“Yes @kimkardashian is filing for divorce this morning.”
This one tweet from radio personality Ryan Seacrest on October 31st was all it took to send the twitterverse—and soon enough the rest of the universe—into an uproar. While rumors had been circulating for a while on the disintegration of the reality television princess and NBA star’s relationship, Seacrest’s post on Twitter finally verified the reports. After a mere 72 days of marriage, Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries had decided to split. While a large portion of the American public had not expected their relationship to last, few had foreseen their marriage lasting only 13 days longer than their brief engagement.
Although Kim has no shortage of loyal supporters, others have started to wonder if the whole production was merely a publicity stunt. Many critics find it difficult to believe that a 20.5 carat engagement ring, three custom $20,000 Vera Wang gowns, and a $12 to $15 million two-part wedding special were all for love. While Kardashian denies any rumors of marrying for television, she admitted in a message to her fans on Tuesday that she “got caught up with the hoopla and the filming of the TV show that when [she] probably should have ended [her] relationship, [she] didn’t know how to and didn’t want to disappoint a lot of people.”
It seems that the pressure of reality television had been weighing in on the couple even before their whirlwind engagement. Their eight months of courtship were filmed for the sixth season of “Keeping up with the Kardashians”, the E! crew catching no shortage of arguments, doubts and drama. This isn’t the first time that a reality TV couple has fallen to such an unpleasant fate. In fact, these clues are clearly characteristic of the ominous reality TV couples curse. The harsh spotlight of the ever-present camera crews and the public’s constant criticism make the perfect recipe for a failed relationship.
Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey
“Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish?” Whether you watched “Newlyweds” or not, you are sure to remember these famous dim-witted words. While the “dumb blonde” stereotype may have increased her popularity and record sales, it did nothing for her marriage to the former boy band member. The MTV program lasted for 3 seasons and the couple divorced after about 4 years, but Simpson’s thoughtless remarks will be branded in the minds of the American public forever.
The Real Housewives (or Ex-Wives)
Camille, NeNe, LuAnn, Taylor, Michaele–is there a housewife who hasn’t gone through a divorce? There is no question that these casts include some of the most dramatic, catty and extravagant women in the reality television industry. From a pregnant mistress to a heartbreaking suicide to a rock band groupie, these couples never seem to allow the public to take their eyes off of them. The limelight cast on the housewives and their husbands stresses not only their marriages, but also their bank accounts, sanity and even their lives.
Jon & Kate Gosselin
The Gosselins seemed like the quintessential American family. With their brood of adorable children always in tow, happily married Jon and Kate went on vacations, hosted birthday celebrations and always enjoyed entertaining family dinners. However, Kate’s star quickly began to shine more brightly while Jon preferred to shy away from the spotlight; their 10 years of marriage came to a close after five seasons of “Jon and Kate Plus Eight.” A cheating scandal with the Ed Hardy enthusiast made matters even worse and the divorce even messier.
Do you believe in the reality TV couples curse, collegiettes? Who do you think will its next victims?
Sources:
Kim’s Fairytale Wedding (photo): Celebuzz!, http://cdn01.kjcdn.celebuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/kris-jenner-kims-fairytale-wedding-trailer.jpg
Jon & Kate Plus Eight (photo): Zap2It,
http://images.zap2it.com/images/tv-EP00910246/jon-and-kate-plus-8-4.jpg
Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica (photo): Wikimedia,
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/51/The_Newlyweds_DVD.jpg/220px-The_Newlyweds_DVD.jpg
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (photo): Reality Wives,
http://realitywives.net/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-mobile-wallpaper.jpg