10 of the Best Reality TV Sidekicks

The sidekick is as essential of a cog in the reality television wheel as confessionals and bad decisions. Offering comic relief, sage advice, and, at times, the strongest relationship with actual reality outside of the show, the best friends, assistants, and confidants keep us tuning in week after outrageous week.

May we all be so lucky to have a Lo. Lauren Conrad’s best friend, who made the transition from Laguna Beach to The Hills with the future lifestyle maven, is fiercely loyal, supportive, and sneakily hilarious. She made passive-aggression an art in the first season of Laguna Beach, casually asking Christina if her new earrings were a birthday gift after Lo and LC were excluded from her party, and we were hooked. Bosworth only grew from there, asking Audrina’s new boyfriend to his face if she could call him “JustinBobby.”

Miss J, aka J. Alexander, was often the voice of reason in the insanity that was America’s Next Top Model. Whether he was teaching the contestants how to walk, coaching them through out-there challenges, being brutally honest about their chances in the industry, or stealing the spotlight with his outrageous panel outfits, the runway coach never failed to bring humor, expertise, and fabulousness to the ANTM stage.

Max Joseph may co-host Catfish with Nev Schulman, but as the man often holding the camera as Schulman makes dramatic phone calls to potential catfishers, he takes a bit of a backseat in the limelight. The silver fox brings the humor to the MTV show, keeping it real as he often gets exasperated with the games of deception, even walking away from the so-called “King of Catfishes.”

While Malika has graced Keeping Up with the Kardashians with her irreplaceable presence significantly more than her sister Khadijah, the twins are a bit of a package deal. Childhood friends to the famous sisters, Malika and Khadijah regularly pop up on KUWTK and its offshoots, showing up to support Khloe Kardashian and manage Dash.

Years before she was portrayed by Connie Britton in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Faye Resnick was bringing the drama to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a supporting act. Popping up in the first and second seasons of the show, Resnick became an official “friend” of the housewives in season 3. She then took a break in the fourth season and returned for guest appearances in the fifth and sixth installments. The Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life Interrupted author often started fights with her mere presence, refusing to back down as she demanded apologies and respect from those around her.

Because Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino wasn’t enough, Jersey Shore introduced the pseudo-villain’s friend from home, Jonny “The Unit” Manfre, in the fifth season. Rocking The Situation’s same gelled hair, sculpted abs, and nickname construction, The Unit brought even more gossip, drama, and trips to jail to the house on the shore.

For every Abby Lee Miller, there’s a Gianna Martello. A choreographer at Miller’s Reign Dance Productions, Martello is the calm voice of reason in the intense world of competitive dance. Once a student herself, Martello maintains a strong relationship with Miller and conceptualizes winning routines for the girls.

Very few people can hold even the slightest candle to NeNe Leakes — Dwight Eubanks is one of them. The hilarious, glamorous party-planner hopped between the ladies as their best friend of the moment, often spreading rumors and having confrontations along the way.

Michelle Visage took a seat at the judging table of RuPaul’s Drag Race during the show’s third season. Visage met RuPaul in the ’80s, first appearing alongside her best friend in The RuPaul Show. An expert in dance and style, Visage never fails to fight for the contestants and have on-point critiques of the competition.

Fans first met Jessica Simpson’s best friend, Cacee Cobb, in the second season of Newlyweds. Cobb shipped in from Texas, signing on for a gig as Simpson’s assistant and spending time living with the two stars. Cobb served as Simpson’s support system in both her professional and personal life, fulfilling her needs as the singer worked on her acting career and listening as Simpson dished to her BFF about her marriage. Cobb got her own moment as a newlywed bride a few years later, marrying Donald Faison in a start-studded ceremony in 2012.