The Most Awkward Kisses In Reality TV History
There have been some seriously awkward kisses in reality TV history. These programs are already painful enough to watch, thanks to adult temper tantrums, table flips, catfights, relationship drama, and uncomfortably intimate scenes. But it's those terribly, terribly awkward kisses that really stand out. From shows like Love at First Kiss and The Bachelor to Bachelor in Paradise and Virgin Diaries, reality television fans have certainly seen their fair shares of super cringe-worthy smooches.
Listen, we've all had an awkward kiss at one point in our lives. Sometimes, two people just don't sync up; everyone is different, and everyone is into what they're into. And sometimes, a kiss is going just fine until someone decides to do something weird — like eat the other person's face, or go digging for gold in their throat with their tongue.
It's those kinds of kisses that none of us want to have, but that all of us love to laugh about on television. So without further ado, here are some of the most awkward kisses in reality TV history, which remind us of the most uncomfortable first kiss scenes ever filmed.
It was awkward when Shad thanked Aleska for kissing him on Love at First Kiss
For those of you who've seen Love at First Kiss, you know that the show is basically designed to be awkward. Two strangers meet in an echoey, stark white room and kiss each other at first sight. It's... as uncomfortable to watch as it sounds. But it also makes for hilarious TV.
Of all of the stars on Love at First Kiss, Shad and Aleska had one of the most awkward kisses. To be totally fair, the kiss itself didn't look so bad. Besides Shad's awkward arm touch (he was visibly too nervous to grab Aleska's head or hips), the kiss looked pretty decent as far as viewers could tell. What makes this encounter so eek, however, is what Shad says after the kiss. Aleska gives Shad the eyes — you know the eyes after a passionate kiss — and he says, "Thanks for kissing me."
In the interview after the kiss, Shad kicks himself for saying something so corny. But, alas, the damage had already been done. It kind of reminds you of these actors who enjoyed kissing their co-stars too much.
Carly's super spicy and sloppy kiss with Evan on Bachelor in Paradise looked awkward
Everyone wants a hot and spicy kiss, as good things happen to your body when you're kissing. But Carly and Evan's long and hot kiss on The Bachelor was just a little bit (okay, a lot bit) too much. They both had to eat habañero peppers, and then were tasked with kissing for 90 seconds in a pretty gross effort to break the Guinness World Record for "Longest Habañero Pepper Kiss." In a word: it was sloppy. We're talking strings of spicy saliva sloppy. It looked equal parts disgusting and painful.
But they did it! Carly and Evan smooched for one minute and 41 seconds — which was ten seconds more than the kiss had to be for the record. Perhaps the couple enjoyed it more than their faces of pure pain let viewers believe? After all, the two went on the get married down the line. And they're actually a lasting couple from The Bachelor franchise. Who would have thought?
Josh's awkward hair kiss for Emily on Love at First Kiss left something to be desired
Josh was a notoriously awkward kisser on Love at First Kiss. He had a few opportunities to get it right on the show, and arguably failed all of them.
Poor Josh had pretty high expectations for his chance with Emily going into it, and radiated a certain confidence. He spoke about going in for the kill, slipping her the tongue, and wondered if the lucky Emily would be his first girlfriend coming out of the romantic moment.
But then, when Josh got into the room where Emily was impatiently waiting for him, he asked her if he could kiss her. Of course, she said yes. But what Josh did next wasn't exactly what anyone was expecting. He... kissed her hair? It's like he psyched himself out of it it, and instead of going to plant one on her lips, he gave her a hairy cheek kiss. And then even more awkwardly walked away in silence.
Shannon's snotty kiss with Jason on The Bachelor was super awkward
What's worse than a kiss that's just plain bad? A kiss that's so snotty it's downright gross. You can thank Shannon from Jason's season of The Bachelor for giving us all the snotty kiss we never asked to see.
Before the cringeworthy moment, Shannon went on a tangent about how much she had to offer Jason, telling him (in case he wasn't aware of it himself) that they had a connection. She just really wanted him to see it! After all, Shannon insisted that sparks were there — because a connection is something one partner has to point out to the other, right? Wrong.
Distraught, Shannon decided that a snotty kiss would and could make it all better. So in between sobs and sniffles, Shannon planted one on Jason's mouth. Unfortunately, she had a bit of napkin stuck to her tongue from wiping her runny nose so much, which made it even more awkward. The girl knew it, too; in an interview after the kiss, she admitted that she could feel Jason cutting it short. Maybe she finally saw a sign that he's not "the one."
Josh's awkward teeth kiss with Annalisa on Love at First Kiss made viewers cringe
Josh had not just one, but a few, painful-to-witness kisses on Love at First Kiss. His kiss with Annalisa was probably one of his better attempts, but it wasn't great. As Annalisa put it in an interview after their kiss on the show, it was quite teeth-y (and somehow close-mouthed at the same time?).
Annalisa gave John two shots, too. When the first kiss was visibly, well, off, she asked him if he was nervous, to which he said yes. So Annalisa assured John not to worry, and asked him if he was down for a second try. It was... endearing. But Josh had never successfully kissed anyone at this point, so viewers loved him for his enthusiastic effort, positivity, and sheer vulnerability.
Josh opened up about the experience in an interview with Vice. "People have never seen someone go 27 years without a first kiss," he explained. "They don't think that's real — but that was me!" He added that he's gotten messages from people telling him how brave he is, some even older than him, which made him feel much less alone.
Jake and Michelle shared an awkward kiss on The Bachelor
Bachelor Nation is no stranger to awkward kisses, but Jake and Michelle's uncomfortable smooch from The Bachelor takes the cake.
Listen, we're all about consent. It's seriously important. But Michelle's delivery was just... poor. Michelle even knew it was off. She asked, "Would it be awkward if I asked if I could kiss you — to see if I really feel something, for me?" The answer was yes, Michelle. And it was written all over Jake's face. But, alas, the two went through with the kiss nonetheless. And it was anticlimactic to say the very least.
Michelle even told Jake that he really ought to put forth more effort. And to be fair, she's not wrong; Jake really didn't seem to give it his all. But frankly, it really didn't look like he wanted to give it anything. Put simply: it was pretty obvious that there was nothing between them, and no kiss was going to change that.
Josh's and Roxanne too-much-tongue kiss on Love at First Kiss was a bit awkward
Reality TV's most awkward kisser, Josh, finally did it! He had his first real kiss with Roxanne on Love at First Kiss. But it wasn't exactly the hot-and-heavy kind of kiss to make you smitten, or experience what really happens to your body when you're in love. Still, both Josh and Roxanne seemed to be into it though; Roxanne even leaned in after the kiss ended for more! While their super-stiff posture wouldn't suggest love at first sight, the pair kissed for quite a long time.
Sure, it looked like Josh was eating her face, and her red lipstick was smeared all over her adorably dimpled smile. But she said that "it was nice" at the end and, meanwhile, Josh was just plain twitterpated. Like, over the moon. He said it was "awesome" and that he felt like he was "on cloud nine" after the kiss. He even went so far as to call the kiss "magical," and the day the best day of his life. Yeah Josh!
It was awkward when Ben had a kissing lesson with Jamie on The Bachelor
Who remembers their first kiss? And what does it mean if you kiss on the first date? Well, if you shutter at the cringe-inducing memory of your first-ever smooch, you're not alone — even if it involved a "lesson" from your older classmate, who was more "experienced" because they'd kissed all of two people before you. Now imagine getting that kissing lesson as a grown adult on national television. That was exactly what happened to Ben on The Bachelor, when Jamie insisted on giving him step-by-step instructions on to how to kiss her in front of all of America. Not surprisingly, it wasn't one of the best first kisses in TV history.
Don't get us wrong. We're all about communicating your wants and desires to your partner. After all, being clear and up-front about what you like and don't like is key to a healthy and fun love life. But there's certainly a way to go about giving a kissing lesson that isn't so... clinical? No wonder Ben just couldn't deal with Jamie in that moment!
Ryan and Shanna shared an awkward, face-eating kiss on Virgin Diaries
Even if you're not an avid connoisseur of reality television, you've more than likely seen Ryan and Shanna's face-eating kiss from Virgin Diaries. It's arguably one of the most famous (or infamous) kisses in reality TV history, even if it was also pretty awkward.
The long-anticipated smooch occurred on Ryan and Shanna's wedding day. The couple had waited for years to share their first kiss with each other, despite how difficult it was to abstain at times. On their blog, the couple explained why they decided to hold off for so long. "We wanted to kiss each other all the time...but there are several reasons why we waited until the rings were on our fingers," they wrote. "Some say it was for religious reasons, but that makes it sound like we were just following some rule." And that wasn't the case, as they say it was more about their relationship with God than anything else.
Viewers were happy for the excited couple to finally share their first kiss at their wedding, even if it was difficult to watch.
It was really awkward when Shondo and Amanda Panda shared a painfully audible kiss on Love at First Kiss
Shondo and Amanda Panda had one of the loudest kisses in reality TV history. Upon first meeting one another, they kissed for the first time, as one does on the reality show Love at First Kiss. And the kiss itself didn't look too bad. In fact, it looked like a solid, passionate kiss. Plus Shondo and Amanda Panda both seemed to enjoy it; they even said so after the kiss was over, in the interview portion of the show. Amanda Panda even declared that their shared smooch was literally exactly how she kisses and likes to be kissed.
It's just that, for the rest of us, the kiss was... so, so audible. It probably doesn't help that they were in a very empty room that echoes quite loudly. But no one else on the show shared a kiss that was that loud while in the same surroundings. Watching (and hearing) that kiss was incredibly awkward, to be quite honest.
Nick Cannon's public kissing lesson with an audience guest on America's Got Talent was awkward
It might not be a dating show, but Nick Cannon got a kissing lesson in front of a massive live audience on America's Got Talent. The smooch occurred when Joanna Kennedy, a love and intimacy coach, took the stage to showcase her talent for bringing partners closer together. She actually walked Cannon and a lucky audience member through a passionate kiss... in front of everyone.
The kiss itself seemed like it went pretty well, largely thanks to Kennedy and her sagely advice. She strategically placed the pair's hands on each other's bodies, and talked them through the kiss step-by-step. But to be honest, the parents covering their children's eyes in the audience and the judges dropping their jaws to the floor made the whole thing just a bit weird to watch, not to mention the buzzing and screeching! Fortunately, Cannon — and there is a shady side of Nick Cannon — was a total champ and acted pretty silly throughout the whole thing, which hopefully diffused some of the awkward tension.
When Big Ed awkwardly asked for a kiss with Rose on 90-Day Fiance, it was cringeworthy
Of the many couples who have starred on the 90-Day Fiance, Big Ed (who's unrecognizable in throwback photos) and Rose stand out; that's mostly because Rose is shamelessly uninterested in Big Ed, who tries so hard to get her to love him back. So when Big Ed asked Rose if he could steal a kiss from her – all while massaging her feet, no less — it made for one of the most awkward moments on reality TV, ever.
After looking at Big Ed with a less-than-enthusiastic expression on her face, Rose told him he could kiss her on the cheek or forehead. Then he asked if he could kiss her on the lips, and she reluctantly nodded her head. Big Ed proceeded to plop a quick smooch on Rose, and she responded by giggling awkwardly.
Afterward, Big Ed relished in his own excitement that he and his sweetie had just shared their first kiss, while Rose looked as though she wanted it to be their last. Not surprisingly, Big Ed and Rosemarie from 90 Day Fiancé broke up.
Every moaning kiss from Bachelor in Paradise's Josh and Amanda was totally awkward
Josh and Amanda of Bachelor in Paradise were so obsessed with each other, it was kind of adorable. They were constantly kissing each other in all corners of the beach house. And they didn't seem to care one bit about who was around, who was trying to have a conversation, or who was attempting to just hang out. Instead, Josh and Amanda always managed to plop themselves in the middle of everyone and everything, and just make out for what felt like forever.
But what made Josh and Amanda especially awkward was less about how much they kissed (and their impeccable lack of social awareness), and more about how loud they were — especially Josh — when doing so. For some reason unbeknownst to viewers everywhere, they were always moaning while kissing. Like aggressively.
Interestingly enough, Josh and Amanda went on to get engaged, but then quickly split up afterwards, according to E! News. It seems that there wasn't much substance to their relationship, and they didn't appear to have much in common beyond their love of kissing. And moaning.
The entire blindfolded Bachelor Pad Kissing Contest was downright awkward
The Bachelor Pad is a spinoff in The Bachelor franchise that gathers both memorable contestants from and super-fans of past seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, and houses them in a mansion together. They're all ultimately competing for a cash prize of $250,000 in the end, but along the way, they also compete in regular challenges to win dates with each other.
For example, one of those challenges was an incredibly awkward kissing contest. Yup, The Bachelor Pad kissing contest takes the cake for giving viewers the longest stretch of cringeworthy kissing in reality TV history. In the challenge, contestants stood blindfolded while others came up one-by-one to give them a smooch. However, some of the contestants were in relationships, and some were each other's exes. Some of the kisses went on for a long time, while others were painfully short. Some of the smooches were "grandma kisses." And some were even smelly, and it doesn't get any more awkward than that!
In the end, two victors came out of the contest with the best kissing skills of the group, but boy the rest was uncomfortable.