islander could it be? Sereneti did say it was someone not at the reunion ...

Jason Mesnick Dumps His Fiancé And Proposes To The Runner-Up On "The Bachelor"

Reality Reunions Jason Mesnick

It may just be the biggest reunion bombshell of them all. 

On Season 13 of "The Bachelor," Jason Mesnick made a shocking decision. He initially chose Melissa Rycroft to be his wife, leading to the typical joyous proposal. But at the "After The Rose" reunion special, Jason revealed he had actually changed his mind.

Jason said he didn't want to be with Melissa anymore, so he broke up with her. He then asked the runner-up, Molly Malaney, if they could be together because he was still in love with her. Molly agreed to give it a go with him.

“I trusted you with everything. Getting engaged and finding that person was a once-in-a-lifetime thing and you took that from me!” Melissa, who was heartbroken, told him at the reunion.

These days, she has a slightly different take on the situation.

“If Jason and I got married, it would have been the biggest blowup ever, like, it would have been terrible. We are not supposed to be together," she told Us Weekly in 2020. 

Just months after the reunion taping, in October 2009, Jason proposed to Molly. The two wed (it was televised, of course) and are still happily married to this day. It turns out he really did make the right choice at this reunion.

Watch more romantic reality dating shows like “Temptation Island” and “Love Island,” streaming right now on Peacock. 

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