8 Reality Couples Who Broke Up This Year (So Far), And 6 Who Have Withstood The Test Of Time

All the couples I thought would break up got married, and all the ones I thought were forever called it quits. :(

1. Danielle Ruhl & Nick Thompson from Love Is Blind

@dnellruhl / Via instagram.com

What happened on the show: Danielle and Nick were certainly quite the couple to watch on Love Is Blind. From hotdog costumes and Guitar Hero drum sets, to homemade toothpaste and body wash, you never quite knew what to expect from these two. At times, it was admittedly hard to watch them navigate each other and the world at large, but at the end of the show, and against all odds, they got married.

What their relationship status is now: Sadly, just earlier this month Danielle filed for divorce. Neither Danielle or Nick has publicly commented on the situation yet, but I wish them all the best and hope they find happiness in their various costumes and video games in a solo capacity. Don't be sad that it ended, just be happy we got to see them fall in love with each other through a wall.

2. Madlyn Ballatori & Colby Kissinger from The Ultimatum

@madlynballatori / Via instagram.com

What happened on the show: This relationship was such a wild ride there could be a theme park attraction based on it. Just when you thought you had a handle on what was going to happen, these two would take turns you just couldn't see coming. After dating other people for a month and coming back together, it genuinely seemed like there was no way these two would stay together. Even on the day of their wedding, it seemed IMPOSSIBLE that these two would say, "I do" (or at least that Madlyn would). But my god if they didn't go through with it. The vows heard 'round the world. It shocked the nation, really!

What their relationship status is now: Ok, so not only are they still together, THEY HAD A FERKIN' BABY TOGETHER! I could not have predicted this if I TRIED! I was a real skeptic, but based on what they're putting out on their Instagram, they seem really happy together, and I truly hope they are. May they never break up and date a bunch of other people in order to prove their love for each other again. Mazel tov, kiddos!

3. Michelle Young & Nayte Olukoya from The Bachelorette

Christopher Willard / ABC via Getty Images

What happened on the show: From the get go of Season 18, it seemed that Michelle and Nayte were Meant To Be™. The energy between these two was so PALPABLE that she gave him her first impression rose (an HONOR), and eventually ended up giving him her final rose. It doesn't get much better than that in the Bachelor Cinematic Universe! The two got engaged, and during the After the Final Rose special, they received $200,000 for a downpayment on a house. Ya, know, normal couple things.  

What their relationship status is now: Welp, the honeymoon period didn't last very long, I'm sad to say, because just six months after their engagement was announced, the couple called it off. It's a shame! I really thought they were gonna make it :( But such is the life cycle of a reality TV relationship. Michelle at least posted on Instagram recently that she is feeling "happier," so let's hope it was all for the best.

4. Lauren Pounds & Nate Ruggles from The Ultimatum

@nathan_ruggles / Via instagram.com

What happened on the show: These two are great, I'm sure, but what we saw on the show was MESS MESS MESS! Lol. (In the best way, of course.) They (along with another couple mentioned later in this list) really blew the whole show up, choosing to opt out of the experiment in a way that managed to upset literally everyone on set, and caused Nick and Vanessa Lachey to nervously look off camera (presumably toward producers) like, "WHAT IS HAPPENING? IS ANY OF THIS OK?!?!" They left the dinner, and the show, engaged to be married.

What their relationship status is now: Despite their seemingly irreconcilable differences around having kids (Lauren being very vocal in her opposition of rearing them, which, I FEEL YOU GIRL), these two remain in a state of engagement. It's actually a real testament of their love for each other that they are able to work through some of these very real, and very big issues that a lot of couples face, so good on ya! All the best, XOXO.

5. Iyanna McNeely & Jarrette Jones from Love Is Blind

@iyanna.amor / Via instagram.com

What happened on the show: So this relationship got off to an admittedly...rocky start. Jarrette's number one in the pods was Mallory, but ol' Mal wasn't feeling it and turned him down. While J and Iyanna definitely had a good connection, people talk, and she found out that she was his second choice, and that is TOOF STOOF. Hard to start a relaysh on that foot. But despite it all, they got engaged before meeting and were married on TV! The Disney fairytale.

What their relationship status is now: Now, I hate to tell you this, but just this month, the couple filed for divorce. Yes, tis true that the foundation seemed a little shaky from the beginning, but you really just want these things to work! The former couple released a joint statement on Instagram saying, "While we have love for each other, our lives are going in different directions, and that's okay... we will always wish each other the absolute best." Ok, well that sounds positive at least!

6. Maurissa Gunn & Riley Christian from Bachelor in Paradise

Hatnim Lee / Getty Images

What happened on the show: These two reality darlings got a second chance at fame, er...love, when they hit the beach in Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise. Maurissa initially had a little fling with another contestant, but when Christian showed up during week two, IT WAS OVER! It was an instant connection, and after their first date, they headed straight to the Boom Boom Room (still laughing about this name), which GOOD FOR Y'ALL! A play straight out of my book, lol. At the end of the season, they were one of three couples to get engaged, and made history as the first Black couple to get engaged on the show (which is so exciting, but also sad that it took until 2021)!

What their relationship status is now: I know I just got you all hyped up with this tantalizing love story, but here's the hard truth: They called their engagement off in January of this year. WHY IS LOVE SO GD HARD, Y'ALL?! In a joint statement to People Magazine, they said, "We have decided to go our separate ways. Never did we imagine this, but we've come to a point where we both need to work on ourselves." And just like that, it was over.

7. Clayton Echard & Susie Evans from The Bachelor

@claytonechard / Via instagram.com

What happened on the show: This relationship is full of chills and thrills, twists and turns, and ups and downs you just couldn't have expected. It all started with a vibrating buzzer handshake, which I may actually never recover from seeing, and ended in an absolute EXPLOSION! The couple broke it off on the show, and then, Clayton broke it off with all the remaining contestants after he realized he did want to date Susie after all, and asked for a second chance. She. Turned. Him. Down. A true saga that could fill tomes, but I've only got so much space here.

What their relationship status is now: Now, let's cut to the After the Final Rose Special where they said, "JK everyone! We're actually together! Hehe!" WHAT?! Apparently, the couple patched things up over Instagram DMs (the power of the internet). And while the couple is technically still together, they did recently change their relationship status to long distance (which BEST OF LUCK. It's so hard lol). On an episode of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Clayton tried to assure the fans, saying, "People might look at us like, 'Oh, they're separating,'" but "a little distance never hurts." 

8. Holly Scarfone & Nathan Soan Mngomezulu from Too Hot to Handle

Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images, John Phillips / Getty Images

What happened on the show: We all know that on Too Hot to Handle, the only rule is NO TOUCHIE, and every time someone does, the amount of prize money drops. Well, this infamous couple took that prize money down to a whopping zero because they could not keep their hands to themselves! Which, who could blame them honestly? By the end of the season, the two exchanged "I love you's" and left the show as a couple. A true modern romance!

What their relationship status is now: The couple really tried to make it work and did the whole long distance thing, but sadly, in January of this year, they confirmed that they were no longer together, and have since started dating other people. They even went so far as to delete literally any trace of each other on their social media, which is why I had to use individual photos of these two. They've scrubbed each other from existence! Read into that what you will.

9. Shanique Imari & Randall Griffin from The Ultimatum

@shaniqueimari / Via instagram.com

What happened on the show: These two had a ROUGH time navigating this show, and it seemed like they were never able to actually separate to let the Ultimatum experiment work its magic. They were meeting up to talk the whole time while they were dating other people, and Shanique had some real issues with Randall's pretend partner, Madlyn (remember her from earlier??), and it made for GREAT TV! I really thought Shanique was gonna tackle her the night Madlyn got so drunk she couldn't even stay in frame for her confessionals (again, AMAZING television, lol). But by the end of the season, this couple got engaged, and it all seemed like a happily ever after.

What their relationship status is now:  Well, what we find out in the Ultimatum reunion special is that after their fairytale engagement, the couple actually broke up for a full six months to figure their shit out. The whiplash of it all! As of right now, they are back to dating and have no plans to get married, but I guess time will tell! We're rooting for you two!

10. Brooke Blurton & Darvid Garayeli from The Bachelorette Australia

@brooke.blurton / Via instagram.com

What happened on the show: Ok, so Brooke made history on this season when she became both the franchise's first Indigenous and first bisexual bachelorette to grace our screens. Amazing! You love to see it. This pair's chemistry was off the charts, and it was no surprise when Brooke gave Darvid her final rose. She literally sobbed about how she never knew what it felt like to meet your soulmate until that moment. I mean, this kind of romance will give you goosebumps, and they won the hearts of fans all over the world.

What their relationship status is now: Unfortunately, it's time to put those goosebumps away, though, because in January of this year (noticing a trend here. I guess New Year's is a time to shake out the old), they announced their split. Damn, even soulmates can't make it work? What hope is there for the rest of us? The breakup was announced via a series of Instagram stories that have since been deleted, and according to their individual grids, they both seem to be doing quite well. Bless.

11. Alexis Maloney & Hunter Parr from The Ultimatum

@alexisparr / Via instagram.com

What happened on the show: Ok, so remember when we talked about Lauren and Nate earlier? Well, this was the other couple I mentioned, because these two broke the mold, too. They tried to pair off with other people and actually do the experiment they were asked to participate in, but it didn't really go very well for either of them. And after some ill-fated one-on-ones with Colby (also from earlier), Alexis went on a smear campaign against him, and it was pretty wild and hilarious to watch it all play out. At the choosing ceremony, it was pretty apparent that both of these two had failed to garner interest from the other players, and ended up getting engaged at the ceremony and walking away from the show (BEFORE Nate and Lauren copied them, lol).

What their relationship status is now: At the reunion, the couple was still happily engaged and relatively unscathed by the experiment as a whole, and just earlier this summer, they officially tied the knot! Now, it's on to the next phase of life. Talking with People Magazine, Alexis said, "I can't wait to start this chapter with Hunter, where we can start talking about, 'Do we want to build a family? Do we want to live in California forever? Do we want to put some roots down here?' It's no longer about Alexis. It's Alexis and Hunter." Keep us posted, girl!

12. Katie Thurston & John Hersey from The Bachelorette

@johnalexhersey / Via instagram.com

What happened on the show: Ok, so here's what went down: Katie sent John's ass home on WEEK TWO of her season, and gave her final rose to someone else (Blake Moynes) entirely! WHAT?! Six months after the show, she and Blake split, and that was that on that.

What their relationship status is now: Wait wait wait, but how does John figure into all of this if he wasn't even the one to end up with Katie in the first place?? Wellllllll, the story is kind of murky, but the two started a friendship after the show wrapped (while she and Blake were still together), and just one month after announcing the end of their engagement, Katie and John were officially a couple. (Feel free to speculate WILDLY.) But story time isn't over yet! Because in June of this year, they announced their split. I know. I'm sorry! I wish it wasn't true, too. And it wasn't even the first time they broke up! Katie revealed on an episode of the podcast Off the Vine that, "Technically, we actually broke up twice. The first time no one knew about." At the end of the day, it just wasn't meant to be. But damnit if they didn't give it a good try. Can't win 'em all!

13. Josh Moss & Amelia Plummer from Love Island Australia

@joshmoss / Via instagram.com

What happened on the show: Amelia and Josh were the fan favorites from Season 1 of Love Island Australia (which is also a lot of fan's favorite iteration of the franchise), and these two love birds made an instant connection. They left the show in 2018 as a couple, and despite placing third in the competition, they were the show's only real success story, spending four years together.  

What their relationship status is now: You might have guessed where this was headed, but the two announced their split this past May. :( You hate to see it. The news came as a shock to the Love Island community, because it really seemed like they had what it took to go all the way! In a post on Instagram, Amelia wrote, "Josh and I are on incredible terms...and we want the happiest life for one another. But sadly right now we have to find happiness separately. Of course I love Josh and will miss our crazy special life together but right now this is the best for us both." Ok, I'm gonna cry!! Why's it gotta be like this?? 

14. Giannina Gibelli from Love Is Blind & Blake Horstmann from The Bachelorette

@gianninagibelli / Via instagram.com

What happened: Now, this one is a real meeting of the minds. It's basically the Avengers of reality TV relationships. It's the multiverses colliding. Love Is Blind's Giannina Gibelli (whose name I can't say without an Italian accent and a "chef's kiss" fist) and The Bachelorette's Blake Horstmann have come together to form the kind of power couple that was foretold in ancient prophecy (probably). Meeting on Paramount+'s All Star Shore, a reality competition show where TV personalities live in a house together competing for a $150,000 prize, these two had to keep things super private until the show was officially announced in June, a full six months after meeting.

What their relationship status is now: The show is still airing at the time of writing this, so we don't know who's walking away with that prize money, but it appears that these two have already won, because they are still very much in love, and I am absolutely rooting for them. (Wow, that was so sappy and sincere. Am I really gonna end things this way? I guess I am. I LOVE LOVE!)

Are there any reality couples that you can't believe split up? Or that you can't believe are still together? Let us know in the comments!