Nicki Swift Survey: The Bravo Reality Show Fans Think Is Completely Fake
In the greater reality television universe, Bravo shows exist in a world apart. They have their own celebs, their own language, their own dedicated fanbase, Andy Cohen, and their own particular format. Each show operates like a well-oiled machine which, TBH, we think might be a bit sus. So to find out if you all agree, Nicki Swift polled fans on which Bravo reality show they think is the fakest.
Setting aside the Real Housewives for a moment (because they are their own thing altogether), we asked voters to pick between "Below Deck," "Married to Medicine," "Shahs of Sunset," "Summer House," and "Million Dollar Listing New York." Like most of the shows on Bravo, each of these fine programs follows a group of friends or coworkers ostensibly just living their lives. These people just happen to be improbably beautiful and/or wealthy with seriously dramatic interpersonal relationships.
It can't all be legit, can it? We didn't think so, and as you'll see, neither did all of you.
Are these stars really friends?
According to Nicki Swift's survey, the Bravo show most people think is a load of baloney is "Shahs of Sunset," with 34% of the vote. "Million Dollar Listing New York" was a distant second place with 20% of the vote, followed by "Married to Medicine" and "Summer House" with around 16% each, and "Below Deck" rounding out the list with 12%.
Not unlike "Vanderpump Rules," in the early days of "Shahs," its cast of real-life, longtime friends made for some of the most authentic reality TV dramas around. However, also like "Vanderpump," as the show continued throughout the years, fans appear to be less likely to buy that all of the melodramatic dustups are as genuine as they once seemed.
There may be some truth to the idea that the show is faked — at least in part. In 2018, for example, Janice Dickinson sued the production company for allegedly faking a storyline in which she supposedly stole a romper from GG, one of the show's stars, per TMZ.
Some of the OG stars themselves have also accused newcomers to the program of manufacturing their own storylines. Reza Farahan claimed that Destiney Rose had made up a storyline about his husband Adam Neely sending sexually explicit texts, and Mike Shahoud came for Nema Vand for, apparently, casting women to play the role of his girlfriend to earn him more screen time, via Reality Blurb.
Ironically, all the drama about fake storylines and backstabbing and ending friendships appears to be totally real.