After the honeymoon phase wears off, relationships often take a turn. At this point, the days of “everything about you is so great” cease. In turn, our once-loving thoughts resemble violence, where one loud breath, bite, or unwashed bowl makes us want to hit. This is what makes some of our favorite Bravolebs so relatable though, because this narrative also plays out on Bravo.
That said, in many of these aired stories, another factor often comes into play. I’m obviously talking about the Toms, and also, the various Tom-adjacents. Even though Shaggy sings “It wasn’t me,” the cameras don’t lie (sometimes), and we can all clearly see that the cheater was indeed cheating. Insert Shannon Beador pointing at Shaggy, saying “it WAS youuuuuuu.”
Many times on Bravo, the cheated-on partners have chosen to remain in their respective relationships. They’ve considered their partners’ flawed ways and thought “I can fix you.” I can’t really hate on this, because once, when I was in college, a hot mugshot of a local emerged, and I thought this same exact thing, for roughly 0.382 seconds. As for these forgiving Bravolebs however, sometimes, their efforts paid off, and a second shot at love was the result.
Jen Aydin
For two months, Jennifer Aydin’s husband was involved in an affair, which we learned about on Real Housewives of New Jersey. However, both Bill Aydin and Jennifer wanted to work things out. Bill was remorseful, and as Jennifer truly loved him, she agreed to forgive her man. Thankfully, this paid off, and these two are still putting in the work, both on RHONJ and off.
Robyn Dixon
For years, Robyn Dixon’s main storyline on Real Housewives of Potomac centered around her protection of Juan Dixon. Her man has cheated numerous times, and every single time, she’s chosen to stay. I mean, she did divorce him once, but several beats later, they remarried, despite the fears of her costars on RHOP. To date, they’re still together, so, yay?
Kristen Taekman
Kristen Taekman and her husband Josh Takeman appeared on Real Housewives of New York during Seasons 6 and 7. After Kristen parted ways with this series, we learned that Josh had created for himself an Ashley Madison account. As Kristen later explained on Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, Josh never actually strayed, allegedly, and so, she stayed. To date, these two RHONY alums are still going strong.
Shannon Beador
Shannon and David Beador had a rather unsettling marriage on Real Housewives of Orange County. In fact, right as filming began for RHOC Season 9, Shannon caught David in an affair. She dug her lemon-loving heels in though, and tried to move forward with her man. However, despite going to therapy, and their subsequent vow renewal ceremony, this second chance for love failed, as the pair divorced following Season 12.
Luann de Lesseps
Luann de Lesseps and Tom D’Agostino had quite the whirlwind romance, but after they got engaged, Bethenny Frankel let her RHONY costar in on a bit of bad news. “Please don’t let it be about Tom,” Lu stressed, but alas, it was, as Bethenny showed her an image of Tom making out with another woman at The Regency. Even still, Luann chose to forgive Tom, and the pair went through with their wedding. Roughly one year later though, they divorced.
Amanda Batula
During Summer House Season 3, Kyle Cooke admitted that he’d cheated on Amanda Batula. Amanda forgave Kyle, and in Season 6, they walked the aisle. However, in Season 8, they met with a relationship coach, where Amanda revealed that Kyle’s infidelity was still impacting her mindset. Even still, they remain married… for now.
Katie Maloney
Ever since the dawn of time on Vanderpump Rules, zero couples have had an easy ride. Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz are no exception to this rule. While they were dating, Tom had a little buddy in his ear, pulling him away from his then-girlfriend’s side. Additionally, Tom really sucked as a boyfriend, because he cheated on Katie left and right.
He also poured drinks on her, yelled, disappeared, and so much more. Even still, Katie forgave her bubba, and in Season 5, they walked the aisle. At the start of Season 10, however, Katie filed for a divorce. While their chemistry together is still undeniable on VPR, their divorce was definitely the right call for Katie to have made.
Brittany Cartwright (with a side of Stassi Schroeder)
Long before Jax Taylor ever cheated on Brittany Cartwright, he was living it up, cheating on Stassi Schroeder. After a brief period of forgiveness, Stassi parted ways with Jax for good during VPR Season 2. Several seasons later, Jax introduced his cast to Brittany. By the very next season, he had already cheated on her with Faith Stowers.
After an empowering scream fest, where I felt like she had seen the light, Brittany left Jax. However, she later returned, filled with forgiveness for her man. They were wed in Season 8, and afterward, they rode off into the smogset of LA.
Their second shot of love though has just died. Now starring on The Valley, we just watched as their marriage unraveled, as Brittany moved her life into a rental. Yet, these two are confusing, as they may be now trying to make things work one more time. UGH.
TELL US – DID ANY OF THESE BRAVOLEBS SHOCK YOU WHEN THEY FORGAVE THEIR CHEATING PARTNERS? ALSO, DO YOU SENSE ROCKY WATERS AHEAD FOR ANY OF THESE STILL-INTACT COUPLES?
