Yahoo TV (old)From Khloe Kardashian to Tiny Tim: The Best (and Worst) Reality TV Weddings
With another impending Kardashian marriage, you know TV cameras will be as essential to the ceremony as vows and rings. Sure, a videographer is a common sight at a wedding these days, but usually wedding videos are broadcast to an audience much smaller than the millions of Kardashian-keeper-uppers who'll likely tune in to see this spectacle.
Yes, middle Kardashian sister Kim will wed NBA player Kris Humphries this Saturday, August 20 and a production crew from E! will film the joyous event for a four-hour (yes, four hours!) TV special airing October 9 and 10.
In honor of the blissful, camera-hungry couple, we're taking a look at famous reality TV weddings of the past, from the ill-fated variety (Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson) to the so-far-successful (Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo) and ranking those weddings from most magical to least stirring.
BEST: Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom
Kim will have to put on quite the show to outshine her younger sister Khloe's 2009 wedding to L.A. Lakers star Lamar Odom. Captured for an episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," the 250-plus wedding party boasted Ryan Seacrest, Kobe Bryant, Kelly Osbourne, and a surprise performance from Babyface. We're not saying that weddings require celebrities, but having one of R&B's smoothest voices croon "You Are So Beautiful" makes for epic romance. And we're pretty sure they hold the record for most post-vows kisses at the altar.
WORST: Rick Rockwell and Darva Conger from "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?"
When a woman chooses a man purely based on money and a man chooses a woman purely based on looks and they proceed to get married over the course of a single two-hour TV special, you can't be all that surprised when the ensuing marriage is annulled two months later. It turned out Rick Rockwell wasn't exactly a "multi" millionaire (his net worth was $2 million) and had some skeletons in his closet to boot, so Darva Conger wasted no time in annulling her marriage to a perfect stranger.
BEST: Niecy Nash and Jay Tucker
She's not as famous as a Kardashian and her second husband is a regular old electrical engineer, but it's nice watching two people who aren't just famous for being famous tying the knot. With her hysterical comedic work on "Reno 911!" and a "Dancing With the Stars" stint under her belt, Nash is a pleasure to watch and her TLC-captured wedding was elegant, romantic (guest performance by Brandy!) and way funnier than a real-life wedding has any right to be (the looks she gave to her wedding planner were priceless). Plus: disco-wedding-shoe inspiration!
WORST: Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt
A wedding so nice, they did it twice? Not exactly. Their first wedding wasn't caught on tape, but the drunken lead-up to their non-legal Mexican wedding was captured for a season finale of "The Hills." Their legal American wedding was filmed for posterity and was much classier, although honestly, that's not saying much. On the plus side, Speidi admitted they only filed for divorce last year to generate publicity. Now that's a healthy marriage!
BEST: Rob and Amber from "Survivor"
Ongoing "Survivor" contestant Boston Rob married his "Survivor" competitor (and "Amazing Race" partner) Amber Brkich in the Bahamas. Naturally, it was filmed for a 2009 primetime special. Although the show's producers might have put Rob in the "Villains" tribe recently, when you watch these two exchange self-composed vows about their friendship and love, it's hard to see him as a bad guy.
WORST: Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra
The Jane's Addiction guitarist and actress/supermodel got hitched as part of a long-forgotten MTV series "Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen & Dave" in 2003. Three years later, the couple—both very much alive—parted ways in defiance of their reality show's optimistic title.
BEST: Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy
Bethenny Frankel, a former member of "The Real Housewives of New York City," finally become an actual New York housewife when she wed Jason Hoppy in an uber-chic ceremony at NYC's Four Seasons Hotel, documented by her own reality series "Bethenny Getting Married?" (Obviously, the answer to that question was 'yes.' It would be a pretty dull show otherwise). Although there was plenty of gossip over the handful of NYC "Housewives" not invited to the wedding, most of us marveled at how well she managed to distract from her eight-month pregnancy with an Amsale dress and strategically placed bridal bouquets.
WORST: Jason and Molly from "The Bachelor"
When 2009's "Bachelor" Jason Mesnick wed Molly Malaney, it wasn't so much the wedding that grabbed headlines, but the unexpected switcheroo that preceded it. He initially chose former Dallas cheerleader Melissa Rycroft as his forever soulmate. But on the "After the Final Rose" after-show, he changed his mind, dumped her, and asked for a second chance with Molly, the woman he previously ranked his second choice. In reality, that would make you look like a jerk, but in reality TV, that's what we call romance.
WORST: Trista and Ryan from "The Bachelorette"
Call it beginner's luck: As the first "Bachelorette" ever, Trista is the only one so far to end up in a lasting marriage. She wed chosen beau Ryan Sutter in 2003, and although ABC spared no expense, the three-episode arc documenting their nuptials was as dull as being dragged to your significant other's distant cousin's wedding. Sure, you wish them well and all, but you mostly just wish the ceremony was over.
[Photos: More Memorable TV Weddings]
BEST: Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson
Remember when Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson were America's sweethearts and we all thought they would last forever? Neither do we, but there was a time when Nick and Jessica seemed like the most ubiquitous couple in America. In spite of their over-exposure, their 2002 Texas wedding was an understated, traditional affair—except for the admittedly adorable fact that the bride and groom wrote love songs for each other that were performed during the ceremony.
WORST: Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo
When the groom has already had one televised wedding and an entire series about his "Newlyweds" days, it seems to undercut the second wedding to slap it on the airwaves, too. But that's what Nick Lachey and newly named "Wipeout" host Vanessa Minnillo decided to do on their lovely but snoozy TLC special. Although their private wedding in the British Virgin Islands looked gorgeous, it was hard to sympathize with their complaints about paparazzi considering they were filming their "private" ceremony for a cable special.
HONORABLE MENTION: Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki
High-voiced singing oddball Tiny Tim married a then-17-year-old girl he called "Miss Vicki," beating today's reality TV stars to the publicity-marriage punch by over thirty years. Their 1969 wedding on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" drew an estimated 50 million viewers, which is actually a larger number than the 22.8 million Americans who tuned in to watch Will and Kate's wedding on television as it happened live—and a much larger number than the 3.2 million who caught Khloe and Lamar's E! wedding.
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