Bonkers rules stars have to follow on reality TV shows - from a bizarre underwear ration to being banned from eating and having air conditioning

Whether it's a guilty pleasure or you're an openly avid reality TV fan - the genre is an undeniable part of our modern culture. 

Some of the nation's favourite and most watched shows include The Traitors, Love Island and I'm A Celebrity, while across the pond The Bachelor franchise is hugely successful.

But how 'real' is reality TV? 

There's a whole host of bonkers rules put in place on some of these series from underwear rationing to contestants being banned from self pleasuring on dating shows. 

It comes as The Bachelorette has been making headlines this week after the upcoming series was cancelled by ABC when a video emerged of its star Taylor Frankie Paul in a 2023 domestic violence incident. 

The Bachelor first began in 2002 and has since produced numerous spin-offs, including The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise.

But there's lots you might not know about how the show, and others, are made and the rules put in place for contestants... 

The Bachelor/ Bachelorette

Going on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette comes with a very specific set of rules for contestants. 

Firstly you are not allowed to tell a single person, family or friends, that you have been cast on the show.

Former Bachelor contestant Chelsea Roy previously told Vox: 'We sign a big NDA where we're not allowed to tell anyone that we've been cast and we're going to start filming the show. 

'I was able to reach out to a couple of people, local people, and say, 'I would like to support your store in exchange for some exposure in the next few months. Just trust me.'

There are also strict clothing rules. You have to buy all the clothes for the show yourself, even the swanky dresses worn in the iconic rose ceremonies.

Many have spoken out before about how this cost them thousands of dollars.  

Like many other reality shows you also have to have a full STI, Covid and psych test before you are given the all clear to start the process.

There is a two-drink rule for the whole process and no music or singing is allowed. 

In addition, contestants are filmed 24/7, with many areas (including the mansion) not having air conditioning to ensure clear audio. 

In another bizarre rule, contestants aren't actually allowed to eat at all when on dates.

Former contestant Sean Lowe has previously said: 'No one looks good eating, and microphones pick up all kinds of chomping.'

Sean has also revealed that you aren't allowed to use the word 'process' when filming.  

He explained: 'Anytime you call it a 'process,' they will make you retape it and say 'journey.'

Love Island

Love Island is one of ITV2's biggest shows and plenty of former contestants have spilled the beans on what filming the series is really like.

Many have claimed that producers are often much more involved in storylines than you might think.

Detailing how producers approach the contestants, Laura Anderson previously told Closer Magazine a 'two-way larder' is where storylines and relationships will be hashed out with the powers-that-be. 

Laura said: 'If you see someone coming out of 'the larder', there's probably drama ahead!' 

Francesca Allen, from 2019's fourth series, revealed stars of the show consult producers on their decisions but insisted they do not have 'much input' into the situation. 

She said: 'You do speak to them but everything is your own opinion and feelings. They don't have that much input at all. They ask you how you're feeling, who you're you interested in, do you like this person?...

'So they don't really influence your decision. If you feel like you want to speak to someone you just speak to them.'

Laura also detailed how they ensure there is cooling off time for Islanders as they are permitted four half-day holidays throughout their stint in the villa - which can last up to eight weeks. 

This time off involves headed to a 'holding villa' to cool off away from the cameras. 

She said: 'One group would go to the holding villa where we'd take off our mics and laze around the pool with our chaperones.' 

Another break from filming comes when cameramen have lunch however - however stars are banned from talking about 'anything exciting', with new couples or nemeses kept apart so nothing can be missed.

2017 winner Kem Cetinay also spoke about the time off, saying: 'They get one day off a week.

'What happens is it gives them a day to clean the villa and you take your mics off and normally we go to the beach and we just chill out.

'Not a lot of people know this... 

'What happens is when you take your mics off, you're not allowed to talk about anything to do with the show. You've got to talk about home life'. 

In another bizarre rule, it has previously been claimed that there is a ban on solo sex acts in the villa. 

According to The Mirror: 'Despite islanders being told to get frisky whenever they wish, this must be with a partner. No solo acts are permitted on the premises'. 

However former contestant Elma Pazar has hinted that all the boys broke this rule in the villa.

She said previously: 'No masturbation! I'm pretty sure all the boys have been cracking them out to be honest.

'I'm not a boy, I don't have a willy but I'm pretty sure that all of the boys are breaking that rule. You just couldn't go for eight weeks… I can't imagine any boy doing that. They're probably going somewhere privately.'

In addition, Marcel Somerville from 2017's third series made the explosive but welcome revelation that contestants must undergo and sexually transmitted infection test before the show begins. 

He said: 'There'll always be members of the cast who are more outgoing than others, and there'll be people who don't mind doing it [sex]. It's definitely down to the cast members, if you do want to do it then by all means do it...

'The show provides the necessary protection, so just be safe. The show does do strict testing beforehand just to make sure that everyone going on there is clean.' 

Chris Williamson, who spent 18 days on 2015's first season of the show, revealed there are no clocks in the house or calendars in the house. 

Seemingly baffled by the producers' decision, he told BBC: 'If you were to be driven to a date location, the driver of the car would have his watch on a different time and the clock in the car would be a different time to that.

'The only thing I can think is that it allows the show to dictate people's sleep and wake cycles more easily. Also, if something happens at 6pm each day - but you don't know when that is - it means the show can schedule stuff in more easily.'

Montana Brown from 2017's third season echoed: 'You never know what the time is'.

Fans have also queried in the past why Islanders' meals are not shown on-screen - with the reasoning being the wholly unattractive sound quality of a microphone close to a chewing mouth. 

Chris went on: 'Have you ever heard anyone eat up close with a microphone around their neck? It sounds like someone walking through mud - it's absolutely disgusting. And everyone's got sauce all over their face and stuff like that. Who wants to see that? 

'There's a canteen on site and a two-way larder where they drop these big pots of food - which might be lasagna or salad or pizza - just normal stuff...

'And then once the people who've deposited the food leave, our side of the door gets opened and we go and get it.'

Kady McDermott from 2016's second season told Cosmopolitan: 'We would have food cooked for us at dinner, and producers would come to change our mic batteries...

'That's why dinner is never filmed or you don't see anyone eating hot food. The food tasted amazing. They used to give us a dessert after every lunch and every dinner, and the cake was unreal, and we could request food if we wanted.'

Behind-the-scenes beauty secrets from the villa have also previously been revealed. 

Lucie Donlan from 2019's fourth series soon previously explained the situation, revealing: 'Every two or three weeks we'd have nails, hair, that kind of thing done. 

'And we'd get a Maccies as well. Being in there that long, the nights are very long and no one sees how long they are, so you need a bit of a down day and a bit of a chill.'

Elsewhere, booze is limited to two pre-poured glasses a night, two bottles of prosecco between the group at a party and there is supervision to prevent drinking other contestants' drinks. ' 

Previous stars of the show have spoken about booze, with Liana Isadora Van-Riel, who starred on 2016's second series of the show, telling The Sun: 'You're allowed one or two drinks a night, either wine or beer, no spirits'.

A Love Island spokesperson said: 'We provide our Islanders with all of the necessary precautionary measures and all alcohol consumption is strictly monitored.'

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

Whilst I'm A Celeb is one of British TV's most enduring reality series, there's plenty of hidden secrets even the most die-hard jungle fans won't know about.

The jungle uniform has remained largely unchanged over the past two decades, with campmates issued with the famous red and navy t-shirts and khaki separates.

Whilst most viewers would assume the red socks are simply to match the colour scheme, there's a very good reason why that particular shade was chosen. 

Former show medic Bob McCarron has spilled all to Woman's Own, explaining that the cast are highly likely to tread on and be bitten by creepy crawlies, including leeches, which can leave traces of blood on the celebs' skin and clothes.

The red socks are to hide blood splatters from the blood sucking critters.

On the subject of uniform, the kit list permitted in camp is minimal.

Each campmate brings in three sets of underwear and three sets of swimwear – everything else is provided. 

The show's co-creator Natalka Znak was ruthless when first setting out plans for the series and wanted the pampered stars to only bring one pair of underwear in, the ones they turned up wearing.

'They'd have to wash them every day or go commando,' she explained to the Radio Times. 

'In the end, after months of discussion, we settled on three pairs each. I still think one pair would have been plenty.'

Elsewhere, biodegradable shampoo and soap are provided by the camp and placed in the communal jungle shower.

In series one producers went one step further when it came to the authenticity of camp life and banned deodorant. 

But the camera crew complained so much about the body odour issue that it was allowed from series two onwards. 

Another bright idea producers dreamed up in the early planning stages of the show was to ban toilet roll, which would have meant the celebs had to use leaves. 

Luckily for the stars, this didn't get the go-ahead.

In addition, there are no clocks in camp. And there's a good reason as it means the celebs are completely detached from the real world and immersed in life in camp. 

Show hosts Ant and Dec even wear covers over their watches when they enter the camp every day so the celebs can't get any cheeky glimpses.

Big Brother 

Big Brother has always been a huge UK fan favourite and returned to screens in 2023 after a long hiatus.

And there are plenty of rules on the show including the usual no smoking or vaping rule except in designated area away from the cameras.

Alcohol is also restricted to a certain amount each night and they are not allowed phones to communicate with the outside world.

But there are some other more niche rules - including that they are not allowed to sing commercial music due to legal copywriting issues.  

You are also not allowed to talk about your audition process to get onto the show with other contestants while you're in the house.

In addition, no branding on clothes is allowed and contestants have their bags searched before entering the process. 

Married At First Sight 

Back in 2023 Married At First Sight groom Luke Worley has opened up about a number of weird rules contestants have to abide by on the show.

Speaking on a podcast he said that rings are not allowed to be worn until the final episode has been shown in order to leave the audience guessing as to whether couples stayed actually together.

He said: 'This is actually a fact as well, so you're not allowed to wear your ring until the final episode's aired.

'When I was in my local pub, everyone was like, 'Oh where's your ring?' but like, we're not actually allowed to wear the ring. 

'Everyone has to take it off, so no one knows if you're together or not.'

Anther tough rule he revealed is that couples aren't allowed to be seen with each other in public until after broadcast. 

The couples are all also given phones but what they can access on there is restricted.  

The Traitors

The stern rules that the first ever Celebrity Traitors cast had to adhere to was revealed last year - and the stars didn't get any special treatment.

The likes of Alan Carr, Stephen Fry, and Paloma Faith are understood to have been kept apart in a hotel ahead of filming.

According to The Sun, the celebrities did not get any A-List treatment and had their phones taken away as a precaution. 

A source told the publication at the time: 'The BBC aren't taking any chances with the contestants - even though they're household names. 

'They are all holed up in a hotel together but they are being kept apart with a security guard on their floor at all times to make sure they're not swapping tactics or talking.'

They added: 'Some of them moaned about not having their phones but the BBC need to be sure they're not messaging or communicating on social media - so it's a total ban.'

Allegedly there is a production phone that the cast can use to speak to make a phone call to home, while accompanied by a chaperone.

In addition, contestants are never allowed to be alone until they are in the hotel rooms and are constantly supervised so they can't have conversations off-screen.

They are also not allowed access to the outside world, with no Internet so they can't Google each other and learn potentially important information.

Even the remote controls in their hotel rooms are sometimes confiscated, while each contestant is blindfolded and taken to their room individually.

The Traitors contestants also have to follow a strict two-drink limit rule while filming.