Characters / UnREAL (2015)

Character page for the Lifetime TV show UnReal.

Main

Crew

Rachel Goldberg

Played by Shiri Appleby

• Abusive Parents: Her mother in spades.
• The Alcoholic: Working on Everlasting has driven Rachel to drink. Her breakdown in the previous season was an alcohol-fueled meltdown that led her to ruin a take and then engage in grand theft auto and DUI. She is constantly throwing back drinks on the set during filming.
• Blackmail: How Quinn is forcing Rachel to be on the show at the start of season 1. Everlasting pressed charges after Rachel's grand theft auto and DUI. Rachel is on probation, and if she doesn't play ball Quinn will have her thrown in prison.
  • Rachel is also being blackmailed by her bitter ex-roommate Bethany, who is possession of Rachel's laptop. After Rachel is late coming up with the money she owes Bethany for rent, Bethany sends an embarrassing email of Rachel's to the entire Everlasting crew.
• Bookends: Episode 5 begins with Rachel masturbating to porn and failing to get off. It ends with Rachel masturbating to old videos of her and Jeremy, and achieving orgasm.
• Career Versus Man: A repeated theme.
  • Rachel finds herself in three different relationships with men (Jeremy, Adam, and Coleman) who ask her to sacrifice her career to be with them.
• The Chessmaster: Can "do anything" with regards to producing, being able to get the cast to do pretty much whatever they need for a good show — or at least to give them something that can be edited into what they need.
• Coitus Interruptus: Rachel walks in on Grace giving Adam a BJ.
• Cynical Mentor: To Madison in season 2.
• The Dragon: To Quinn, which Quinn even calls her.
• Establishing Character Moment: Rachel for her part is introduced wearing a T-shirt that says "This is what a feminist looks like."
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Quinn. They are just about the only people each other can actually put up with, as well as being exactly the right kind of good cop bad cop to deal with the other's drama.
• Karma Houdini: Everlasting is largely responsible for Mary killing herself—Rachel brought her ex-husband in and Shia tampered with her medication. But thanks to some quick thinking and Rachel falsifying a suicide note, the show gets away unscathed. The only person to suffer any consequences is Shia, who gets sent home.
  • Rachel doesn't get in trouble for Romeo getting shot because Quinn covers it up.
• Manipulative Bitch
• Sleeping with the Boss: Season 2.
• Tsundere: She's got some anxiety disorder, but can be happy and charming sometimes. Other times, she can be a complete mess.
• Xanatos Speed Chess: Every episode shows Quinn and Rachel expertly manipulating everyone around them, from contestants to lovers and even network executives, into doing what they want, treating them all as cogs and moving parts. Often on the fly with a great deal of white lies and reverse psychology thrown in. Very rarely do either of them fail, even in the face of massive curveballs and time constraints thrown at them.

Quinn King

Played by Constance Zimmer

• Abusive Parents: Quinn's dad was confirmed to be this. Though never seen, he dies in the fourth episode of season 2.
• Alpha Bitch: In spades. She thoroughly believes Rachel has the potential to be one as well and can often be seen grooming her.
• The Alcoholic: Quinn is a pretty heavy drinker, on a more regular basis than Rachel though not as much binge-drinking. Her drinking becomes more of a focus during season 3.
• Career Versus Man: A repeated theme.
  • Quinn's relationship with Chet holds her back professionally.
• Coitus Interruptus: Quinn walks in on Naïve Newcomer Madison giving Chet a BJ.
• Coitus Uninterruptus: Quinn is barking orders to the crew via walkie-talkie during sex with Chet.
• Establishing Character Moment: "Romance, love, I don't know, it's all a bunch of crap anyways", says Quinn in her first scene.
• Everyone Has Standards: Quinn, by her own admission, isn't above horrible moves and using people to get attention for the show. But even she has to draw the line when Rachel arranges for a woman to attack the man who raped her, stab him in the crotch and press for the cameras to make sure "you get all the blood."
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Rachel. They are just about the only people each other can actually put up with, as well as being exactly the right kind of good cop bad cop to deal with the other's drama.
• Ice Queen
• Just Following Orders: An underlying theme of the show. The network and its higher-ups want ratings and don't really care how they're obtained, which contributes to Chet and Quinn's often-reprehensible methods of making "good TV". In addition to her general berating and producers only having a job in the season so long as "their girls" are in the race, she even offers cash bonuses for particularly juicy footage to encourage a dog-eat-dog mentality. This largely contributes to Shia's decision to take things up a notch with one of her girls in the first season's climax, and her attempt to justify her actions after things have gone sideways is just short of saying she was "just following orders".
• The Man Behind the Man: Quinn, with Rachel's assistance, clearly runs the whole enterprise of Everlasting, though theoretically it belongs to Chet (season 1) and Coleman (season 2).
• Meaningful Name: Last name King, first name similar to Queen, she's definitely in charge and doesn't need a man.
• The Mistress: Episode 2 reveals that Quinn is this for Chet. Like most mistresses, she was under the mistaken impression that Chet was going to leave his wife.
• Pet the Dog: Quinn's sole display of a conscience. After Rachel confronts her about the blackmail and Quinn refuses to let her off the hook by dropping the charges, Quinn appears rattled. She goes to Chet and demands cuddle time.
  • In her own unique, twisted way, Quinn really does care about Rachel. She just thinks the best way to show it is to make her more like herself.
• Slow Clap: This is how Quinn tells Chet she found out his wife is pregnant.
• Xanatos Speed Chess: Every episode shows Quinn and Rachel expertly manipulating everyone around them, from contestants to lovers and even network executives, into doing what they want, treating them all as cogs and moving parts. Often on the fly with a great deal of white lies and reverse psychology thrown in. Very rarely do either of them fail, even in the face of massive curveballs and time constraints thrown at them.

Chet Wilton

Played by Craig Bierko

• Big Damn Heroes: At the end of 2x05 Chet saves Rachel from being raped by a drunk and angry Jeremy.
• Decoy Leader: In season 1, Chet is officially the showrunner, but everyone knows that he's an incompetent, drug-addled pushover and that Quinn is really in charge.
• Just Following Orders: An underlying theme of the show. The network and its higher-ups want ratings and don't really care how they're obtained, which contributes to Chet and Quinn's often-reprehensible methods of making "good TV". In addition to her general berating and producers only having a job in the season so long as "their girls" are in the race, she even offers cash bonuses for particularly juicy footage to encourage a dog-eat-dog mentality. This largely contributes to Shia's decision to take things up a notch with one of her girls in the first season's climax, and her attempt to justify her actions after things have gone sideways is just short of saying she was "just following orders".

Jay Carter

Played by Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman

• The Conscience: Jay tries his hardest to serve as this to Rachel in Season 2, but it doesn't work out for him, essentially because Rachel will always be Quinn's favorite and the show will always be allowed to run as corruptly as she can get away with.
• Deadpan Snarker
• Even Evil Has Standards: Jay isn't 'evil' but in season two his conscience begins to weigh on him and he declares there are things he is unwilling to do, a stark contrast from Rachel in season two.
• Not Good with Rejection: Jay falls in love with contestant Alexi and even breaks up with his boyfriend because he thinks the feeling is mutual. When Alexi dumps him (rather brutally), Jay embarks on somewhat of a vendetta against Alexi that lasts way up until the midst of season 4.
• Passed-Over Promotion: Jay has been working at the job presumably for as long as Rachel has, however her willingness to do some dark shit at the expense of her mental sanity has led to her being promoted in season two, for however long it lasted. Averted after Quinn's return to power and Rachel's breakdown, wherein Jay is given the role as Quinn's second.
• Those Two Guys: Originally with Shia, then with Madison, as "the other producers" of Everlasting.
• Twofer Token Minority
• Uncle Tomfoolery: Shamiqua calls Jay an Uncle Tom after Athena acts like an offensive racial stereotype at Jay's urging.

Madison

Played by Genevieve Buechner

• Butt-Monkey: As the new kid and looking so young and innocent, she is the perfect target to be pushed too far by her superiors.
• Cute and Psycho: Madison looks like a sweet and meek kid, complete with Girlish Pigtails, but as shown in the season two premiere, she's got some...issues.
• The Dragon: To Rachel in Season 2.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: At this point it seems like a long-way off, but Madison seems to be shaping up to be this. Confirmed, as pretty much the entirety of her character arc this season is shaping up to be this trope. She's a quick learner.
• Girlish Pigtails: Madison. Technically, she has braids, but the point still stands stands. Quinn even refers to her as Pippi Longstocking.
• Jailbait Taboo: Implied with Madison, though her exact age is unknown. Later exploited by Quinn to try and get Madison to press charges against Chet for harassment after she gave him a blowjob.
• Missing Mom: Madison's mom is revealed to have died in the season 2 premiere.
• Naïve Newcomer: For the briefest of moments before she shows her true colors in manipulation.
• Older Than They Look: Madison looks about 14, but she's at least an assistant producer for a major TV show.
• Outof Focus: Fell victim to this in season 4.
• Plucky Girl: A dark and troubled version of this. Despite all of Rachel and Quinn's verbal abuse, she truly does enjoy working on the show and is determined to learn and keep moving up the ladder.
• Really Gets Around: Sleeps with multiple staff and cast members.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: To the point that AD Dan doesn't initially recognize her.
• Sleeping Their Way to the Top
• Those Two Guys: With Jay in season 2, as "the other producers" of Everlasting.
• Wham Line: "That was amazing!" right after throwing up due to driving Chantal to tears at Rachel's urging. You expect her to be horrified and quit on the spot, but it turns out she liked it.

Jeremy Caner

Played by Josh Kelly

• The Alcoholic: In season two.

Shia

Played by Aline Elasmar

• Butt-Monkey
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Shia disappears after the first season, and Madison replaces her as an assistant producer. Quinn briefly mentions Shia in passing in season 3 but her absence is never explained.

Graham

Played by Brennan Elliott

• Butt-Monkey
• Running Gag: The gang mocking Graham's ridiculously over-the-top introductions to events.
  Quinn: I need it written into Graham's contract that he never read books. Ever.
• Smarmy Host

Coleman Wasserman

Played by Michael Rady

• Hypocrisy Nod: Throughout season 2, award-winning filmmaker Coleman talks about how Everlasting and reality shows are horrible and fake and wants to "redeem" Rachel from them. In the season finale, Rachel reveals how Coleman's ex-girlfriend told her Coleman hired downtrodden extras to be "sex slaves" for his documentary. "So you're as full of shit as we are."
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Even though most of the characters are complex (albeit with few redeeming qualities, they are at the very least a Well-Intentioned Extremist), the more you learn about Coleman the more it seems he really fits this.

Suitor

Adam Cromwell

Played by Freddie Stroma

Darius Beck

Played by B.J. Britt

• Career-Ending Injury: Darius has one, which is the real reason he's agreed to be on the show.
• Marry for Love: What Darius totally wants to do and wants to choose Ruby, who he was pressured into kicking off the show earlier. Asks her, and she says they need to get away from the cameras to have a real relationship before she'll consider him (also, they've known each other 2 months.) Romeo says that they'll be poor, Jay responds that being happy is better.

Serena Wolcott

Played by Caitlin FitzGerald

Contestants

Anna Martin

Played by Johanna Braddy

• Cat Fight: Episode 3 ends with a cat fight between Anna and Grace that was brought on by Rachel telling Anna lies about gossip Grace is supposedly spreading.

Grace

Played by Nathalie Kelley

• Cat Fight: Episode 3 ends with a cat fight between Anna and Grace that was brought on by Rachel telling Anna lies about gossip Grace is supposedly spreading.
• Ms. Fanservice: Grace the Brazilian swimsuit model. The producers of Everlasting have to put the brakes on things when Adam is about to take Grace to his room for sex after two minutes of conversation.

Mary Newhouse

Played by Ashley Scott

• Discreet Drink Disposal: Mary pours out her champagne.
• Driven to Suicide: Thanks to Shia tampering with her anti-depressants and Rachel bringing her abusive ex-husband for a visit, Mary kills herself in "Fly".
• Fanservice: Mary ends "Truth" by dancing in her underwear, saying "Mama's still got it" to herself. Het male/lesbian/bisexual viewers who remember Into the Blue or Birds of Prey (2002) (Mary is played by Ashley Scott) are likely to agree.
• Statuesque Stunner: She's very tall (Ashley Scott is 5'10) and very attractive.
• The Teetotaler: While visiting Adam's vineyard, Mary tells him she never drinks.

Faith Duluth

Played by Breeda Wool

• A Day in the Limelight: Both on the show and the Show Within a Show — Faith takes the spotlight in "Truth," which sees her visiting her hometown with Adam in tow.
• Hide Your Lesbians: invoked In "Truth", when Faith takes Adam to her hometown, she confesses to Rachel that she's in love with her best friend. While she resolves the conflict with her Christianity and wants to come out on the show, her lover doesn't want to be outed due to the Mississippi small-town mentality — as she tells Rachel, "Does Matthew Shepard ring a bell?" They keep their secret.
• Meaningful Name: Faith is a Christian virgin. And a closeted lesbian, which causes her some conflict in "Truth."

Yael

Played by Monica Barbaro

• In-Series Nickname: "Hot Rachel". Has gotten to the point where it is pretty much the only thing Quinn calls Yael.
• Intrepid Reporter
• The Mole: Fans have theorized that Yael has ulterior motives for joining the show as a contestant, with many believing she's actually a reporter set to uncover all the behind-the-scenes horror that goes on at Everlasting. Confirmed theory as of "Fugitive."
• Potty Failure: This happens to Yael during her date with Darius, thanks to Rachel.

Ruby Carter

Played by Denée Benton

• Back for the Finale: In season 2.
• Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: The Poor Suitor to Tiffany's Rich Suitor.
• Soapbox Sadie: Ruby can't be seen without a slogan-clad t-shirt and only came on the show to broaden her activist platform.

Tiffany James

Played by Kim Matula

• Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: She's the Rich Suitor to Ruby's Poor Suitor.

Chantal

Played by Meagan Tandy

Jasper Hunt

Played by Bart Edwards

Owen Boyd

Played by Alex Hernandez

August Walker

Played by Adam Demos

Alexi Petrov

Played by Alex Sparrow

• Vodka Drunkenski: Russian contestant Alexi in season 3/4 not only has a cocaine problem but obviously also likes his vodka.

Candy Coco

Played by Natalie Hall

Noelle Jackson

Played by Meagan Holder

Rodrigo

Played by Alejandro Munoz

Recurring

Recurring

Dr. Hillary Wagerstein

Played by Amy Hill

Brad

Played by Martin Cummins

Dr. Olive Goldberg

Played by Mimi Kuzyk

Dan

Played by Donavon Stinson

Gary Taylor

Played by Christopher Cousins

Fiona Berlin

Played by Tracie Thoms

Roger Lockwood

Played by Tom Brittney

Maya

Played by Natasha Wilson

Season 1

Britney

Played by Arielle Kebbel

• Back for the Finale: In season 1.
• Break the Cutie: Rachel does this to Britney in "Return" to get dramatic footage of her after her elimination. In the Season 2 premiere, she coaches Madison to do the same to Chantal.
• Spiteful Spit: Britney does this to Rachel after Rachel uses Britney's childhood issues (orphaned, foster care) to manipulate her.

Lizzie

Played by Siobhan Williams

• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Despite also working on Everlasting, Lizzie is never seen or mentioned again after breaking up with Jeremy - despite Jeremy apparently recommending her to replace him in his role as director of photography.

Shamiqua

Played by Christie Laing

• Token Minority: When Shamiqua, a black contestant, is the first to emerge from a limo Quinn is outraged, since the first contestant is supposed to be one of the real contenders and the black contestant will be eliminated within a couple of episodes. After Shamiqua survives the first elimination the crew laughs about how she'll be leaving in a couple of episodes anyway. Later Jay, a producer who is also black, takes the two black contestants aside and explains to them that they'll have to play up the Angry Black Woman Stereotype in order to stick around on the show. Shamiqua scornfully refuses but Athena is eager to cooperate. Ironically, Athena goes home first.

Bill DeYoung

Played by J.R. Bourne

Pepper

Played by Stephanie Bennett

• Sexy Backless Outfit: Pepper the schoolteacher wears one of these as part of her attempt to project a more adult, sexual image to Adam.

Cynthia Wilton

Played by Sonya Salomaa

Sam

Played by Graeme McComb

Tanya

Played by Andrea Brooks

Athena

Played by Natasha Burnett

Season 2

John Booth

Played by Ioan Gruffudd

Jameson

Played by Karissa Tynes

Beth Ann

Played by Lindsay Musil

• Flag Bikini: Beth Ann sports a confederate flag-patterned bikini.
• Sweet Home Alabama: In spite of Rachel's best efforts to play up southern stereotypes, Beth-Ann's family is very warm and welcoming to Darius with no hint of condescension.

Brandi

Played by Monique Ganderton

Dominique

Played by Elizabeth Whitmere

Hayley

Played by Jessica Sipos

London

Played by Sunita Prasad

Season 3

Dr. Simon

Played by Brandon Jay McLaren

Zach Taylor

Played by Melvin Gregg

Guy Moretti

Played by Terry Chen

Warren Johnson

Played by Marcus Rosner

Charlie

Played by Chelsea Hobbs

Crystal

Played by Kassandra Clementi

Billy Byrd

Played by Tyler Hynes

Preston Palmer

Played by Cameron Bancroft

Norman

Played by Joe Abraham

Xavier Chopin

Played by Jaime Callica

Season 4

Jack

Played by Christopher Russell

Sofia

Played by Meghan Heffern

Skye

Played by Alli Chung

Naomi

Played by Karis Cameron

Emily

Played by Samantha Cole

Luke

Played by Greg Delmage

Joe

Played by Maxwell Yip

---