Every 'Ex on the Beach' Season Seems More Dramatic Than the Last — So How Real Is It?

No matter how dedicated fans are to MTV's Ex on the Beach, you'd be hard-pressed to find one who hasn't at one point considered that the reality show isn't totally real. And honestly, there are plenty of reality shows these days that rely on editing tricks and reshooting scenes as many times as is necessary. But when it comes down to it, is Ex on the Beach real or not?

Ex on the Beach features real former stars from other reality shows like Love Island, Too Hot to Handle, and Big Brother. That doesn't prove the series is 100 percent legit, but it does mean that actors aren't cast to portray a group of 20-something singles. Still, it's hard not to wonder how real Ex on the Beach is and how often MTV works to pull the wool over viewers' eyes.

Even if parts of Ex on the Beach are made more dramatic through producer intervention or even exaggerations from cast members, it does appear to be legit. Season 3 Ex on the Beach star Marie Roda spoke with Meaww in 2019 following her experience on the show. She said that Ex on the Beach was "one of the more difficult reality shows" she'd ever filmed.

Before she was cast, she'd been on The Real World: St. Thomas and multiple seasons of The Challenge. She was no newbie to MTV reality, and Ex on the Beach was no cake walk for her. It sounds like things were tough for her because of the number of exes she had who popped up throughout the season. And while some aspects of the show might seem too dramatic to be real, you can't make up the raw feelings she displayed during the season and reunion.

However, if you ask fans, many still have their doubts. One fan shared on Reddit that they think the U.K. version of Ex on the Beach is more realistic. They wrote in a comment that "there's a lot more entertaining drama that seems much more real" in the U.K. version of the series. Still, no one has come out with real proof that MTV's Ex on the Beach is fake.

When Deadline announced Season 5 of Ex on the Beach in March 2022, the outlet also reported that MTV had renewed the series for Season 6 as well. That means fans have at least one more season after Season 5 ends. And with the bevy of reality stars popping up left and right, the sixth season certainly won't be hurting for cast members.

Over the past few years, Ex on the Beach has premiered in a sort of pattern on MTV. And if its previous season premiere dates are any indication of when Season 6 will premiere, you can expect to see it as early as December 2022. It could drop later than that, of course. But right now, it seems possible that Season 6 of Ex on the Beach might come out before you can say, "Is my ex next?"

Watch Ex on the Beach on Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on MTV.