That's Not RealityLists about the most insulting ways so-called "reality" shows lie right to their fans, from fudging details to outright manufacturing entire lives. Open your eyes, sheeple.
Since 2007, Say Yes to the Dress has helped hundreds of brides-to-be find the perfect wedding gowns for their respective walks down the aisle. But as this list of Say Yes to the Dress dark secrets demonstrates, what you see on the screen is not always the whole story. Sure, we expect a little manufactured drama from our reality television, and SYTTD is no different in that regard. But what goes on behind the scenes reveals that the show - much like the weddings they're preparing brides for - is a lot of pomp and glitz.
Say Yes to the Dress premiered on TLC in October 2007. If you're not familiar with the premise, every episode of this wedding TV show essentially follows the same format: a soon-to-be bride, usually with a compelling backstory or some opinionated friends/family members, tries on a few different wedding dresses in search for the ideal gown. The show takes place at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City, and the store's owners, managers, and bridal consultants comprise the show's regular cast. But despite every success, less-than-glamorous secrets hide beneath the surface.
One Bride Sued The Show For Revealing Her Dress Before The Wedding Took Place
In 2016, a bride who appeared on Say Yes to the Dress sued the show to stop them from airing her episode, which would have revealed her dress to her fiancé before the ceremony took place. It was the ultimate spoiler, and bride-to-be Alexandra Godino was none too pleased.
Godino claimed that she along with her fiancé and mother heard SYTTD producers promise her that the show would not air before her wedding - but it was still scheduled to premiere. A judge dismissed the lawsuit and told Godino she should simply advise her fiancé to not watch the episode.
Elle King Appeared As A Bride On The Show - Even Though She Was Already Married
Singer-songwriter Elle King appeared on a March 2017 episode of Say Yes to the Dress as another bride searching for the dress of her dreams. Later, however, the truth surfaced: King was already married. King and her husband tied the knot three weeks after their February 2016 meeting.
They split up in 2017, but as of 2018, they are back together.
Designer Pnina Tornai's Gowns Are Always Offered First Because She Has A Deal With The Show
If you've watched Say Yes to the Dress, you may have noticed that wedding dress designer Pnina Tornai has her gowns featured quite prominently. In fact, Tornai's designs are usually the first ones offered to brides. There's good reason for that: Tornai is among Kleinfeld's biggest vendors, and the only one to have a boutique in their store.
"We heard that Kleinfeld was the bridal wonderland and nothing compares to it," Tornai said in 2011. "Five years later I can say that is true."
Thanks to the magic of television, the Kleinfeld Bridal store appears roomy enough to accommodate a bride along with her entourage and bridal consultant. In actuality, the store is relatively small - especially considering how popular it is because of the show.
But prime Manhattan real estate doesn't come cheaply. Brides often have to wait in line just to glance in the mirror.
Both on and off the show, Kleinfeld Bridal reportedly doesn't let the brides try on as many dresses as they want. This makes a certain amount of sense; filming an episode could get extremely lengthy if customers tried on the entire inventory.
But some unhappy visitors have said they were told they could only try on as few as four dresses. And unlike the supportive bridal consultants featured on the show, in real life, customers complain that the staff is "rude" and "unhelpful" - and those are the tamer adjectives used to describe the boutique.
An episode of Say Yes to the Dress is 30 minutes long, but filming a single episode can take as long as eight hours. "We filmed for about eight hours total," one former participant featured on the show recalled. "There are always two stories on each episode, so each story really only gets about 12 minutes."
When asked if reality TV is real, she replied, "No. Well, it's staged. It's real, but it's staged."
