From American Idol mania to The Real World's first spat, TIME looks at the best, the worst and the most tasteless episodes of the genre that's been a national obsession for nearly 30 years
Jersey Shore stirred up controversy before the first episode hit the airwaves. Starring eight self-professed “guidos” and “guidettes” living in a house in Seaside Heights, N.J., the characters led Italian-American activist groups to complain the show portrayed negative stereotypes.
But the series really took off when promotions showed castmate Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi getting punched in the face by a guy at a bar during the show’s fourth episode. The clip instantly went viral, and Snooki was suddenly a star. Under pressure from domestic-violence groups, MTV decided to cut the punch from its Dec. 17, 2009, broadcast, but the show had taken hold. Ratings skyrocketed, and the program became a must-watch train wreck.
Since then, the show has broadcast three seasons, and it’s about to shoot a fourth in Italy. Snooki has recovered quite nicely after the punch heard around the world — she’s published a novel, has graced the cover of Rolling Stone and has a potential spin-off show in the works. The guy who hit her didn’t fare so well. Unable to find a job after all the publicity, he recently joined the Army.
As a deep-sea fisherman, Phil Harris had one of the world’s most dangerous professions — they don’t call the show Deadliest Catch for nothing. But in the end, it wasn’t the frigid waters of the Bering Sea that killed him. Harris, who helmed the crab-fishing vessel Cornelia Marie and, along with his sons Josh and Jake, appeared on the hit Discovery Channel reality series, suffered a massive stroke Jan. 29, 2010, while unloading his ship and died almost two weeks later at age 53.
It was Harris himself who wanted his final days documented in the series. “Keep filming,” he wrote from his hospital bed. “There has to be an end to this story.” It was the first time a death was portrayed on reality television, leaving the producers grappling with how much to show. They opted not to air any scenes from the hospital after the right side of Harris’ skull was removed to relieve pressure on his brain, but they did show the touching goodbye between him and his son Josh. In his final moments on-screen, Harris is seen looking out a window at the Alaskan land he loved. The episode garnered a record-setting 8.5 million viewers.
